Israel Strikes Hamas Targets After Gaza Mortar Shells Fired at Border Communities

Three mortar shells were fired from Gaza at Israel on Friday, the military said, prompting an Israeli strike in southern Gaza.

One of the mortar shells was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system and the other two landed in open areas.

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Shortly after, an Israeli tank struck what Israel said was a military post used by Hamas.

In the early morning hours on Friday, the Israeli air force struck "a wide range of targets" belonging to the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza strip, including underground facilities used to produce weapons, according to an army statement. 

"The military spokesperson unit informs that a short time ago IDF fighter jets and aerial vehicles attacked a wide range of terrorist targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the southern Gaza strip. Underground facilities used to produce weapons were struck in the operation," the statement read.

The strikes came in response to previous attacks by Hamas militants, inlcuding rockets and explosives-laden balloons launched toward Israel and sniper fire against an army position on the border with Gaza. 

Three projectiles were launched from the Gaza strip toward Israel Thursday night, with two being intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. It remains unclear what happened to the third launch.