Yemeni rebel missile hits central Israel in rare attack

A missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels hit central Israel on Sunday, a rare incident that caused no casualties but added to regional tensions nearly a year into the Gaza war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Houthis will pay a "heavy price" for the attack that started a fire and caused some damage near Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub.

Palestinian group Hamas praised the missile launch, vowing that Israel "will not enjoy security unless it ceases its brutal aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip."

Israeli medics said several people were slightly injured while "on their way to shelters" as sirens sounded, and police said a fragment of an air-defence interceptor had come down east of Tel Aviv.

Firefighters battled a bush fire near the central Israeli city of Lod after the attack. Glass was broken at a train station in Modiin, about 20 kilometres southeast of Tel Aviv.

The Houthis who claimed the strike they said targeted an Israeli "military position."

"The Houthis launched a surface-to-surface missile from Yemen into our territory," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

"They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us."

In July, a Houthi drone strike penetrated Israel's intricate air defences and killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, at least 1,800 kilometres from Yemen. It prompted retaliatory strikes that caused significant damage and deaths at the rebel-controlled Hodeida port.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said Sunday's attack was carried out with a "ballistic missile that succeeded in reaching its target."

Israel's military said an initial inquiry indicated the missile probably fragmented in mid-air, reporting "several interception attempts" the results of which "are under review."

Since November the Houthis have targeted Israel and its perceived interests in stated solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, launching dozens of missile and drone strikes on shipping in the vital Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea waterways off Yemen.

Agence France-Presse