The Israeli military's uniformed chief says the likelihood of war between the country and the Lebanon-based Shia group Hezbollah in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi made the comment on Wednesday.

It comes as concerns are growing that armed conflicts could escalate in the Middle East amid the continuing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military conducted attacks across Gaza through Thursday. They said the raids have killed approximately 40 Hamas fighters over the past day in Khan Younis in the southern part of Gaza.

Palestinian media say an Israeli air attack on a house in Rafah in southern Gaza killed at least 19 people, including children.

North of Israel, the country's armed forces are also continuing to fight with Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. The Israeli military said they launched airstrikes on Wednesday on positions of the militant group, which fired rockets into Israel.

South of Israel, Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen have continued attacks on ships around the Red Sea, stating their solidarity with Hamas.

The US Central Command said a drone launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen hit a US-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden at around 8:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

The Central Command said US forces conducted strikes at around 11:59 p.m. local time on 14 missiles in Yemen that were loaded to launch.

The command said the missiles on launch rails could have been fired from Houthi-controlled areas at any time, and that prompted US forces to exercise their right of self-defense.

US media reports say the raid was the fourth by the US military on Houthi positions.