Islamic Jihad fires 3 rockets into Israel in reprisal for airstrikes

JERUSALEM, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three rockets were fired from Gaza to Israel on Wednesday night amid growing tensions, an Israeli statement said.

A military spokesperson said in a statement that Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system successfully intercepted two rockets.

A few minutes later, a third rocket was launched from Gaza, hitting an open field in the Eshkol Regional Council, the spokesperson said.

Israel has struck the Gaza Strip at least nine times over the past week, saying the strikes were targeting Hamas posts in response to rocket launching.

The rockets were reportedly carried out by the Islamic Jihad, a militant Gaza-based group. The army has repeatedly said that it holds Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist organization that runs the Gaza Strip, accountable for any hostility from Gaza.

Also on Wednesday, a senior military official told Channel 2 TV news that if the rocket fire will continue, Israel will retaliate "with a much heavier force."

Violence between Gaza and Israel has been on the rise since the United States President Donald Trump's recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6. Enditem