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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel carried out airstrikes on militant targets in the Gaza Strip early Sunday after a rocket attack, the military said, as the country's foreign minister suggested it consider reoccupying the Hamas-ruled territory to stop the increasing rocket fire.

There has been an increase in rockets launched from the Hamas-ruled territory toward Israel this month, as the army has carried out a wide-ranging operation against Hamas in the West Bank while searching for three Israeli teens who Israel says were abducted by the Palestinian militant group.

The military said it targeted 12 locations in Gaza on Sunday, including concealed rocket launchers, weapons manufacturing sites and what it called "terror activity" sites. The airstrikes were in retaliation for six rockets from Gaza that struck Israel the previous evening. Two of the rockets hit a factory in the town of Sderot, setting it ablaze.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said limited operations against militants in Gaza only strengthen Hamas.

"The alternative is clear," Lieberman said on Army Radio. "Either with each round we attack terror infrastructure and they shoot, or we go to full occupation."

Israel unilaterally pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, but continues to control access to the territory by air, land and sea. Israeli leaders have said the pullout cleared the way for Hamas to seize control of the territory two years later and turn it into a base for rocket attacks on Israel, but there has been little support for reoccupying the territory.

On Friday, an Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinian militants in Gaza who were members of the Tawhid Brigades, an ultraconservative Islamic militant group unaffiliated with Hamas, according to Palestinian security officials and militants from the group. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters and the militants because they operate underground.

The security officials had initially said the two fighters were members of a militant group allied with Hamas that often fires rockets at Israel.

Since the beginning of June, over 60 rockets have been launched from Gaza toward Israel — more than four times the amount in May — and 28 of the rockets hit Israeli territory, the military said. The crude, makeshift devices rarely wound anyone, but they have caused damage and sown panic in communities along the frontier.

Also on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has asked Israeli authorities to consider outlawing a Muslim group in Israel, following calls in support of abducting Israeli soldiers at a demonstration in an Arab-Israeli town.

"In many cases, those behind such calls and demonstrations are from the northern branch of the Islamic Movement," Netanyahu said. "It constantly preaches against the state of Israel and its people publicly identify with terrorist organizations such as Hamas."

Israel has arrested the movement's leader, Raed Salah, on a number of occasions, banning him from Jerusalem and accusing him of incitement. Salah has called for a third intifada, or Palestinian uprising, against Israel.

In 2003, Israel jailed Salah, an Israeli citizen, for more than two years, saying his organization funneled money to Hamas, which at the time was frequently carrying out deadly suicide bombings in Israel.

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Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank contributed to this report.

How the legal process may play out in the case against Ahmed Abu Khattala. The Libyan militant faces criminal charges connected to the deaths of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans from the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012. An initial court appearance at the federal courthouse in the nation's capital took place Saturday:

Q: What happened at that court hearing?

A: Abu Khattala pleaded not guilty during a 10-minute appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola. Wearing a two-piece black track suit and keeping his hands behind his back, the defendant wore headphones to listen to a translation of the proceedings. Abu Khattala spoke just two words during the hearing, both in Arabic. He replied "yes" when asked to swear to tell the truth and "no" when asked if he was having trouble understanding the proceeding. Facciola ordered the defendant's continued detention.

Q: Who is representing Abu Khattala?

A: A lawyer from the federal public defender's office appeared alongside Abu Khattala.

Q: What is the next step in the legal process?

A: Minutes after Abu Khattala entered his plea, the Justice Department unsealed a two-page grand jury indictment charging him with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists resulting in death. Attorney General Eric Holder has said Abu Khattala could face additional charges and that federal authorities are working to identify, locate and prosecute additional co-conspirators. The case is in the hands of the U.S. attorney's office in Washington and the Justice Department's National Security Division. His next court appearance is July 2.

Q: What has been the reaction to the criminal proceedings?

A: The Obama administration supports prosecuting Abu Khattala and other suspected terrorists in American courts, a judicial system that government officials believe is fairer and more efficient than the military tribunal process at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But some Republican critics are already raising concerns about the prosecution. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., issued a statement saying "critical intelligence" could be lost in the process of turning Abu Khattala over to the American justice system.

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Online:

Justice Department: http://tinyurl.com/m79bngq

WASHINGTON (AP) — A court appearance for the alleged mastermind of the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, is the first step in a long legal process that could yield new insight into a fiery assault that continues to reverberate across U.S. politics.

The case of Ahmed Abu Khattala, who pleaded not guilty during a brief court appearance Saturday, also represents a high-profile test of the Obama administration's goal of prosecuting terror suspects in civilian courts — even in the face of Republican critics who say such defendants aren't entitled to the protections of the American legal system.

Abu Khattala made his first appearance in an American courtroom amid tight security, two weeks after being captured in Libya by U.S. special forces in a nighttime raid and then whisked away on a Navy ship for questioning and transport. He was flown early Saturday from the ship to a landing pad in Washington and brought to the federal courthouse, a downtown building mere blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

A grand jury indictment made public Saturday accuses Abu Khattala of participating in a conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2012, that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. The Justice Department says it expects to bring more charges.

The Libyan who maintained a garrulous public persona at home — granting interviews with journalists and gaining popularity and prominence in Benghazi's circle of extremists — showed little reaction during a 10-minute appearance before a federal magistrate judge. He spoke just two words, both in Arabic, in response to perfunctory questions, stared impassively for most of the hearing and sat with his hands behind his back. He will remain in custody — though the judge did not say where — and was directed to return to court next week.

As the Justice Department embarks on a high-profile prosecution of the alleged militant, the case is likely to provide a public forum for new details about a burst of violence — on the 11th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon — that roiled the Middle East and dominated American political discourse. In the nearly two years since the attack, dozens of congressional briefings and hearings have been held and tens of thousands of pages of documents have been released. Yet there's still a dispute over what happened.

Republicans accused the White House, as the 2012 presidential election neared, of intentionally misleading the public about what prompted the attacks by portraying it as one of the many protests over an anti-Muslim video made in America, instead of a calculated terrorist attack. The White House said Republicans were politicizing a national tragedy.

The capture of Abu Khatalla marked the first significant breakthrough in the investigation of the attacks. Prosecutors say they hope to identify, locate and bring to court any additional co-conspirators.

"Now that Ahmed Abu Khatallah has arrived in the United States, he will face the full weight of our justice system," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement Saturday. "We will prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant's alleged role in the attack that killed four brave Americans in Benghazi."

The Obama administration has said it's committed to prosecuting defendants like Abu Khattala in American courts. Government officials point to successful prosecutions, like the March conviction in New York City of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, to suggest that the civilian justice system is fair, efficient and can yield harsh penalties for suspected terrorists.

But not everyone is convinced. Many Republicans in Congress have urged the Justice Department to send Abu Khatalla to the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and say granting terrorists legal protections, such as advising them of their right to remain silent, risks hindering access to national security intelligence.

A U.S. official said Saturday that Abu Khattala had been advised of his Miranda rights at some point during his trip to the United States and continued talking after that. The official wasn't authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. The nature of those conversations wasn't immediately clear.

The criminal case may sort out the exact role Abu Khattala is alleged to have played in the attack.

The U.S. government accuses Abu Khattala of being a member of the Ansar al-Shariah group, the powerful Islamic militia that officials believe was behind the attack.

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AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

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Online:

Justice Department: http://tinyurl.com/m79bngq

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Luis Suarez told FIFA's disciplinary panel that he did not deliberately bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.

The Uruguay striker's defense that he lost balance and fell on his opponent will now be presented to FIFA's appeal panel, after his national federation notified FIFA late Friday it would challenge the nine-match, four-month ban.

"In no way it happened how you have described, as a bite or intent to bite," Suarez wrote in Spanish in a letter dated June 25.

The player's defense is in paragraph 6 of FIFA's disciplinary committee ruling, which has been seen by The Associated Press.

"After the impact ... I lost my balance, making my body unstable and falling on top of my opponent," Suarez wrote in his submission to the panel which met Wednesday, one day after Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 in a decisive group-stage match.

"At that moment I hit my face against the player leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth," Suarez said.

However, the seven-man panel which met on Wednesday evening dismissed the argument.

The bite was "deliberate, intentional and without provocation," the ruling stated in paragraph No. 26 of the panel's conclusions.

Suarez was banned for nine Uruguay matches and four months from all football. He was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs ($112,000).

The panel, chaired by former Switzerland international Claudio Sulser, included members from the Cook Islands, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Panama, South Africa and Singapore.

On Saturday, FIFA confirmed that formal proceedings had begun to challenge the longest ban for a World Cup player in 20 years.

"We have a declaration that they are planning to appeal," FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said. The Uruguay federation now has seven days to submit written grounds for the appeal.

Back in Montevideo, Suarez has been welcomed home as a hero by Uruguay fans.

"I'm writing this message to express thanks for the outpouring of support and affection that I'm getting. Both me and my family really appreciate it," Suarez said Saturday on his Twitter account.

"Thank you very much for being on my side and I want all of us to support our teammates today in the match against Colombia," he wrote, ahead of Uruguay's Round of 16 match at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

FIFA's disciplinary ruling confirmed that Suarez's bite was missed by referee Marco Rodriguez of Mexico, who acknowledged the oversight in his match report. So did his two assistants and the fourth official.

"I haven't seen the incident because the ball was in another sector of the pitch," Rodriguez writes in paragraph No. 4 of witness submissions in the 11-page document.

FIFA's verdict was welcomed by Brazilian great Pele.

"FIFA's decision was good, it was correct, because they had to set an example," he was quoted as telling Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. "If this example hadn't been given quickly, it could spread (the bad behavior on the pitch). This example shouldn't be copied by anyone. I think it was fair because it serves as a parameter going forward."