The latest:
- Israeli warplanes targeted two Syrian international airports overnight in Damascus and Aleppo, putting them out of service.
- U.S. officials fear escalation of war in the Middle East.
- 14 Israeli communities near Lebanon will be evacuated.
- 55 people killed overnight in Israeli attacks on Gaza
- Israel’s military strikes a West Bank mosque where it says Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were planning an “imminent attack.”
- No consensus at the Cairo peace summit on the Israel-Palestinian violence.
- More humanitarian aid trucks entered southern Gaza Sunday via the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
- Clashes between Israel and Hamas continue, with Israeli airstrikes killing 19 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian media.
Israeli forces carried out attacks in the Gaza Strip, Syria and on the border with Lebanon overnight into Sunday, amid concerns that the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas could turn into a wider Middle East war.
Hamas said at least 55 people were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes conducted on the Gaza Strip, where Israel has maintained a steady drumbeat of attacks since the Hamas operation that killed some 1,400 people in Israel earlier this month.
In Syria, state news agency SANA said Israeli missiles hit the airports in the capital of Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, damaging their runways. It said one airport worker was killed in the attacks and one was injured. Flights have been transferred to Latakia Airport.
Israeli forces have struck both the Damascus and Aleppo airports several times over the past year. The Times of Israel said Israel is believed to be attempting to prevent the shipment of weapons from Iran to Middle East proxies, the most prominent being Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities announced Sunday that 14 Israeli communities near the Lebanese border will be evacuated. The locations have been subjected to rocket and missile attacks from Iran-backed Hezbollah and Palestinian groups since the deadly October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken both said in interviews Sunday the United States is concerned about the Israel-Hamas war expanding in the Middle East.
Austin told ABC’s “This Week” show, “We’re concerned about potential escalation…a significant escalation.” But he said the U.S. has “the ability to respond,” noting that a U.S. Navy warship shot down drones launched from Yemen that might have been headed toward Israel.
“We maintain the right to defend ourselves and we won’t hesitate to respond,” Austin said.
Source : VOA News
