Israel pounded areas of the Gaza Strip early Thursday with artillery fire.

Positions of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian resistance group Hamas, were targeted, the Israeli army said in a statement on its Twitter account.

NO DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED SO FAR
The attacks were carried out in retaliation for the launching of incendiary balloons from Gaza, the statement said.

The Israeli army has intensified its raids on Gaza over the past week along with tightening a blockade under which it banned the entry of fuel for Gaza's sole power plant, plunging the Palestinian territory into darkness.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas earlier that Israel considers every incendiary balloon a missile.