A Palestinian terrorist group linked to the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rocket attack in Israel on Wednesday, declaring it part of the "jihad against Jews."
The Gaza-based militant organization Ahfad al-Sahaba-Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis said in a statement the assault was in retribution for the arrest of five Salafi jihadists by Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip, the Daily Mail reported.
Air raid sirens went off shortly before a rocket hit the southern Israeli town of Sderot on the Gaza border Wednesday morning. No one was injured in the strike. Photos of the scene show the rocket left a crater in the road.
Salafi militants said in a statement released after the attack, "Oh you cowardly Jews: You don’t have safety in our land," the Times of Israel reported.
The Israel Defense Forces launched tank shells at a Hamas observation point in northern Gaza in response to the attack. Hamas-run media reported that no one was injured by the strike.
Ahfad al-Sahaba claimed responsibility for a separate rocket attack on the town in August.