Israeli air raid sirens after rocket fire

Air raid sirens have sounded in southern Israel after a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip for the first time since the 11-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in May.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire on Monday.

It came hours after Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian gunmen during a late-night arrest raid in the occupied West Bank, killing four Palestinians in one of the deadliest battles in the area in years.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it identified one rocket launch that was intercepted by aerial defence batteries. Amateur video footage appeared to show the rocket being intercepted over the southern town of Sderot.

The rocket fire could jeopardise three months of relative calm since Israel and the militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, struck a ceasefire.

In the clashes earlier, fighting erupted in Jenin, a city in the northern West Bank where tensions have been high since a man was killed in fighting with Israel earlier this month.