Benjamin Netanyahu was rushed off stage by rocket sirens just hours after announcing controversial plans to annex large parts of the West Bank.

The Israeli Prime Minister was appearing in front of Likud party supporters in Ashdod when the sirens were heard on Tuesday evening.

He was swiftly escorted from the stage by members of his security team, before reappearing shortly afterwards to continue his speech.

The Israeli Defence Forces said it intercepted two rockets launched from the Gaza Strip aimed towards the southern city, and no injuries were reported.

In retaliation, Israel struck 15 Hamas targets in the northern and central regions of Gaza, Haaretz reports.

The sites targeted include military infrastructure used for manufacturing weapons and an attack tunnel used in terror attacks, the IDF said.

Palestinian sources said on Tuesday night that Israel had carried out several airstrikes near the city of Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, as well as areas in the north of the Strip.

Hours before the warning of an attack, Mr Netanyahu made headlines by announcing his intention to annex the Jordan Valley if he is re-elected as prime minister next week, reaffirming a pledge initially made in the run-up to the previous election, in April.

He said that the Israeli government would “await applying sovereignty” in the West Bank until the publication of US President Donald Trump’s “political plan”.

Washington later said that US policy on Israel-Palestine was unchanged.