Israel says it intercepted rocket fired from Gaza Strip

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli army says sirens sounded in the country’s south and a rocket was intercepted from the Gaza Strip. Local residents reported hearing explosions. The announcement Wednesday came as tensions soared between Israel and the Palestinians under the country’s new ultranationalist government. The army said in a statement that sirens sounded in the city of Sderot and in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip late Wednesday afternoon. The rocket, it said, was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. Israel’s rescue service reported that it received no reports of injuries except for a 50-year-old woman who fell while running to a shelter. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket.