Jerusalem: Gaza militants fired two projectiles which struck an area close to the ranch where former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was laid to rest on Monday, a military spokeswoman said.
"Two projectiles landed in an open area in the Shaar HaNegev region," the spokeswoman told AFP, referring to the area around the northern border with Gaza, without specifying exactly where they struck. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the projectiles had targeted the town of Sderot, which lies very close to the Gaza border, and just four kilometres west of Sycamore Ranch, causing no injuries or damage. Given the ranch`s proximity to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, the Israeli police and army had beefed up security in the area, with unconfirmed media reports saying the military had deployed a battery of the Iron Dome missile defence system to counter possible rocket attacks.