Syria's defense ministry said on Thursday that the Israeli military launched airstrikes on targets in the capital Damascus as well as near the central city of Homs, resulting the death of one soldier.

The Israeli government has not commented on the airstrikes in Syria. Israel has reportedly been conducting airstrikes for years against Syrian targets linked to local militant groups backed by Iran.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had conducted airstrikes in neighboring Lebanon, destroying weapons storage and production facilities belonging to the Lebanon-based Shia Muslim group Hezbollah.

Video footage shows a huge explosion at night in an urban area of Beirut, sending flames and smoke into the sky.

The Israeli military is also stepping up its offensive in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip. The attacks have forced more than 20,000 residents to evacuate.

The situation has led to a postponement of a polio vaccination campaign planned for the area by the World Health Organization.

Israel does not appear to have eased its offensive, even as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting the country and Arab nations to try to prevent a wider regional conflict.