Houthi missile hits Tel Aviv, causes casualties

The Gaza Ministry of Health said Saturday that 21 people were killed and 61 injured in three separate Israeli attacks over the last 24 hours in the Hamas-run territory.

A total of 45,227 people have been killed since the start of the war, health officials said.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces continued intense operations in northern Gaza, particularly around the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia.

The director of the hospital said there is shooting "around the clock" nearby, adding that on Friday the third floor and the hospital entrance were shelled.

The director said the IDF is blocking the entry of all requested medical supplies. Nine people need urgent evacuation for surgery in Gaza City and the hospital is currently treating over 70 people, he said.

-ABC News' Samy Zyara and Victoria Beaule

The Israel Defense Forces said early Saturday that a "projectile launched from Yemen to central Israel" landed in the Tel Aviv area causing casualties.

The IDF said it made "unsuccessful interception attempts."

Several people were "lightly injured," the IDF wrote in a post to X. "Home Front Command teams are currently operating with the security forces in the scene," it added.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said on Telegram that at least 16 people were injured in the Tel Aviv area, noting multiple injuries caused by broken glass.

Saturday's attack came after a Houthi missile strike on Thursday destroyed a school building in the Tel Aviv area, following what the IDF said was a partial interception of the projectile.

Israeli warplanes bombed Houthi targets in Yemen shortly after, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatening further retaliation.

-ABC News' Bruno Nota and Victoria Beaule

While in Syria, American diplomats met face-to-face with representatives of the Syrian interim government for the first time, including with its de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa -- the head of HTS, according to U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near East Asia Barbara Leaf.

Leaf told al-Sharaa that the U.S. would not pursue the Rewards for Justice prize of up to $10 million for information on him that has been in effect since 2017 -- effectively dropping the bounty on him.

Despite this, Leaf reiterated multiple times that the U.S. would continue to judge HTS by its actions rather than its words.

"If I'm sitting with the HTS leader and having a lengthy, detailed discussion about a whole series of interests of the U.S., interests of Syria, maybe interests of the region -- suffice to say, it's a little incoherent, then to have a bounty on the guy's head," Leaf said.

American delegation is in Syria for the first time since Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus, the State Department announced Thursday evening.

It also marked the first time the United States government has announced the presence of American diplomats in Syria in over a decade.

The State Department officials in Syria include Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Special Presidential Envoy of Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, and Daniel Rubinstein -- a senior adviser on the Middle East for the State Department.

"They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them," a State Department spokesperson said of their agenda.

"They also plan to meet with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan," the spokesperson continued.

"Lastly, they hope to uncover information about the fate of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and other American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime."

Tice is an American freelance journalist who was kidnapped while working in Syria in 2012.

Kamalmaz is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Syria who disappeared while visiting an elderly relative in the company in 2017. According to the FBI, Kamalmaz “has not been seen or heard from since that day.” He is believed to have died during his detainment, according to U.S. officials.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We’re looking at getting on the ground ourselves as quickly as we can.” After the U.K. and France had sent delegations.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston