War-torn Syria's two main airports -- Damascus and Aleppo -- have been knocked out by Israeli strikes, state media reported citing a military source, per an AFP post on X.

The transport ministry reportedly said flights were re-routed to Latakia.

The strikes have led to the death of a civilian worker, the post stated.

"At around 5:25 am (0225 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out... an air attack... targeting Damascus and Aleppo international airports, leading to the death of a civilian worker at Damascus airport and wounding another," the military source said in the statement carried by state…

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 22, 2023The report states that material damage to the airports' runways has put them out of service.

Apart from the two airports, Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza overnight and into Sunday, including a mosque in the occupied West Bank allegedly used by militants, as the two-week-old war with Hamas threatened to spiral into a broader conflict

Israel has traded fire with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group on a near-daily basis since the war began, and tensions are soaring in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have battled militants in refugee camps and carried out two airstrikes in recent days.

The Israeli military has reportedly claimed that militant group Hezbollah is 'dragging Lebanon into a war'. The comment came after renewed cross-border exchanges of fire that have raised fears of a wider conflict.

"Hezbollah... is dragging Lebanon into a war that it will gain nothing from, but stands to lose a lot," warned Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus. "They're escalating the situation."

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 22, 2023=

It's been two weeks since the Israel-Hamas conflict began with militant group Hamas rampaging through southern Israel and Israel responding with airstrikes. Aid deliveries have now begun moving into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Israel says Hamas has freed two American hostages who had been held in Gaza since the war began October 7.

Israeli airstrikes continued to hit southern Gaza, an area swollen by civilians who fled there from the north on Israeli instructions. Israel's military spokesman said the country is stepping up its attacks, coming amid growing expectations of a ground offensive.

The war, on its 16th day Sunday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that the death toll has reached 4,385, while 13,561 people have been wounded.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly in the initial attack on October 7 when Hamas militants stormed into Israel. In addition, 203 people were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, the Israeli military has said.

With inputs from AP and PTI

(Edited by : Shweta Mungre)

First Published:Oct 22, 2023 11:49 AM IST