Israel strikes "significant" militant facility in Gaza after mortar fire

JERUSALEM, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military said Thursday it had carried out an airstrike on a main militant site in the Gaza Strip overnight, retaliating repeated mortar fire a day earlier.

The air raid was carried out by Israeli fighter jets overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.

The jets targeted "a significant terror infrastructure" in Gaza, a military spokesperson said in a statement without elaborating on the facility and what organization it was belonged to.

The strike came after three mortars were fired from Gaza at southern Israel throughout Wednesday, causing no injuries or damage.

The spokesperson warned that the military "will continue to use all means at its disposal above and below ground to thwart attempts to attack the citizens of Israel."

Israel usually retaliates each attack from the besieged Palestinian enclave by attacking Hamas targets, regardless of who fires the rockets or mortars.

The Gaza attacks are usually carried out by Islamic Jihad or other Islamist organizations that challenge Hamas, but Israel says it holds Hamas accountable for any hostility from the strip.

Rocket fire from Gaza has increased since U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6, 2017.

Following Trump's announcement, Palestinians have been clashing with Israeli forces throughout the West Bank and near the fence between Gaza and Israel, protesting the decision. Enditem