Forensic experts inspect a residential building hit by an Israeli air strike in the Mazzeh suburb on the western outskirts of Damascus, Syria, October 8, 2024. /CFP
Israel continues its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon while continuing its strikes against Syria as international communities urge the Jewish state to do more to avoid civilian casualties.
Israeli airstrikes targeted several locations across Syria early on Thursday, injuring at least one person and causing significant damage, according to Syrian state television.
Additionally, Saudi Al-Hadath television reported a strike on a facility linked to Iranian-affiliated factions in the Al-Kiswah area near Damascus.
The attacks marked a new round of escalation, with multiple sites hit in rapid succession.
A car destroyed in an Israeli airstrike sits surrounded by debris in Baalbek, in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, October 9, 2024. /CFP
Meanwhile, Israel continued escalating attacks in northern Gaza, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries and a mass exodus of residents. This is the third time that the Israeli army has launched a large-scale military operation in northern Gaza in the past year, during which the army attempted to force residents to flee to the south of the strip.
As for its military operation in Lebanon, Israeli armed forces chief Herzi Halevi vowed it would keep up the intensive bombing of Hezbollah targets that has already killed more than 1,200 people since September 23, "without allowing them any respite or recovery."
While the regional fighting in the Middle East continues, U.S. President Joe Biden held a long-awaited call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. Biden reiterated Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, meanwhile stressing the need for the Jewish state to minimize civilian casualties during its operation in Lebanon, according to the readout of the phone call.
The readout mentioned no details regarding the leaders' discussion about Israel's retaliation against Iran.
On Israel's response, the country's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said in a video statement issued by his office: "Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay a price. Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results."
A Palestinian kid flees the area with some of his belongings after an Israeli army attack on Salah al-Din School in Gaza City, October 9, 2024. /CFP
It's still uncertain when and how Israel will respond to Iran's missile attacks from earlier in October, however, international communities have warned about the worsening humanitarian situation in the region.
Israel needs to urgently address "catastrophic conditions" among Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and stop "intensifying suffering" by limiting aid deliveries, the United States told the UN Security Council on Wednesday, when the 15-member Security Council met over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, told the Security Council: "Yet again, Gazans are teetering on the edge of a man-made famine."
Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the council that Israel "must do much more" to avoid civilian casualties and ensure the UN and aid groups can operate safely and effectively in Gaza.
UN humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, urged the international community to act immediately to prevent further suffering for people in Lebanon amid the escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
"Resolving this crisis requires concerted influence to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, as well as a robust political-diplomatic process leading to a lasting ceasefire," Riza said in a statement.
(With input from agencies)