Israel strikes Hamas tunnels in Gaza, fresh rocket fire from Gaza hits southern Israel

JERUSALEM, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched airstrikes on Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip early Friday, the Israeli military said, triggering a new barrage of rockets on communities in southern Israel, after a day of rocket fire along its northern and southern borders.

According to a statement from the Israeli military, just after midnight, fighter jets targeted two tunnels in the Beit Hanoun and Khan Yunis areas.

The military said the tunnels "did not cross into Israeli territory" but were built with the intention of launching attacks against Israel.

The airstrikes targeted also two weapon manufacturing sites in the northern and central Gaza Strip, the military said. The sites belonged to Hamas, a Palestinian armed group and movement that runs Gaza.

"The strike was done as a response to the security violations of Hamas during the last few days," the statement read.

Israel accused Hamas of standing behind a barrage of about 34 rockets that were fired from Lebanon Thursday afternoon at northern Israel, injuring two civilians. Earlier this week, militants in Gaza fired about 20 rockets at southern Israel, saying the fire was a response to Israeli raids at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

The airstrikes triggered a new round of rocket fire from Gaza. The Israeli military said in a statement that the rockets targeted the town of Sderot and other communities in southern Israel. Overall, some 10 rockets were fired at southern Israel within less than an hour, and all were intercepted by the anti-rocket Iron Dome system or fell in open fields. No injuries have been reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special meeting of his security cabinet to discuss possible military responses to the fire.

The escalation was triggered by two consecutive days of Israeli raids at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, a flashpoint holy site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It came during a sensitive holiday time, as Muslims were observing the holy month of Ramadan with prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Jews were commemorating the Passover holiday.

Also on Thursday night, clashes broke out in Arab cities in northern Israel, including in Umm Al-Fahm, Sakhnin and Nazareth as demonstrations were held to protest the Israeli raids in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Two protesters have been arrested.

In the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian shooting attack near the settlement of Adam lightly injured an Israeli soldier, according to a statement issued by Binyamin Regional Council.