Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Hezbollah intelligence HQ struck in Beirut, Israel says

American self-defense strikes were conducted on Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, a United States official confirmed to ABC News.

U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted strikes on 15 Houthi targets, including "Houthi offensive military capabilities," in Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

"These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels," CENTCOM said in a statement.

The strikes come a week after U.S. Navy warships in the Red Sea intercepted Houthi drones and missiles fired at the ships, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News. There was no damage to U.S. Navy ships, the official said.

Houthi rebels have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Ship for months, as part of a campaign they've said is to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

-ABC News' Matt Seyler and Ahmed Baider

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it's killed 250 Hezbollah members, including 20 commanders, over the past four days through "targeted activities" in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces have also struck more than 2,000 military targets, "including terrorists, terrorist infrastructure, military buildings, weapon warehouses, launchers, and more," the IDF said in a statement.

Eleven paramedics were killed on Friday in the ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon, according to Hezbollah.

That includes seven who died in a strike on ambulance crews and two killed in a strike on an ambulance center, Hezbollah said.

Amid increased fighting between Israel and Hezbollah over the past two weeks, 97 paramedics have been killed and 188 have been injured in Lebanon, the Lebanese Minister of Public Health Dr. Firas Al-Abyad said Thursday.

Forty-five medical centers and 128 medical vehicles have been damaged, Al-Abyad said.

Over the past 24 hours, 37 people have been killed and another 151 injured in Lebanon from various Israeli attacks, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Friday.

Overall, 2,011 people have been killed and 9,535 injured over the past two weeks, it said.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran's attack on Israel this week was "completely legal and legitimate" during a speech on Friday.

He said they will act again in the future "if needed."

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with the Lebanese caretaker prime minister in Beirut on Friday, saying his visit to the capital was to show Iran's support for Hezbollah.

"We have no plans to continue" striking Israel "unless the Israeli entity decides to target us," Araqchi said after the meeting.

Israel on Friday acknowledged Iran's attack made some hits in central and southern Israel, including some hits on Israeli air force bases, "but nothing that hurt our functionality or operation levels," Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said at a press briefing.

"Israeli air forces is fully operational, and the planes from the Nevatim Air Base were carrying out strikes throughout the last few days in different locations in the Middle East," Shoshani added.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz, Somayeh Malekian and Dana Savir