Two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon late on Sunday, with one being intercepted by the country's Iron Dome missile defense system, and the other falling in an open area.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the attack, which did not result in any casualties, saying that it was carried out by "terrorists in Gaza."

A video posted to Twitter by the IDF captured what appears to be the moment of the rockets' launch, while footage from Ashkelon shows flashes lighting up the dark skies, accompanied by the sound of red alert sirens.

Also on Sunday, incendiary balloons coming from Gaza caused almost 40 fires in southern Israel amid an extreme heat, the emergencies services said. The blazes mainly occurred in remote areas, except for three in wheat fields, and did not cause any significant damage. However, several roads and a rail line were temporarily blocked as the firefighters battled to extinguish the flames.

A rocket was also fired at Israeli territory late on Saturday, with the IDF retaliating by destroying an outpost of the Hamas armed group in Gaza with a drone strike.

The attacks have been taking place amid a spike in tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians, with Jerusalem seeing several nights of clashes which left hundreds injured. The Palestinians took to the streets in protest against the looming forced evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in east Jerusalem.

There were more reports of unrest coming from Jerusalem and Haifa on Sunday, with police using stun grenades against the Palestinians, who were hurling rocks and shooting fireworks at them. At least 10 protesters were detained in Haifa, the local media said.

(RT.com)