US condemns rocket attacks in Israel, Kabul attack

The U.S. State Department is condemning the rocket attacks that occured in Israel after Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets following clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem.

Hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in those clashes which took place at flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city.

The early evening attack on Jerusalem drastically escalated the already heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters that have threatened to become a wider conflict.

"This is an unacceptable escalation while we urge de-escalation on all sides, we also recognize Israel's legitimate right to defend itself, and to defend its people and its territory," said State Department Spokesman Ned Price.

The Israeli military responded with airstrikes in Gaza that killed at least one person, and officials warned of an open-ended operation against the territory's Hamas militant rulers

"It is critical for all sides to ensure calm and de-escalate tensions and avoid violent confrontations," Price said.

The State Department also condemned a brutal attack on a girls’ school on Saturday in Kabul that killed as dozens of people, most of them students between 11 and 15 years old. The death toll from the attack still continues to climb.

"The death toll in that attack is now over 80 individuals, most of them girls in their teens, killed for nothing more than pursuing an education and a brighter future," Price said.

The Taliban have denied responsibility for the attack, which occurred in a mostly Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi in western Kabul, where past attacks have been carried out by the Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan. So far, no group has claimed the attack on the school.

The Taliban has announced a three-day cease-fire for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan this week. But hours later, a roadside bombing killed 11 passengers on a bus in eastern Afghanistan amid the relentless violence that has gripped the country.

The U.S. and NATO are withdrawing the last of their military forces from Afghanistan. The final 2,500-3,500 American soldiers and roughly 7,000 allied NATO forces will leave by Sept. 11 at the latest.

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