JERUSALEM
The Israeli army said early Tuesday that four rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern city of Beersheba.
One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system while the other three hit open areas, the army said on its official Twitter account, without stating whether they left any damage or casualties.
Since July 7, Israel has pounded the embattled coastal enclave with fierce air and naval bombardments with the stated aim of halting Palestinian rocket fire.
On Thursday night, Israel stepped up its offensive to include ground operations, sending thousands of troops into the embattled Palestinian territory.
Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets at Israeli cities in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks.
At least 583 Palestinians have been killed – mostly civilians – and more than 3550 injured in the unrelenting Israeli attacks on the besieged coastal enclave.
Israel's military operation, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populated Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.
By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout
www.aa.com.tr/en
