The US military says it has struck two facilities in eastern Syria, claiming they were used by Iran and affiliated groups, the BBC reports.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says it was done in self-defense, after recent drone attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria.
The US strikes were “separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach”, Austin added, as he urged against actions that would escalate into a broader conflict.
Menahwile, the UN’s top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths says aid is “barely trickling” into Gaza, after days of warnings over rapidly depleting fuel supplies.
EU leaders have called for “pauses” in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid into Gaza.
UN aid agencies say they are significantly reducing their operations in Gaza because they have almost exhausted their fuel reserves.
Hamas says about 50 hostages being held in Gaza have been killed as a result of Israel bombarding the Strip in retaliation to Hamas’s 7 October attack.
More than 1,400 were killed in the initial attacks on Israel by Hamas, and Israel says more than 220 people ae still being held hostage in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry says 7,000 people have been killed since Israeli air strikes on Gaza began.