US President Barack Obama spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday and reiterated US support for Israel's right to self-defense in light of rocket attacks from Gaza, the White House said.
Iran's Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have test-fired a range of missiles.
The UN Security Council will hold a closed emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Defense Forces announced Wednesday that it has embarked on a military operation called "Operation Pillar of Defense" in the Gaza Strip.
It should be up to the Syrian people themselves to decide the future of their war-torn country, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei reiterated on Wednesday that Syria's fate should be decided by its people.
Syrian analysts believe that recognizing the newly formed opposition coalition in exile as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people will not help stop violence in Syria, but further deepen the division.
An Iranian surface-to-air missile is launched during military maneuvers at an undisclosed location in Iran on Nov 13, 2012.
Iran "successfully" test-fired the Hawk air defense system on Tuesday, semi-official Fars news agency reported.
France will support a new Syrian opposition bloc, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Tuesday after talks with its leaders in Cairo.
French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that France recognizes Syria's newly formed opposition coalition as representative of the Syrian people.
Many people were reported to have been killed or injured when a "violent blast" rocked the Nabe al- Fijeh town near the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday.