Incendiary Gaza balloon causes fire in Israel
An incendiary balloon launched from Gaza Friday caused a brush fire in southern Israel.
JERUSALEM (AFP) - An incendiary balloon launched from Gaza Friday caused a brush fire in southern Israel, firefighters said, a day after similar attacks led to Israeli air strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
A firefighting team "put out a brush fire in the Eshkol region" near the border with the Gaza Strip, a statement from the fire service said.
"A fire investigator... determined that the fire was caused by an incendiary balloon," the statement said.
On Thursday, four small fires caused by incendiary balloons from Gaza were extinguished in the Eshkol region.
Israel retaliated early Friday with air strikes which the army said struck "a weapons manufacturing site" belonging to Gaza s Hamas Islamist rulers.
No injuries were reported in the Israeli strikes.
Eleven days of deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas, as well as other Palestinian armed groups based in the enclave, ended on May 21 with a ceasefire declaration.
There was no immediate indication as to which Gaza-based group was responsible for the latest balloon launch.
There have been multiple flare ups since the ceasefire, including a series of balloon launches last month. Israel has responded with air strikes.
The May conflict killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, according to Gaza authorities.
In Israel, 13 people were killed, including a soldier, by projectiles fired from Gaza, the police and army said.
