Operation Swords of Iron: What happened on Day 13?

A US Navy warship traveling near Yemen intercepted multiple projectiles, a US official told Reuters on Thursday. The missiles, according to Israeli media citing the Pentagon, were launched at Israel.

Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups as regional tensions soar during the Israel-Hamas war.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there were no injuries and a number of projectiles, including drones, were brought down near the destroyer USS Carney.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will arrive in Israel on Thursday as part of a two-day visit to the Middle East and is set to call for efforts to avoid a further escalation of the conflict.

During the visit, Sunak will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog and will push for humanitarian aid, including a boost in aid provided by the UK, to be allowed into Gaza. Sunak will visit other countries in the region afterward to meet with counterparts across the Middle East.

Before departing for Israel, Sunak stated "Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas's horrific act of terror. The attack on al Ahli hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict. I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this effort."

The British prime minister referenced the explosion at al-Ahli hospital on Wednesday, telling lawmakers "We should not rush to judgements before we have all the facts," according to Sky News.

"Our intelligence services have been rapidly analyzing the evidence to independently establish the facts. We are not in a position at this point to say more than that."

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets Jordan's King Abdullah II, at Downing Street in London, Britain, October 15, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/HANNAH MCKAY/POOL)

UK foreign secretary to visit Middle East in coming days

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who visited Israel last week, is set to meet with leaders in Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar in the coming days.

"It is in no one's interests - neither Israeli, Palestinian nor the wider Middle East - for others to be drawn into this conflict," said Cleverly on Thursday, according to Sky News. "I am meeting counterparts from influential states in the region to push for calm and stability, facilitate humanitarian access into Gaza and work together to secure the release of hostages."

Reuters contributed to this report.

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has agreed to open the Rafah crossing to allow about 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"Sisi deserves some real credit because he was accommodating," Biden told reporters.

Biden and Sisi agreed to work closely on encouraging an "urgent and robust" response to a humanitarian appeal by the United Nations over the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the White House said on Wednesday.

The two leaders also agreed on the need to preserve stability in the Middle East and prevent escalation of the conflict, as well as reaffirming their commitment to the two nations' strategic partnership.

The Egyptian presidency said in a statement late on Wednesday that Biden and Sis discussed in a phone call ways to accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.