A rocket fired by Palestinian militants landed near a security-sensitive facility south of the Israeli coastal city Ashkelon on Wednesday afternoon after a one- day lull of such attacks, popular local newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website.

No injuries or damages were caused in the rocket attack.

The rocket was fired from the northern Gaza Strip and exploded in an open area outside the facility, said the report.

The rocket firing came shortly after Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset (Parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel had sent a message through secret channels to the Hamas-led Palestinian government warning of large- scale operations if Palestinian militants continue rocket attacks.

The defense minister also said that the message proved to be effective as the Palestinian militants suspended firing rockets at Israel for Tuesday.

Rockets have been raining down on southern Israel since last Friday after a Gaza beach explosion killed seven Palestinian civilians.

The Palestinians held Israel responsible for the incident, but the Israeli side denied on Tuesday any involvement.

Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, called off a 16- month-old truce with Israel in the wake of the Gaza beach incident.

Israel has vowed no direct contacts with the Islamic group which is sworn to Israel's destruct and took the reins of the Palestinian government in late March.

The Jewish state has recently stepped up military operations in a bid to prevent Palestinian militant rocket attacks.

Nine Palestinian civilians and two militants who were on their way to fire rockets onto Israel were killed in an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

Source: Xinhua