The US said it struck 85 targets linked to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday in response to a drone strike in Jordan that killed three American soldiers. The aircraft used included long-range bombers flown from the United States, according to officials.
President Joe Biden said adversaries should heed US warnings, while his defense secretary vowed: “This is the start of our response.” The US is seeking to deter further attacks on its troops while avoiding a full-scale conflict with Iran in a region already roiled by the Israel-Hamas war.
Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister said the military will focus on the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled following the Israeli bombardment of other cities.
At least 17,000 children are unaccompanied or separated from their parents in the enclave, according to UNICEF, with nearly all children needing mental support.
Our live coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and the US strikes in Iraq and Syria has moved here.
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Analysis: What to make of the US strikes against pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria
From CNN's Nick Paton Walsh
US President Joe Biden, right, and US First Lady Jill Biden, second from right, participate in a dignified transfer of the three soldiers killed in a drone attack in Jordan, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware on February 2.
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images
It was meant to sound devastating, and likely felt so to the pro-Iranian militias on the receiving end. But Friday night’s airstrikes against over 80 targets inside Iraq and Syria were — so far — a comparatively limited response to the worst loss of US military life in the region in nearly three years.
Friday night tried to sound loud, but will likely not echo for long. US Central Command said the US deployed heavy bombers — the B-1B Lancer — to hit 85 targets in seven locations. The strikes may be determined to have caused more damage when the sun rises. But it was far from the most pain the Pentagon was capable of delivering.
There might be more. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin suggested this was the beginning. But on Friday, the US response lasted just 30 minutes, the White House said. It was short, perhaps sharp, but not a shock.
That was a clear and calculated choice. The Biden administration faced a near-impossible task: Hit hard enough to show you mean it, but also ensure your opponent can absorb the blow without lashing out in return. The US had telegraphed its response for over five days, with senior US officials briefing about its nature, its severity, and even hinting at its targets.
US lawmakers react to military strikes in Iraq and Syria
From CNN's Manu Raju
Lawmakers are reacting to strikes the US conducted in Iraq and Syria on Friday that were in response to a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American soldiers.
The Biden administration notified Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other top leaders ahead of the airstrikes, Hill sources told CNN.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson, a Republican, criticized the military response, writing in part, “The administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response. The public handwringing and excessive signaling undercuts our ability to put a decisive end to the barrage of attacks endured over the past few months.”
Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, a Democrat, praised the response of US President Biden, saying in a statement that “this was a strong, proportional response. In fact, the 85 targets struck tonight mark a greater number than the prior administration.”
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a Republican,said, “Finally” and added on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Iran needs to know the price for American lives,”
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What to know about Jewish settlers in the West Bank and why they are so controversial
From CNN's Abbas Al Lawati
The White House has set its sights on Israel’s settlers, a controversial movement that has grown in power over the years and is seen by the outside world as a major impediment to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
On Thursday, the State Department announced the first round of sanctions targeting Israeli settlers accused of perpetrating violence in the West Bank. The sanctions block their financial assets and bar them from entering the US.
Settler violence in the West Bank has jumped sharply since Israel’s war against Hamas began, with settlers burning cars, destroying infrastructure and assaulting and killing Palestinians.
The West Bank is home to 3.3 million Palestinians, and it is where the bulk of Jewish settlements are located.
Israel has continued to expand settlements over decades, despite signing a series of peace agreements with the Palestinians in 1990s called the Oslo Accords that envisaged the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza as part of a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since the war started on October 7, the White House has doubled down on a longstanding US position supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects.
Only four settlers were targeted in the US move this week. But there are 700,000 of them living in the West Bank and, according to the international community, the presence of every one of them there is illegal. The Palestinians want the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza for a future state, a position that is supported by much of the rest of the world.
What we know so far about the US military's strikes in Iraq and Syria
From CNN staff
A screengrab from a video, geolocated by CNN to the town of Qaim, Iraq, shows the aftermath of US military strikes in the area according to the Iraqi Military. An apparent weapons depot has been hit, and a number of flares from projectiles are seeing rocketing into the sky.
The White House declared the operation — which lasted about 30 minutes — a success, but few details were immediately available about the damage and any deaths or injuries on the ground. Casualties were expected, a Pentagon official said.
US officials say the strikes hit four facilities in Syria and three in Iraq, where security officials reported damage in the city of Al-Qaim. The sites allegedly belonged to various Iran-backed militias, which the US blames for the strike in Jordan.
Here’s what you need to know:
The strikes were retaliatory — and came with a warning: The deadly drone strike in Jordan was just the latest in a series of more than 165 attacks on American forces in the Middle East by various Iranian proxy groups since the outbreak of the current Israel-Hamas war.
US President Joe Biden said the strikes demonstrate that his administration will not tolerate the harm of Americans. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed the attack was just “the start of our response.” Both men said the US retaliation will continue “at times and places of our choosing.”
Biden is seeking a delicate balance: The US government is threading a needle — it wants to deter further attacks on its troops while avoiding a full-scale conflict with Iran.
The Jordan attack followed weeks of efforts by the US and regional leaders to prevent a wider Mideast war, even as conflicts spread involving Tehran’s proxies, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
B-1 bombers played a key role in the attack: Air Force B-1 bombers were among the US aircraft that carried out the strikes, a defense official told CNN. The B-1 is a long-range heavy bomber that can deploy precision and non-precision weapons.
The bomber crews flew to the region from the US in a single non-stop flight, according to Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims. The military is confident it “hit exactly what we meant to hit,” Sims said, crediting the precision of the B-1 crews.
The US alerted Iraq, but not Iran: National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the US informed the Iraqi government of its plans before carrying out the strikes. However, he said there had been no communications — backchannel or otherwise — with Iran since the Jordan attack.
The US does not plan to strike inside Iran: A senior official with the Biden administration told CNN the US will not strike inside Iran – only focusing on targets outside of the country. Striking inside Iran would have been a huge escalation, and officials have telegraphed that is unlikely to happen.
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Palestine Red Crescent Society calls for humanitarian corridor to evacuate Khan Younis hospital
From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Eyad Kourdi
Tents erected by the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent for Palestinians displaced by the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza on December 31, 2023 in Al-Mawasi, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) called for a humanitarian corridor Friday to help evacuate wounded people and others wishing to leave Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis.
The hospital in southern Gaza has been besieged for 12 consecutive days, enduring “relentless bombing and direct gunfire” in the surrounding area, PRCS said in a news release.
PRCS said four people were killed Friday, including the director of the Youth and Volunteers Department, Hadiya Hamad. It claimed six others were injured when Israeli forces fired at the organization’s headquarters, which is sheltering thousands of displaced people.
The Israel Defense Forces did not provide a direct response to PRCS’ allegations Friday, but said in a statement to CNN thatits activity in Khan Younis will continue for several days until it dismantles “Hamas’ military framework and Hamas strongholds.”
The IDF claims the area surrounding the hospital is home to a “significant component” of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade.
Aid workers have been raising alarm for days about the situation at hospitals in the southern city, with PRCS and the Israeli military providing at-times contradictory accounts from the ground. CNN cannot independently verify either side’s claims, due to the difficulties of reporting from the war zone.
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US strikes hit Iraqi city of Al-Qaim, Iraqi security officials say
From CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq and Mitchell McCluskey
US strikes hit facilities used by al Hashed al Shabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in the Iraqi city of Al-Qaim, located in the western part of Anbar province along the Iraq-Syria border, according to Iraqi security officials and the mayor of Al-Qaim.
The US views the PMU as Iran-backed militias and considers some of them responsible for carrying out attacks on US targets in Iraq and Syria.
In a statement, Yahya Rasool, the spokesperson of Iraq’s Armed Forces, decried the strikes as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.”
The mayor of Al-Qaim, Turki Al-Mahalawi, said the strikes hit three houses used as weapon warehouses by the PMU.
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B-1 bombers were used in US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, official says
From CNN's Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky
In this June 2023 photo from the US Air Force, a B-1B Lancer aircraft conducts a demonstration on in TanTan, Morocco.
1st Sgt. John Etheridge/US Army/File
Air Force B-1 bombers were among the US aircraft that carried out strikes Friday in Iraq and Syria, a defense official told CNN.
The B-1 is a long-range heavy bomber that can deploy precision and non-precision weapons.
The bomber crews that flew from the US made it in one non-stop flight, Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Friday.
The US is “really confident” in the precision of its strikes on the militia targets, Sims said, crediting the B-1 bombers for that assessment.
“Initial indications are we hit exactly what we meant to hit, with a number of secondary explosions associated with the ammunition and logistics locations” the US targeted, he said.
Sims said the US expected there to be casualties when it selected its targets.
The post was updated with additional details from a briefing by Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the B-1 bomber mission.
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Strikes were designed around weather and there was no communication with Iran, US officials say
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
The timing of Friday’s strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria was designed around the weather in the region, according to Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims, who said the US was looking to avoid “unnecessary casualties.”
Friday was the “best opportunity” weather-wise to launch the strikes, Sims said.
While American munitions can operate in cloud cover, the US waited until good weather in “an interest of ensuring that we’re hitting all the right targets.”
The US bombers that carried out the strikes flew from the United States, Sims said.
The National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the United States informed the Iraqi government of its plans. However, he said there had been no communications — backchannel or otherwise — with Iran following the attack that killed three Americans in Jordan last weekend.
The United States said it launched attacks on 85 targets in Iraq and Syria in response to a drone strike Sunday by Iran-backed militants on a US military outpost in Jordan.
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US struck 3 facilities in Iraq and 4 in Syria, White House official says
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
The US military struck three facilities in Iraq and four in Syria during its attack tonight, which lasted around 30 minutes, according to a White House official.
The US does not know now how many militants were killed or wounded, he said.
US defense secretary says US strikes in Iraq and Syria are “the start of our response"
From CNN's Haley Britzky
Lloyd Austin attends the transfer for fallen service members US Army Sgt. William Rivers, Sgt. Breonna Moffett and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware on February 2.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US strikes in Iraq and Syria on Friday are “the start of our response.”
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Biden says US military response "will continue at times and places of our choosing"
From CNN's Aileen Graef
President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Air Force One after attending the dignified transfer of the remains of three US service members killed in the drone attack on the US military outpost in Jordan, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, on February 2.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
US President Joe Biden released a statement following US strikes in Iraq and Syria on Friday.
Here’s what he said:
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US will not strike inside Iran, according to senior administration official
From CNN's MJ Lee
A senior administration official told CNN the United States will not strike inside Iran – only focusing on targets outside of the country.
Striking inside Iran would have been a huge escalation, and officials have telegraphed that that was unlikely to happen.
US officials have known for a few days now that the first strikes would happen tonight, the official added.
The official said strikes were not coordinated with the dignified transfer of the three US service members earlier today. The timing of the strikes involved many factors, including weather conditions.
US President Joe Biden is being updated on the ongoing strikes.
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US says strikes conducted against 85 targets in Iraq and Syria
From CNN's Haley Birtzky
US Central Command said on Friday that the US conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria “against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.”
The targets were spread across seven locations, according to two US defense officials.
The statement said:
The post was updated with details on the locations.
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US launches retaliatory strikes on Iranian-linked militia targets in Iraq and Syria
From CNN's Oren Liebermann, Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky
The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Tom Brenner/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The US has begun conducting strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria, the start of what will likely be a series of larger-scale US strikes on Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on US troops in the Middle East, according to two US officials.
The retaliatory strikes came in response to a drone strike by Iran-backed militants on a US military outpost in Jordan on Sunday, which killed three US service members and wounded more than 40 others.
The strikes come just hours after US President Joe Biden attended a dignified transfer ceremony and met family members of the three soldiers killed in Jordan.
Officials have signaled the strikes were likely to be more significant than previous attacks on Iranian-backed militias over the last several weeks, which have primarily focused on weapons storage or training facilities. But the administration is threading a needle; they want to deter and stop further attacks but avoid a full-scale conflict with Iran breaking out in a region already roiled by the continuing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The Biden administration has signaled there could be additional action in the coming days. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday the US response would be “multi-tiered.”
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US UN ambassador strongly rejects Algerian draft resolution calling for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza
From CNN's Morayo Ogunbayo and Richard Roth
US representative to the United Nations and president of the UN Security Council for the month of August Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during a press conference after a meeting of the UN Security Council on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine at the United Nations Security headquarters on August 24, 2023 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters Friday that Algeria’s draft resolution calling for a Gaza ceasefire does not put proper pressure on Hamas, saying instead to focus on the negotiations occurring between the US and their regional partners in the Middle East such as Egypt and Qatar.
Thomas-Greenfield pointed to the two resolutions the US is working to implement in the region that she said both deal with the humanitarian situation and call for a cessation of hostilities, calling the Algerian resolution “not timely.”
However, she could not say when the alternative resolutions may be implemented, adding that “negotiations take time.”
Thomas-Greenfield also addressed Israel’s part in supporting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I think the Israelis understand that they do have a role to play in assisting humanitarian aid to get through to the people of Gaza,” she said.
While the ambassador rebuffed a question that said aid to Gaza has been arriving in a trickle, she agreed that the amount of aid let into Gaza has not been enough.
Thomas-Greenfield used the issue of aid to Gaza to highlight the importance of a swift investigation into the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA,) which is accused by Israel of having Hamas operatives embedded on October 7.
She said a non-UN body must investigate the agency in addition to the investigation conducted by the UN.
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Negotiators making progress on getting more aid into Gaza, according to US ambassador
From CNN's Morayo Ogunbayo
Negotiators are making progress on talks to bring more aid into Gaza, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the UN Security Council Friday.
Thomas-Greenfield rebuffed the characterization that aid to Gaza has been arriving only in a trickle, but agreed the enclave has not received enough.
The ambassador also used the issue to highlight the importance of a swift investigation into the UN relief agency accused by Israel of having Hamas operatives embedded during the group’s October 7 attacks.
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Biden attends dignified transfer of 3 Americans killed in Jordan drone attack
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III attend the dignified transfer of the remains of Army Reserve Sergeants William Rivers, Kennedy Sanders and Breonna Moffett at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, on Friday.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
For an American president, it is the gravest of responsibilities: witnessing the country’s war dead return home for what the military calls a “dignified transfer.”
Biden witnessed the transfer Friday of Sgt. William Rivers, 46; and two Army specialists who were posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant: Kennedy Sanders, 24, and Breonna Moffett, 23. All are from Georgia.
The US has yet to retaliate for the drone attack in Jordan that left the three Americans dead and more than 40 injured, though it has pinned blame on an umbrella group of Iran-backed militants in Iraq. A multiphase counterstrike is expected soon, officials have said.
On Friday, however, Biden’s attention was on the Americans lost and the families they left behind.
US secretary of state will travel to the Middle East for the 5th time since October 7
From CNN's Michael Callahan
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart Sunday on his fifth trip to the Middle East since the October 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, the State Department announced Friday.
Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank from February 4 to February 8. It will be his sixth stop in Israel since October 7.
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Hamas and Islamic Jihad demand Israel fully ends aggression and withdraws from Gaza as part of hostage deal
From Eyad Kourdi
Soldiers exit a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used on October 7th to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on January 7 in Northern Gaza.
Noam Galai/Getty Images
Leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad held a call on Friday to discuss a proposal for a potential hostage deal and ceasefire, according to a statement.
The statement noted that the leaders agreed that any deal should incorporate the following:
Complete end to the aggression
Withdrawal of the occupation army outside the Gaza Strip
Lifting of the siege and reconstruction
This comes after a broad framework for a hostage release and potential ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel was said to have been agreed to among negotiators in Paris last weekend, according to an official familiar with the talks.
Hamas has called for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would not agree to. On Tuesday, Netanyahu also vowed to press on until Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas in Gaza is complete.
On Friday, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Beirut, also said that Israel is insisting on keeping some areas in Gaza as a security zone, which he says is not acceptable. “What we want firstly is a full inclusive ceasefire, and also we want commitments for the rebuilding Gaza,” Hamdan told Lebanon’s LBC TV on Friday.
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More than 800 officials from across Europe and the US sign scathing criticism of Gaza policy
From CNN's Mick Krever
More than 800 officials from the United States and Europe have signed a scathing criticism of Western policy toward Israel and Gaza, accusing their governments of possible complicity in war crimes.
They accuse their governments of failing to hold Israel to the same standards they apply to other countries and weakening their own “moral standing” in the world.
Among them are around 80 United States officials and diplomats, a source told CNN.
In an unprecedented display of coordinated dissent since Israel’s war against Hamas began nearly four months ago, the signatories call on their governments to “use all leverage” to secure a ceasefire and to stop saying that there is a “a strategic and defensible rationale behind the Israeli operation.”
Almost all children in Gaza require mental health and psychological support, UNICEF says
From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and CNN staff
At least 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated from their parents, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) — about 1% of the total of 1.7 million people who have been displaced in Gaza.
UNICEF State of Palestine Chief of Communication Jonathan Crickx said in Geneva on Friday that the number is only an estimate, as information is hard to gather in Gaza due to deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions.
Children are suffering from mental health issues, displaying high levels of persistent anxiety, emotional outbursts or panic when they hear bombings, loss of appetite, and inability to sleep, Crickx said after returning from Gaza, where he spoke with some of these children.
UNICEF estimates that almost all children in Gaza — more than one million — now require mental health and psychological support.
He described one girl he met, 11-year-old Razan, who lost almost all her family members, including her parents, brother, and two sisters, when her uncle’s home where they were sheltering was bombed. Raza’s leg was injured, had to be amputated, and is now infected, Crickx said.
UNICEF said it fears the situation for children in northern and central Gaza is much worse.
“Not a single child, whatever the religion, the nationality, the language, the race, no child should ever be exposed to the level of violence seen on the 7th of October, or to the level of violence that we have witnessed since then,” Crickx said.
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Mother of missing 6-year-old trapped in car in Gaza waits outside hospital hoping she will arrive
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy, Khader Al Za’anoun and Abeer Salman
Hind Rajab
PRCS
The mother of a 6-year-old girl, missing since Monday after becoming trapped when the car she was in came under fire in central Gaza, has been standing outside a hospital hoping her daughter will arrive “at any minute.”
The little girl, Hind Rajab, is thought to be the only survivor out of the seven passengers traveling in the car, which was part of a convoy that came under fire. More than 90 hours have now elapsed since a rescue crew was sent to her aid. As of Friday morning, the fate of young Hind and the Palestine Red Crescent Society crew was still unknown.
When asked by CNN about the situation, the Israel Defense Forces said it was “unfamiliar with the incident described.”
In video filmed by CNN, Hind’s mother, Wissam Hamada, said she had brought all of her daughter’s belongings to the hospital and was “expecting her to come at any minute.”
She said that although the family hopes that the PRCS rescue crew is caring for her daughter, they couldn’t say so with any certainty.
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UN says thousands are fleeing from Khan Younis to Rafah, where Israel says it will focus next
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London
People ride on the back of a truck along an overcrowded street in Rafah, Gaza, on February 1.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
The “escalation of hostilities” in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis is driving thousands of civilians to Rafah — a town with more than 1.4 million Gazans “already crammed” in, according to the United Nations.
While civilians flee to Rafah looking for safety, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has also said the Israeli military will target the area after achieving its mission in Khan Younis.
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Palestinian aid group claims Israeli troops continue shooting at its headquarters
From CNN's Tim Lister and Kareem Khadder
Palestinians, some wearing hazmat suits left over from the Coronavirus pandemic, walk past a fire-damaged UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) warehouse, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on February 2.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
The Khan Younis area continues to see heavy fighting and regular Israeli strikes, with the Palestine Red Crescent Society saying that bombing and shooting continue in the vicinity of Al-Amal Hospital in the southern Gaza city.
Allegations of Israeli fire: The PRCS claimed that Israeli “snipers continue to shoot at the association’s building (close to Al-Amal Hospital), which houses thousands of displaced people.”
The society also said one of its officials, the director of the youth and volunteers department in Gaza, Hidaya Hamad, had been killed by Israeli gunfire at PRCS headquarters in Khan Younis.
CNN has asked the IDF about its operations in the area.
Oxygen supplies dwindling: Damage to buildings at Al-Amal Hospital caused rain to leak into areas where thousands of displaced people are sheltering, the PRCS said. The society warned that kidney patients were in danger as they could not be transferred to other hospitals.
“Oxygen stocks are about to run out again,” it said, after the Israel Defense Forces said Monday it facilitated “the replenishment of two oxygen tanks” at the hospital.
The PRCS said there was also a severe shortage of fuel and food.
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Israeli military eyes Rafah, where many displaced Gazans have sought refuge. Here’s what you need to know
From CNN staff
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said Israel’s military will next focus on Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled following Israeli operations further north.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has killed dozens of Hamas fighters over the past day, with its attacks concentrated in western Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Gallant visited Khan Younis on Thursday and said the military is achieving its mission in the area, adding that “we will also reach Rafah and eliminate terror elements that threaten us,” according to a statement from the ministry.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza since October 7 jumped to 27,131 people, with 66,287 injured — about 70% of casualties are women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.
The ministry does not distinguish between Hamas fighters and civilians in its reporting of the dead, but the United Nations and a senior US official have said in recent months that in previous conflicts numbers issued by the Health Ministry have been broadly accurate.
Here are the latest developments:
Iranian-backed militants: An Iran-backed proxy group operating in Iraq, Al-Nujaba, pledged to continue attacking United States forces until they withdraw from Iraq and Israeli operations cease in Gaza. Al-Nujaba’s leader, Akram Al-Kaabi, said the group will not follow the decision of Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful Iranian proxy in Iraq, who on Tuesday said they would suspend their operations against US forces in the region.
Settler sanctions: The US sanctions target four settlers accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank, including people accused of initiating a riot, setting fire to buildings, fields and vehicles, and assaulting civilians. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel “must do more” to address settler violence in the West Bank, which has been increasing since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Rafah pivot: After completing its mission in the city of Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will next target Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, according to Galant. Israel estimates it has killed around 10,000 Hamas fighters and wounded 10,000 more, Gallant claimed. CNN cannot independently verify the figures.
Khan Younis: The IDF says it has killed dozens of Hamas fighters over the past day, as fighting continues to rage in western Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. It said its troops had killed “more than 20 terrorists,” mostly in close-quarters combat, and that its aircraft has struck a number of compounds “in which terrorists were operating.”
UNRWA funding: The main United Nations refugee agency in Gaza, UNRWA, has warned it will likely have to halt its work across the Middle East by the end of February, after nearly 20 countries have suspended funding to the organization after Israel alleged some of its staff were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack. UNRWA fired several employees after Israel’s allegations and says it is investigating further.
Hostage deal: Hamas said Ismail Haniyeh, head of the group’s political bureau, received a proposal for a hostage deal at a meeting in Paris this weekend that involved officials from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the US. The deal would allow for the release of hostages and a sustained pause in the fighting in Gaza. But Barbara Leaf, the top US State Department official for the Middle East, said Thursday she is not aware of “any definitive response” from Hamas to the proposal.
Here’s a look at where things stand on the ground:
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Iran will not start a war but will respond to being "bullied," says President Raisi
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gives a speech during a meeting in Minab, Iran, on February 2.
Iran's Presidency/WANA/Reuters
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said his country will not start any war but vowed to “respond strongly” to bullies.
He claimed Iran’s regional military capabilities do not pose a threat to any country and are instead a reliable source of security to the region.
“Iranian military power in the region has not and will not constitute a threat to any country,” he said, according to state news agency IRNA.
Some context: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have this month fired missiles at targets in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria. Its proxies have also continued to conduct strikes of their own, with Hezbollah in Lebanon engaged in cross-border skirmishes with Israel, and the Houthis causing havoc in the Red Sea from Yemen.
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Iran-backed proxy Al-Nujaba in Iraq vows to continue attacks on US forces
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi and Aqeel Najim in Baghdad
Sheikh Akram Al-Kaabi, leader of Iraqi Pro-Iran Al-Nujaba group, attends a ceremony honoring fighters who were killed during the fighting against Islamic state (IS) group in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 24, 2019.
Murtaja Lateef/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
An Iran-backed proxy group operating in Iraq, Al-Nujaba, pledged to continue attacking United States forces until they withdraw from Iraq and Israeli operations cease in Gaza.
Al-Nujaba’s leader, Akram Al-Kaabi, said the group will not follow the decision of Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful Iranian proxy in Iraq, who on Tuesday said they would suspend their operations against US forces in the region.
Al-Kaabi, who is listed under the Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), said US threats will not intimidate his group.
Iranian-backed proxies are preempting an anticipated US military retaliation against groups responsible for the killing of three US service members in Jordan earlier this week.
The US holds Iran broadly responsible for arming and supporting these groups and has said Kataib Hezbollah is likely to have carried out the deadly attack on Sunday.
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Israel says dozens of Hamas fighters killed in fighting around Khan Younis
From CNN's Tim Lister and Amir Tal
Smoke rising over buildings in Khan Younis, Gaza, during Israeli bombardment on February 1.
Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has killed dozens of Hamas fighters over the past day, with its attacks concentrated in western Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip.
In its operational update Friday, the IDF said ground troops in Khan Younis killed “more than 20 terrorists,” mostly in close-quarters combat.
The IDF said its aircraft had also struck “military compounds in which terrorists were operating” in western Khan Younis, and that militants who launched anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops were “thwarted.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited Khan Younis on Thursday and said the operation is “progressing and yielding impressive results.”
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Syria air defenses responded to Israel strikes, Syrian state media reports
From CNN’s Mohammad Hassan and Mostafa Salem
Syrian air defenses have responded to strikes launched by Israeli jets, the country’s state media reported Friday.
Syrian air defenses successfully intercepted some of the missiles, and the ones it failed to shoot down caused limited “material losses,” the report said.
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps adviser, Saeed Alidadi, was killed in the strike, Iranian state-affiliated Tasnim news agency said.
This is the second known attack on IRGC targets in Syria this week. On Monday, an Iranian military advisory center was struck by Israel in the suburbs of Damascus, according to Tasnim.
CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the claim. The IDF typically says it does not comment on foreign media reports.
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Fate of 6-year-old girl and crew sent to rescue her in Gaza remains unknown, aid agency says
From CNN's Abeer Salman
The fate of a 6-year-old girl trapped in a car in central Gaza since Monday, and the crew sent to rescue her, remains unknown, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Friday.
It has been more than 90 hours since the crew was sent to try to free the girl, Hind, who is thought to be the only survivor among seven family members who were killed while in the car near Gaza City.
The agency said it lost contact with the rescue team Tuesday and released an audio clip reportedly capturing the moment gunfire was directed at the car.
CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the audio clip.
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Israeli defense minister says next step for military offensive is Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza
From CNN staff
People gather in a crowded street in Rafah, Gaza, on February 1.
Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
After completing its mission in the city of Khan Younis, the Israeli military will next target Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, according to Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The population of Rafah, on the Egyptian border, has multiplied rapidly as Gazans fled there following the Israeli bombardment of northern cities, according to the United Nations.
Israeli forces have so far eliminated an estimated 10,000 Hamas fighters, and another 10,000 had been wounded, Gallant claimed. CNN is not able to independently confirm those numbers.
Two weeks ago, the Israel Defense Forces estimated it had killed about 9,000 Hamas fighters since the start of its war on Hamas following the group’s October 7attacks on Israel.
The UN said Thursday that more than 1.4 million Gazans are “already crammed” into the Rafah governorate.
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Israeli defense minister offers condolences over death of 3 US soldiers in Jordan attack, Pentagon says
From CNN's Jalen Beckford
Israeli Defense Minister Yaov Gallant offered his condolences in a call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for the loss of three American soldiers killed in an Iran-proxy drone attack in Jordan, according to a news release from the defense department on Thursday.
Austin and Gallant also discussed “regional threats to US forces, “Israel’s shift to low-intensity operations” in Gaza, support for a solution along the Israel-Lebanon border and “stability in the West Bank,” the statement said.
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It's morning in Gaza. Here's what you need to know
The sanctions target four individuals accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank. This includes people accused of initiating and leading a riot; setting buildings, fields and vehicles on fire; assaulting civilians; and damaging property.
While the order is not expected to address the situation in Gaza, it will mark one of the more significant actions Biden has taken to critique Israel since the war began.
Here are our other top stories on the war and tensions in the Middle East:
UNRWA under strain: As the humanitarian situation in Gaza spirals, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warns it will likely have to halt its work across the Middle East by the end of February. Nearly 20 governments have suspended $440 million in funding to the organization over allegations some of its staff were involved with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Death toll: More than 27,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. About 70% of casualties have been women and children, the ministry said.
Hostage deal: The top US State Department official for the Middle East has said that she is not aware of “any definitive response” from Hamas to a proposal crafted over the weekend that would see the release of hostages held by the group and a sustained pause in the fighting in Gaza.
US response to Jordan attack: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the American response to a deadly drone attack on a US base in Jordan last weekend would be “multi-tiered.” The US believes an umbrella group of Iran-backed militants called Islamic Resistance in Iraq was behind the attack.
Palestinian state: The US has affirmed its support for the development of an independent Palestinian state. The State Department spokesperson said there has been “no policy shift,” despite an Axios report suggesting otherwise.
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US warship used its "last line of defense" as a Houthi missile was seconds from impact
From CNN's Brad Lendon
A Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CWIS) expends rounds during a live fire exercise aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Hu City CG 66 in the Atlantic Ocean on September 26, 2016.
IMAGO/piemags/Reuters/File
A US warship’s destruction of an incoming Houthi missile in the Red Sea this week marks the first use in this conflict of an advanced weapons system dubbed the Navy’s “last line of defense.”
The Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CWIS) was deployed by Navy destroyer the USS Gravely Tuesday night against what US officials said was a cruise missile that got as near as 1 mile to the ship – and therefore seconds from impact.
The automated Phalanx system features Gatling guns that can fire up to 4,500 20-millimeter rounds a minute, engaging projectiles or other targets at extremely close range.
“The Phalanx weapon system is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun that can defeat anti-ship missiles and other close-in threats on land and at sea,” manufacturer Raytheon says on its website page titled, “Last line of defense.”
US warships have foiled dozens of previous Houthi missile attacks using longer-range defenses, likely the Standard SM-2, Standard SM-6 and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, analysts say. Those defensive missiles engage their targets at ranges of 8 miles (about 12 kilometers) or more.
But on Tuesday night that didn’t happen for reasons that have not been revealed.
Belgian officials to summon Israeli ambassador after bombing of development agency's offices in Gaza
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
Hadja Lahbib attends an event in Brussels, Belgium on January 23.
Hatim Kaghat/Belga/Sipa/AP
The Gaza offices of Belgium’s development agency, Enabel, were destroyed in what Belgian officials described as a bombing.
Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib shared photos of the leveled office building in a post on X on Thursday.
“Targeting civilian buildings is unacceptable,” Lahbib said, adding that she and Belgium’s Minister of Development Cooperation Caroline Gennez would summon the Israeli ambassador to “clarify everything.”
The agency’s primary mission is “to implement the policy priorities of Belgian governmental cooperation and to promote sustainable international development,” according to Enabel’s website.
Israel did not immediately comment on the minister’s statement.
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US does not have plans to sanction Israeli government officials, White House says
From CNN's Donald Judd
There are currently no plans to target any Israeli officials with economic sanctions, the White House said Thursday after the administration announced a new executive order targeting four individuals accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank.
Axios reported Thursday that the administration had considered sanctioning some ultra-conservative Israeli government ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom have vocally advocated for the mass relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to make way for Israeli settlers.
Ben Gvir has taken steps to arm Israeli civilians in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack and, according to The New York Times, has pledged 10,000 guns to towns and cities across Israel, including Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory.
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US announces sanctions against 4 Israelis for violence in West Bank
From CNN's Kevin Liptak, Nikki Carvajal and Jennifer Hansler
The US State Department announced the first round of sanctions under a new executive order targeting those perpetrating violence in the West Bank on Thursday.
The new sanctions — which block their financial assets and bar them from coming to the US — target four Israeli nationals.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that “Israel must do more to stop violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold accountable those responsible for it.”
Here are some more specifics:
Who the order targets: The order focuses on four individuals accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank, the State Department said. Thisincludes people accused of initiating and leading a riot; setting buildings, fields and vehicles on fire; assaulting civilians; and damaging property. The four individuals named are David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil, Shalom Zicherman and Yinon Levi.
What the order will do: The order will block the individuals’ property and financial transactions in the United States and prohibit Americans from funding or contributing money to them. The order is directed toward foreign nationals and not American citizens, an official said, though some dual nationals have been accused of being involved in the violence.
Why this matters: President Joe Biden has faced backlash from key parts of his political coalition for his backing of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. While the order is not expected to address the situation in Gaza, it will mark one of the more significant actions he has taken to critique Israel since the war began, and it could be a signal from Biden toward Muslim and Arab-American voters who are upset with his refusal to call for a ceasefire.
Top US State Department official not aware of "any definitive response" from Hamas to hostage proposal
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
The top US State Department official for the Middle East said Thursday that she is not aware of “any definitive response” from Hamas to a proposal crafted over the weekend that would see the release of hostages held by the group and a sustained pause in the fighting in Gaza.
Hamas said that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, received the proposal at a meeting in Paris this weekend that involved officials from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Leaf said the potential hostage deal is “a critical starting point” toward an end to the conflict.
Hamas said that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, received the proposal at a meeting in Paris this weekend that involved officials from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that the head of its political bureau “is in the process of studying (the proposal) and submitting its response to it on the basis that the priority is to stop the aggression, the brutal attack on Gaza and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head back to the region in the coming days as moving forward on the deal remains a top priority for President Joe Biden’s administration.
