IDF armor near Gaza
IDF armor near GazaFlash 90

IDF forces shelled Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip Sunday afternoon, following a balloon bombing in southern Israel, Arab media outlets reported.

An explosion was reported shortly beforehand Sunday afternoon in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, near the Gaza frontier, apparently the result of a balloon bombing launched from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip towards Israel.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Sderot.

After the bombing in Sderot, Arab media outlets reported that Israeli forces had shelled Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip, apparently in response to the balloon bomb.

No causalities have been reported in Gaza thus far.

Terror balloons – bombs or incendiary devices attached to balloons and launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel – have been found inside of Israeli territory in recent days, including a balloon bomb spotted in Sderot Saturday.

Police were notified of the explosive device, and a bomb squad team was dispatched to neutralize it.