Israeli airstrike kills one in Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- An airstrike Friday by the Israeli air force in the Gaza Strip has left one person dead and three others injured near the city of Khan Younis, sources say.

The Israeli military said in a statement the air strike in the Gaza Strip was intended to take out a suspected terrorist cell that was planning an attack on Israeli soil, Ynetnews reported.

A military representative's office said in the statement that the terrorists, identified as 28-year old Sleiman Abu-Sharitah and 27-year old Ali Kadera, were targeted as part of a joint operation involving the army and Israel's Shin Bet security group.

The air force strikes were aimed at six tunnels suspected of being used for weapons smuggling. The military said secondary explosions after the initial air strikes indicated explosives had likely been inside the tunnels.

Ynetnews said the Israeli military also tabbed the air strikes as a response to recent Gaza Strip rocket fire at Israel.