Houses were destroyed after Israel’s air strikes in Gaza on October 10, 2023 (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

They agreed that serious regional developments and escalation are likely to threaten to exacerbate violence and instability, undermine security in the Middle East, and jeopardize the likelihood of achieving peace between Palestine and Israel.

Meanwhile, in a phone call on Saturday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati that it was important to respect the interests of his people, who would be affected if the country were drawn into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The remark was made in the context of growing concern over rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern border.

In another development, the United States proposed on Saturday a draft UN Security Council resolution that says Israel has a right to defend itself. The four-page US-drafted resolution, reaffirms “Israel’s inherent right of individual or collective self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter”, and notes that, in responding to armed attacks, member states must comply with all their obligations under international law.

The document also calls for ensuring conditions for the continuous and adequate supply of aid to the Gaza Strip and requires the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and other armed groups to immediately halt all attacks.

It is currently unclear whether and when the US plans to put this draft resolution to a vote.

Earlier the same day, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson says the IDF is preparing to immediately step up its strikes in the Gaza Strip to increase pressure on the Hamas group.

Israeli aircraft struck a compound beneath a mosque in the West Bank early on Sunday that the military said was being used by Hamas militants to organize attacks.