Israeli military struck a series of Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip after militants in the enclave fired 13 rockets at Israel's south overnight, the army's spokesperson confirmed early Wednesday.
The latest round of cross-border violence began on Tuesday, when a rocket from Gaza struck the coastal city of Ashdod, wounding two people, at the same time as Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements at the White House to establish diplomatic relations.
No casualties were reported on either side of the Israel-Gaza frontier.
In a statement, the military said it launched about 10 air strikes in Hamas-run Gaza. The targets included a weapons and explosives manufacturing factory, a compound used by Hamas for training and rocket experiments as well as an underground tunnel.
The military said eight of the rockets launched early Wednesday were intercepted by its Iron Dome anti-missile system. The other five landed in open areas in the regional councils of Sha'ar HaNegev and Eshkol, which border the Strip.
Despite the rocket fire, the army said schools in Israeli communities bordering the Strip can reopen on Wednesday as planned.
"I'm not surprised that the Palestinian terrorists fired at Israel precisely during this historic ceremony," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before his flight returning to Israel.
"They want to turn back the peace. In that, they will not succeed," he told reporters. "We will strike at all those who raise a hand to harm us, and we will reach out to all those who extend the hand of peace to us."
Without naming specific factions, the Islamic Jihad group in Gaza said that in response to the air strikes, the "resistance" fired rocket salvoes at Israel.
In the meantime, the condition of the 62-year-old man wounded during the rocket attack in Ashdod has worsened and his condition is now defined as critical but stable, said the hospital.