Israel intercepts rocket fired from Lebanon

The Israeli army said it intercepted rocket fire from Lebanon yesterday, a day after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians inside Islam's third-holiest site drew warnings of retaliation from around the region.

"A rocket was fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory and was successfully intercepted," an army statement said as Israeli media reported a "salvo" of projectiles had been fired.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came amid heightened tensions after Israeli police clashed with Palestinians inside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque before dawn Wednesday and again in the evening.

In response to the rocket fire, Israel struck targets in southern Lebanon, said Lebanon's National News Agency without reporting any casualties. According to the report, Israeli artillery fired "several shells from its positions on the border" towards the outskirts of two villages.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was "receiving continuous updates about the security situation and will conduct an assessment with the heads of the security establishment," his office said.