A Grad-type Katyusha rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip struck close to an apartment building in a residential area of Ashkelon on Friday, while two mortar shells exploded in the western Negev just a few hours later.
The Katyusha rocket hit the populated neighborhood just after 8:30 A.M., causing some damage to the nearby building and to a number of parked cars. There were no casualties in the incident, but at least two people were treated for shock. Residents said that the Color Red rocket alert sounded prior to the explosion.
At around 12:30 P.M., two mortar shells hit the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.
The attack on Ashkelon was one of the first to strike the southern city after months of quiet since Israel launched a three week military campaign in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in late 2008, called Operation Cast Lead in Israel.
"No doubt this is the most serious event that happened since Operation Cast Lead," Ashkelon mayor Benny Vaknin told Israel Radio. The city is located about 12 km (7 miles) up the coast from the Gaza Strip and has some 125,000 residents.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement from his office: "Israel takes the firing on Ashkelon very seriously."
While rocket fire has continued since the devastating war, much of it has targeted smaller towns closer to the border. Four Qassam rockets and two mortar shells were fired at Israel last weekend, none of them causing any casualties as they hit open areas of the western Negev.
Israel often carries out strikes against smuggling tunnels or outposts of the Islamist group Hamas after such attacks.
No group in Gaza claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Hamas has said it is trying to stop militants from firing at Israel, but smaller groups have continued the attacks.