January 17, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Houthis will not stop their attacks on what they are referring to as Israeli-linked vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas, according to a written statement on Hizam al-Assad, a member of the Houthi political bureau's X account.

“The operations of our naval forces in the Red and Arabian Seas will continue to target Israeli ships linked to the enemy entity,” Al-Assad said. 

Al-Assad declared that the group will continue its assaults as long as the conflict in Gaza persists. 

"As long as the American Zionist aggression and siege on our people in Gaza continues the attacks will not stop,” Al-Assad added.

“What should be designated as terrorism is the crimes of genocide committed by the Israeli occupation army, with American support and participation, against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” Al-Assad said. 

Tensions are escalating in the Middle East and beyond after Iran conducted a series of missile strikes within the region.

Pakistan strongly condemned an Iranian airstrike inside its borders that killed two children, calling it an “unprovoked violation of its airspace” and warning of retaliation.

The attack in Pakistan comes after Iran launched missiles in northern Iraq and Syria Monday, in the latest escalation of hostilities in the Middle East where Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza risks spiraling into a wider regional conflict.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that an end to the war in Gaza may put an end to other attacks in the region, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Amir-Abdollahian also said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — whom he has twice spoken to since the war in Gaza began — told him that Hezbollah attacks would stop if Israel ceased its attacks on Hamas in Gaza.

If you're just joining us, here are today's latest headlines:

A cemetery in Khan Younis in southern Gaza was severely damaged during a period of time when the Israel Defense Forces said it conducted operations in the area.  

A video of the cemetery that was geolocated by CNN shows the area bulldozed, with some graves apparently disturbed. The IDF has not responded to CNN’s repeated questions about the apparent damage to the cemetery.  

A satellite image of the cemetery taken by Maxar on Monday shows the cemetery undisturbed, indicating the damage must have happened between then and Wednesday morning, when it was first reported. 

The IDF said on Tuesday that its “commando forces have been operating in the Khan Younis area in order to locate and dismantle terror infrastructure.”

Health care facilities nearby: The Jordanian Armed Forces also said that a field hospital it runs that is located next to the cemetery in Khan Younis sustained "severe material damage" as a result of “continuous Israeli bombardment in the hospital's surroundings overnight and into Wednesday morning.”

The Al Nasser Hospital compound is also near the cemetery. The IDF was operating in the area on Tuesday evening and into Wednesday morning, and its approach toward the medical complex had brought on panic among the thousands sheltering there.

US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday re-designated the Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist (SDGT) entity amid continued attacks by the Yemen-based militia.

Administration officials said the designation is aimed at deterring the Houthis from their ongoing aggression in the Red Sea. It is the latest in a series of US actions targeting the Iranian-backed group, and comes as the specter of a wider regional war in the Middle East looms large amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Mohammad Abdul Salam, the official spokesperson for the Houthis said the group had anticipated the designation, which he described as being driven by political motives in a call with Al-Jazeera on Wednesday. The Houthis said they used the attacks to try and garner "leverage" to halt the war in Gaza, underscoring that the US designation "would not weaken" their "unwavering support" for the Palestinian cause.

The administration removed the Houthis’ SDGT designation and de-listed it as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in February 2021, after it was designated by former President Donald Trump's administration in its final weeks.

Keep reading about the Houthi re-designation.

At least three people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in Balata refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.

The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, released a statement on Wednesday saying that "during joint IDF and ISA activity in the Balata camp in the city of Nablus, a terrorist cell headed by Amed Abdullah Abu-Shalal was eliminated during a precise airstrike."

Eyewitnesses in the area told the official Palestinian agency WAFA that the occupation forces "abducted" the bodies of two young men from the vehicle before withdrawing from the area.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement that the Israeli forces surrounded the targeted vehicle with military jeeps, preventing ambulance crews from approaching, and opened fire on Red Crescent teams who were present at the scene.

The PRCS said that its teams were able to reach the vehicle after the Israeli withdrawal from the area, where they retrieved the remains of one of the young men. And the health ministry in Ramallah later said that an unidentified "burnt body arrived at Rafidia Government Hospital in Nablus, as a result of the occupation's shelling of a vehicle near Balata camp."  

CNN is unable to independently confirm the identity of the deceased men. 

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Wednesday that if there is an end to the conflict in Gaza, other attacks in the region will also cease.

Amir-Abdollahian said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told him that Hezbollah attacks would stop if Israel ceased its attacks on Hamas in Gaza. The Iranian minister told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that in the last 100 days, he has held talks twice with Nasrallah.

Amir-Abdollahian added that maritime security and shipping safety in the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf are important to oil exporter Iran, also claiming that Iran has information that the Yemenis and Saudis are nearing "a real substantive peace agreement."

Israeli forces appear to have withdrawn from the area around the largest hospital in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, after their approach towards the medical compound late on Tuesday prompted panic among the thousands of people sheltering there.

People on the scene told CNN that there were no more military vehicles in the area around the Al Nasser Hospital compound as of Wednesday morning.

Around 7,000 people are sheltering at the compound, according to the World Health Organization. 

Late on Tuesday, Israeli forces began moving towards the hospital, prompting crowds of people to flee. Multiple videos from the scenes showed people carrying blankets, mattresses and other personal belongings making their way out of the compound. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not respond to CNN’s questions on Wednesday about its operations in and around the Al Nasser Hospital compound.

But the IDF said on Tuesday that Hamas had recently carried out a launch from within the hospital compound towards Israeli forces in Khan Younis. It also said that IDF “commando forces have been operating in the Khan Younis area in order to locate and dismantle terror infrastructure.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday that 253 people had been taken hostage to Gaza on October 7, announcing a firm number for the first time. 

Previously Israel had been saying “more than 250,” Netanyahu’s office told CNN.

Hamas and other militant groups operating in Gaza seized the hostages in a surprise attack, killing about 1,200 others that day.

Following hostage releases and one rescue, Israel now believes 132 hostages from October 7 are still being held in Gaza – 105 of them alive and 27 dead.

A solution in Gaza will "allow for the de-escalation in other parts of the Middle East," said United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Speaking to CNN's Julia Chatterley at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Guterres warned that he is "extremely worried about Lebanon."

"We cannot have in Lebanon another Gaza," said Guterres, adding that he sees serious efforts being made by the Lebanese government, the United States and other parties.

Guterres also called for a humanitarian ceasefire in order to facilitate the liberation of hostages "immediately and unconditionally," to provide "effective humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza" and to "facilitate a serious negotiation for de-escalation in Lebanon."