JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Rocket warning sirens sounded on Thursday in Beersheba, the largest city in southern Israel, some 40 km (25 miles) from the Gaza Strip, the military said.

It marked the first time sirens have warned of possible incoming rockets from the Palestinian enclave since the 2014 Israel-Gaza war. Israel Radio said explosions were heard on the outskirts of the city of 200,000, amid a surge of cross-border fighting between Israel and Gaza militants.