KEY POINTS
- Hezbollah publishes footage of its supposed attack on IDF strategic air base
- Iran's Khamenei calls on Muslim nations to cut ties with Israel
- Hamas rejects Israeli proposal that includes 2-month ceasefire
It's been 110 days since Hamas militants murdered more than 1,200 people and abducted over 240 others from Israel, but heavy fighting continues in southern Gaza even as tensions in the Middle East flare up.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. carried out strikes in Iraq in retaliation for attacks against American troops in Iraq and Syria in the past days. The strikes hit three facilities linked to Iranian-backed groups in the country.
- Israel, Hamas 'broadly agree in principle' to month-long ceasefire: Report
- US seeks Beijing's help to urge Tehran to rein in Houthis: Report
- Iraqi government looks to file complaint to UNSC over latest US strikes: Arab media
- 2 reported killed in US strikes in Iraq: Officials
- US strikes in Iraq will lead to 'irresponsible escalation': Iraqi PM's office
Fire exchanges ensue in the frantic Israel-Lebanon border. Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Hamas, continues to fire rockets in northern Israel, displacing thousands of residents.
Yemeni Houthi rebels refuse to back down in the Red Sea even as joint strikes by the United States and Britain were launched to supposedly derail its capabilities in attacking commercial shipping lanes.
In Gaza, where thousands have died and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) suffered its biggest single-day loss Monday, Israeli soldiers continue to push deeper into Hamas tunnels in the enclave and clashes with militants have not let up.
The Israeli government's resolute war goals draw from decades of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict history that the U.S., a staunch Israel ally, and other governments around the world, believe will be resolved through a path toward Palestinian statehood.
Hamas' allies and pro-Iran groups have been attacking Israeli and U.S. assets as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that the war will drag on until Hamas is eliminated.
US strikes in Iraq will lead to 'irresponsible escalation': Iraqi PM's office
The strikes early Wednesday that U.S. forces carried out on Iraqi military posts will result in "irresponsible escalation" of tensions and violate Iraqi sovereignty, the office of Iraq's prime minister said in a statement.
The U.S. military has said its airstrikes were targeted at Iranian-backed militants in Iraq.
Demonstrators block humanitarian aid trucks
Israeli demonstrators gathered at the Kerem Shalom crossing, blocking trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza, local media reported Wednesday.
Iraq intends to lodge complaint over US strikes: Arab media
The Iraqi government on Wednesday announced its intention to file a complaint to the UN Security Council over the strikes in Iraq by U.S. forces earlier in the day, Arab media reported, citing the Iraqi foreign ministry.
As reported earlier, U.S. forces struck three facilities in Iraq that it said were being used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-linked factions in Iraq.
US seeks help from China to urge Iran to rein in Houthis: Report
Washington has asked Beijing for help to urge Iran to keep Yemeni Houthi rebels in check amid the militia's attacks against commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing U.S. officials.
The Chinese government has reportedly shown little signs of interest in Washington's request.
The report comes hours after the U.S. launched another round of strikes targeting Houthi missiles in Houthi-held areas in Yemen.
Thousands flee Khan Yunis: Reports
Thousands of Gaza residents are fleeing Khan Yunis after the Israeli army completed the city's encirclement, multiple outlets reported. The significant exodus started Tuesday and continues Wednesday.
Khan Yunis is southern Gaza's main city and it has been at center of Israeli ground operations since last week.
Israel, Hamas 'broadly agree in principle' to 1-month truce: Report
Israel and Hamas have "broadly" agreed in principle to a month-long ceasefire in exchange for some Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing three sources.
The U.S., Qatar and Egypt are working on "intense mediation efforts" to get the warring sides agree to a multi-phased approach to free different categories of Israeli hostages, the report added.
Hamas has refused to push through with the plans until terms of a permanent ceasefire are agreed on, six sources who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter told the outlet.
Sami Abu Zhuri, a senior Hamas official, previously said the terror group was "open to all initiatives and proposals, but any agreement must be based on ending the aggression and the occupation's complete pullout from Gaza Strip."
Work is underway to convince Hamas to accept a month-long ceasefire, which will then be followed by a permanent truce in the fighting, two Egyptian sources said.
Hamas rejects Israeli proposal for 2-month truce: Report
Hamas has rejected Israel's proposal for a two-month ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages, AP reported Tuesday, citing a senior Egyptian official who was not authorized to brief the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Palestinian terror group has insisted that no hostages will be freed until the Israeli army completely withdraws from Gaza and the offensive is ended.
Iranian supreme leader calls on Muslim countries to cut ties with Israel
Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called on Muslim nations to "cut off the vital lifelines" of Israel and "sever their political and economic contact" with the country, Iranian media reported. He also said Gaza will win the war and the territory's victory "will happen in the not too distant future."
His comments come at a critical time in the region as tensions in the Middle East rise due to the Israel-Hamas war.
Hezbollah releases video of supposed attacks on IDF air base in Mt. Meron
Hezbollah on Tuesday released footage of what it claims were missiles launched toward the Israeli army's strategic air traffic control base in Mount Meron, near the Israeli-Lebanese border.
As per the video, more than a dozen missiles were launched during the attacks.
The IDF has yet to confirm that its Mount Meron base was attacked.
Israeli army locates 'central terrorist stronghold' in Khan Yunis
Israeli ground troops discovered a "central terrorist stronghold" in Khan Yunis that Hamas built beside two schools, the IDF said Tuesday.
The troops also destroyed Hamas operations facilities in the area, including a lab, a tunnel route, and what the IDF said is "the largest rocket manufacturing lathe discovered so far in southern Gaza."
🔴WATCH: Hamas established a central terrorist stronghold in the heart of a residential neighborhood in Khan Yunis, Gaza, adjacent to 2 schools.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 23, 2024
Troops operating in the area combated Hamas operatives and located numerous tunnel shafts leading to a tunnel route, a lab and the… pic.twitter.com/K6GGSLCqNA
US strikes Houthi missiles 'aimed' at Red Sea
The U.S. early on Wednesday struck "two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch."
The missiles were located in Houthi-held areas in Yemen. U.S. forces "determined" that the missiles "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region," thus the attacks were conducted "in self-defense."
U.S. CENTCOM Destroys Two Houthi Terrorists' Anti-Ship Missiles
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 24, 2024
On Jan. 24 at approximately 2:30 a.m.(Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch. U.S.… pic.twitter.com/l3CMPrDx92
IAF warplanes strike Hezbollah, Iranian assets in Lebanon: IDF
The Israeli army on Tuesday said fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) completed strikes targeting Hezbollah assets in Lebanon, "including a military asset operated by Iranian forces and a military compound where Hezbollah terrorists operated."
The IDF added that the Lebanon-based terror group's activities south of Lebanon's Litani River, including its use and storage of weapons, were "a clear violation" of the United Nations Security Council's Resolution 1701.
IAF fighter jets completed a series of strikes on Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon, including a military asset operated by Iranian forces and a military compound where Hezbollah terrorists operated. IDF soldiers also struck several additional areas in Lebanon today.…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 23, 2024
US strikes hit 3 facilities in Iraq
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, on early Wednesday Iraq time, conducted airstrikes "against three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq," the U.S. military said.
U.S. Forces Strike Kataib Hezbollah Capabilities in Iraq
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 23, 2024
In response to attacks by the Iranian-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah (KH), including the attack on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq on Jan. 20, on Jan. 24 at 12:15 a.m. (Iraq time), U.S. CENTCOM forces conducted… pic.twitter.com/rSnbQdlRD4
Austin said the strikes were carried out in response to attacks targeting U.S. military assets in Iraq and Syria in recent days. CENTCOM specifically mentioned an attack on the al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq during the weekend.
