Gaza Islamists Claim Rocket Attack On Israel

A policewoman looks at the damage after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza landed in the southern town of Sderot on March 21.

A hard-line Islamist group has claimed responsibility for a rocket attack against Israel.

Israeli authorities say two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in the town of Sderot near the Gaza border early on March 21.

There were no reports of injuries but the side of one building was damaged.

In a statement, the Salafist group Majlis Shura Fi Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis said the attack was aimed at showing that rocket attacks could not be stopped by Israeli air defenses.

The strike took place during a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Jewish state.

Obama told journalists it was up to the Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza, to stop such strikes.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters