The missile hit a residential area in the village of Eshtaol, near Beit Shemesh, where nine people -- including four minors -- were killed in the early days of the war by a missile fired from Iran.

Several buildings were badly damaged in Saturday's strike, with metal wreckage and concrete debris scattered around, AFP footage showed.

The blast also wrecked several cars and gouged a large crater at the impact site.

At the scene, rescue workers and security forces operated near a house whose roof tiles had been completely blown away, leaving only the shell of the structure.

It was a "direct hit by an Iranian missile," Ohad Moyal, commander from the military's Home Front Command, told an AFP correspondent at the site of the strike.

"Lots of buildings were hit," he added.

The military also confirmed to AFP that the strike was caused by an Iranian missile.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani posted a video clip of the site on X, writing: "A family home in Eshtaol -- destroyed by an Iranian missile".

The Middle East has been engulfed in war since February 28, triggered by joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Since then, Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several countries in the region.