Israeli air strikes hit Gaza after rocket interception

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STORY: Smoke and flames were seen above Gaza City, as jet engines rumbled in the sky. The strikes came hours after Israeli forces said they intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza strip.

Israel said it targeted rocket and weapon production sites used by Hamas, the Islamist group that runs the blockaded strip.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier pledged a "strong, swift and precise" response to a deadly Palestinian shooting attack near a synagogue on Jerusalem's outskirts on Friday, which killed seven people.

Top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have appealed for calm on both sides in the past week.