Thousands of Israeli police forces have invaded a Bedouin-Palestinian mosque in southern Israel, forcing the praying locals out and razing the building to the ground.

The operation was carried out in the Bedouin city of Rahat on Sunday, AFP reported.

"They went into the mosque and arrested those who were praying inside, including me, and drove us outside the city until the operation was over," Yusuf Abu Jamer, a local resident was quoted as saying.

The police used tear gas canisters and rubber bullets to disperse the outraged residents who took to the streets in protest.

Israeli authorities, however, claimed that the mosque did not have an authorization permit.

In July, the city was swarmed with several hundreds of Bedouins who had their similarly "illegally-built" houses demolished during a surge by the Israeli police.

Last month, Israeli extremists vandalized a mosque in the north of the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) in the occupied West Bank.

They burned copies of the holy Qur’an and sprayed graffiti blaspheming Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on the building’s walls.

Israeli settlers and policemen have also repeatedly attacked the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam.

Tel Aviv has as well been limiting access to the compound.

(Press TV)