JERUSALEM, Jan. 9 -- The Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck down a target in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday noon, several hours after the first similar attack, an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson confirmed in a statement.

"In response to mortar attack, an IAF aircraft targeted a terror site in the southern Gaza Strip. Direct hits were confirmed, " the statement read.

According to the statement, the aircraft fired two missiles at a militant post in the area of Rafah. No injuries were reported. Earlier on Thursday morning, the IAF struck targets at the Gaza Strip, after three mortar shells were fired by Palestinian militants from the Hamas-ruled enclave unto Israeli soldiers situated near the border fence.

Both the IDF and the Palestinians reported that two militants were killed in Thursday morning's attack. IDF spokesperson, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, said the military will continue to work against militants from the strip.

"This ongoing conflict that we are facing on a daily basis cannot be endured by Israeli civilians. It is the IDF's obligation to operate to the best of its abilities to prevent such malicious terroristic intentions from terrorizing Israeli civilians and assaulting IDF soldiers," Lerner said.

"We will continue in our activities to deter all threats originating from the Gaza Strip," the spokesperson concluded. Despite the relative calm that prevailed across the Gaza Strip- Israeli border fence since Israel's military operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012, there have been several deadly altercations in the past month.