GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli aircraft struck several sites for Gaza militants late Saturday in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli military said the sites belonged to Hamas, the Islamic group ruling the territory, and included weapons manufacturing and intelligence-gathering facilities. There were no reports of injuries from the airstrikes in southern Gaza Strip. Blaming Hamas, the military said it considers “any kind of terror activity with great severity and will continue operating as necessary against attempts to harm its civilians.”Palestinian groups resumed launching flammable balloons on Israel recently and Hamas said it’s encouraging the shootings, charging Israel of not honoring an unofficial truce meant to improve the economy of the narrow enclave.

Source: New York Times January 25, 2020 22:41 UTC