Syria accused Israel on Thursday of mounting a deadly destabilization campaign after a wave of strikes hit military targets, including an airport, and ground incursions left 13 people dead.

Israel said it responded to fire from gunmen during an operation in southern Syria and warned interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa that he would face severe consequences if its security was threatened.

The head of the U.S. Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, visited Israel this week for talks with Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on regional security issues, the military said on Thursday.

Kurilla arrived in Israel on Tuesday and held a joint meeting with Zamir and other Israeli military commanders "during which they discussed strategic security issues across the region," the military said in a statement.

Yemen's Houthis said a strike they blamed on the United States killed a guard at a communications tower on Thursday, among more than 30 strikes on rebel-held parts of the country.

There was no immediate statement from Washington, which has carried out a wave of strikes against Houthi targets in recent weeks after President Donald Trump vowed to pummel the rebels until they stop attacking commercial shipping in solidarity with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir prompted strong condemnation from Arab nations and Palestinian militants Hamas on Wednesday with his latest visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City.

The firebrand politician was visiting the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem after returning to the government last month following the resumption of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas condemned a visit on Wednesday by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, calling it a "provocative and dangerous escalation".

In a statement, the Palestinian militant group called for Palestinians "and our youth in the West Bank to escalate their confrontation... in defense of our land and our sanctities, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque". The disputed site is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.

Gaza's civil defense agency said nine children were among 16 people killed in an Israeli strike on what it called a U.N. clinic in Jabalia Wednesday, which the army did not immediately confirm.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said there were also dozens of people wounded in the strike which "targeted an UNRWA building housing a medical clinic in Jabalia refugee camp". The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was not immediately able to confirm the strike.

Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or criticized Israel over its military action in Gaza.

Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being "pro-Hamas," referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel's actions in the war.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Wednesday that overnight air strikes on Hodeida province killed four people in an attack they blamed on the United States.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of military operations in Hamas-run Gaza, saying the army would seize "large areas" of the Palestinian territory.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed that strikes on Yemen's Houthis will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping, warning the rebels and their Iranian backers of "real pain" to come.

"The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.