Israeli army says Gaza rocket explodes in southern Israel

Rocket fired by militants in Gaza exploded in southern Israel on Tuesday night, Israel's army said amidst rising tensions in the region.

"One projectile was launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory," a military spokesperson said in a short statement.

The rocket triggered sirens in the city of Ashkelon and in the community of Kibbutz Zikim, both are in southern Israel, according to the statement.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said no injury has been reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone with local council heads from the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip. He told them that over the past 10 days, the military has carried out daily airstrikes targeting infrastructures belonging to Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian movement that runs Gaza, Xinhua reported.