Middle East Conflict: GOP Senators Demand Military Response After US Troops Killed In Jordan

EU to consider future UNRWA funding after 'very serious allegations'

The European Commission "will determine upcoming funding decisions for UNRWA in light of the very serious allegations made on 24 January relating to the involvement of UNRWA staff in the heinous 7 October attacks," the commission said in a statement Monday.

Also, the commission noted that "no additional funding to UNRWA is foreseen until the end of February."

The EU's statement comes as more countries join the U.S. and UK in halting funding for the agency pending investigation of allegations regarding some UNRWA employees having been involved in the atrocities that started the war in Gaza.

Houthis open hijacked ship for sight-seeing

The Houthis have turned the Galaxy Leader, which they seized in November, into a domestic "tourist attraction," allowing male-only groups to get on the carrier for about a dollar per trip.

The Galaxy Leader's 25-man crew, majority of which are Filipinos, remains in Houthi captivity.

Read the full story here.

Romania freezes UNRWA funding

Another country has joined the growing list of nations temporarily suspending funding to UNRWA pending the investigation results of allegations that some of the agency's staffers had a role to play in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

Iraq condemns killing of US troops

The Iraqi government on Monday condemned the drone attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers. It said the attack was a threat to regional stability and urged that the "cycle of violence" be ended, as per a statement by Basim Alawadi, the Iraqi government's spokesperson.

He added that Iraq continues to monitor "with great concern the dangerous security developments in the region."

Britain expresses solidarity with US after troops killed

British foreign secretary David Cameron condemned the "attacks by Iran-aligned militia groups against U.S. forces." He did not directly mention where the attacks happened but he said his country's thoughts were with the families of U.S. servicemen who lost their lives and with the dozens of other soldiers who were injured in the attacks.

The UK is a U.S. ally and the countries have carried out joint strikes against Iranian-backed Houthis amid their continuing attacks targeting shipping activities in the Red Sea.

Explosion heard off Syrian capital: Arab media

An explosion was heard in the vicinity of Sayyida Zeinab, which is located south of Damascus, Syria's capital, Arab media reported Monday, citing Syrian sources.

2 hostages being held in home of UNRWA teacher: Israel

The Israeli government on Monday said "there are reports of two Israeli hostages being imprisoned in the home of an UNRWA teacher."

The allegation comes amid increasing pressure on the relief agency to investigate claims that some of its employees were involved in Hamas' rampage in Israel on Oct. 7.

Israel OKs UN delegation visit to northern Gaza: Report

Israel's war cabinet has approved a visit by a delegation from the United Nations that seeks to determine the needs of residents in northern Gaza, local Ynet reported Monday.

The move reportedly came amid Washington's pressure to allow for the assessment of critical civilian needs in the area.

It is unclear when the visit will take place or who will be responsible for the team's security.

US denies Navy ship attacked: Report

A U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence-related matters, told Associated Press Monday that there was no reported attack after the Houthis claimed they attacked the U.S. Navy's Lewis B. Puller frigate with a missile in the Red Sea.

Austria suspends UNRWA funding

Austria has joined other countries in halting funding for UNRWA following allegations that some of its employees had a hand in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. The country has called for a "transparent and detailed explanation" of what steps the agency will take next.

Iran denies involvement in Jordan attack

The Iranian government on Monday denied that Iran was involved in the drone attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. servicemen. Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kan'ani said "resistance groups in the region do not take orders" from Iran, as per the Iranian government's semi-official Mehr news.

Kan'ani's comments came after Biden indicated that Iran and militias it supports were behind the attack.

Protesters calling for hostages' release gather at Kerem Shalom crossing anew

More than a hundred protesters calling for the immediate release of hostages still in Hamas captivity once again gathered at the Kerem Shalom crossing, attempting to block the passage of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza, local media reported.

To allow aid entry, Israeli police officers created a human chain to block the demonstrators. This is the sixth straight day that the protesters tried to keep humanitarian aid trucks from entering the enclave.

The protests come amid mounting pressure on the Israeli government to free more than 130 hostages who have been captive in Gaza since Hamas' Oct. 7 invasion of Israel.

Sirens sound in northern Israel

Rocket sirens sounded in northern Israel Monday morning amid continuing launches from Lebanese territory by Iran-backed Hezbollah, local media reported.

Republican senators pressure Biden to take military action against Iran

Republican leaders are piling pressure on the Biden administration to deliver a military response to Iran following the first U.S. servicemen deaths in the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war started.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune slammed the White House's "half measures and weak posture" that he said ultimately failed to deter Iranian aggression.

"The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran's terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East," said Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said it's time "to reestablish deterrence against Iran with a decisive response to these unacceptable strikes."

"It is far past time Iran paid the price for its actions," said Montana Sen. Steve Daines.

Other Republican senators had similar statements about the deaths of three U.S. troops.

PA held secret meeting in Riyadh to discuss day-after arrangements: Report

The Palestinian Authority held a meeting in Riyadh last week with representatives of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to discuss Gaza's governance after the war, local Walla reported, citing three sources.

The meeting reportedly focused on how a "renewed Palestinian Authority" can take part in managing the enclave when the war ends.

Israel previously said it was willing to accept a "reformed" PA as the current leadership needed "fundamental" changes so the next generation of Gaza residents will value tolerance and peace.

2 injured in launches from Lebanon: Local media

Two people were slightly injured due to rocket launches from Lebanese territory toward Biranit, an Israeli military base near the border with Lebanon, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported Monday.

The IDF has yet to confirm if its military camp in the area was attacked.

Israeli army continues Khan Yunis incursion

Israeli ground and air troops continue to attack Hamas targets in Khan Yunis, where many weapons were discovered "a number of armed terrorists" were eliminated in encounters across Gaza's second-largest city, the IDF said Monday in a series of Google-translated posts on X.

Houthis claim attack on US Navy frigate

The Houthis on Monday morning Sana'a time claimed that it fired a missile at the U.S. Navy's Lewis B. Puller frigate Sunday night as the vessel sailed through the Gulf of Aden.

"The targeting process comes within the military measures taken by the Yemeni armed forces in defense of dear Yemen and in confirmation of the decision to support the oppressed Palestinian people," Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare'e said in a Google-translated statement.

Iran executes 4 accused of Mossad links

Iran on Monday morning executed four people they said were recruited by Mossad to spy for Israel, Iranian media reported. They were also accused of "planning to carry out a bombing on a facility belonging to the Iranian defense ministry" last year.

Iranian FM in Pakistan after tit-for-tat strikes

Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is in Pakistan after tit-for-tat strikes that killed several people on both sides. The international community called for restraint following the attacks.

The two countries have since agreed to allow their envoys to return to their posts after they were recalled due to the strikes.

Read the full story here.

Dossier alleges UNRWA employee directly participated in Oct. 7 massacre

An UNRWA employee has been accused of participating in the hostilities at an Israeli kibbutz on Oct. 7 where 97 people were killed by Hamas militants, the New York Times, which reviewed a dossier submitted by Israel to the White House, reported Sunday.

Another UNRWA employee allegedly helped his son kidnap a woman during the rampage, while one, described as a social worker from Nuseirat, was said to have provided ammunition to Hamas militants on Oct. 7, the report revealed. The same social worker is accused of helping the terror group bring the body of a dead IDF soldier into the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA told the outlet that two of the 12 employees alleged to have either aided Hamas or participated in the Palestinian terror group's Oct. 7 atrocities were dead. Israel described 10 of the accused as Hamas members, while another was allegedly affiliated with Hamas ally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Seven of the accused were said to be UNRWA teachers. Two were described as UNRWA school workers who held non-teaching positions.

Trump blames Biden for attack on US troops

Former president Donald Trump on Sunday blamed the current president for the drone attack that killed three U.S. servicemen in Jordan. He accused Biden of giving Iran "billions of dollars, which the [Iranian] Regime has used to spread bloodshed and carnage throughout the Middle East."

He said the attack wouldn't have happened if he was still the U.S. leader, adding that the world would have peace, but instead, "we are on the brink of World War 3."

The killing of three U.S. soldiers marks the first deaths among American troops since the war in Gaza started.

Israeli warplanes attack Hezbollah buildings

Fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Sunday struck several Hezbollah assets in southern Lebanon, including paramilitary buildings and observation posts. The strikes were carried out following "a number of launches" from Lebanese territory toward Israel. The rockets fired from Lebanon fell in open areas in Zar'it and Margalit, the IDF said.

Hezbollah leader tells US to 'leave' region

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday threw shade at the deployment of U.S. forces across the Middle East. He questioned if Americans ever wondered why their troops were deployed in foreign countries.

"Why not leave the Middle East and its matters to the people to whom these lands belong," Nasrallah wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

He has been openly critical of the U.S., most especially after the war in Gaza started. He also told the U.S. in November that Hezbollah, which has a much larger weapons arsenal than Hamas, was ready to face the American fleet.

'Significant gaps' remain in hostage deal talks: Israel

A "constructive" meeting to discuss a potential ceasefire-hostage deal was held between David Barnea, chief of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, and Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, the Israeli prime minister's office said late Sunday.

Talks will continue this week as "there are still significant gaps" in negotiations, the office said in a statement.

This is the first time in weeks that Israel has signaled a somehow positive outcome from mediations for a truce agreement that may see the release of about 130 remaining hostages in Hamas captivity.

Killing of 3 US servicemen a warning: Hamas official

"The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the U.S. administration" that unless the Israeli army's military campaign in Gaza ends, "it must confront the entire nation," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters late Sunday.

He added that the Gaza war "is capable of exploding the situation in the region."

His comments come amid increasing attacks by Iranian-backed paramilitary groups on U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East.

Joint maritime forces rescue ship struck by Houthi missile: CENTCOM

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday said a Houthi missile struck M/V Marlin Luanda with an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) in the Gulf of Aden Saturday. The attack caused a "major fire" in one of the cargo holds as the vessel was carrying Naphtha, a highly flammable liquid hydrogen mixture that was supposed to be used for commercial purposes.

Washington's USS Carney, France's Navy frigate FS Alsace, and India's Navy frigate INS Visakhapatnam responded to the scene, "providing critical firefighting material and assistance to the civilian crew, who had depleted their organic firefighting capability."

The attacked vessel and crew are now safe after the fire was extinguished. The ship has since returned to its course.

The U.S. army noted that the latest attack had "nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza" as "neither the vessel nor its crew have any affiliation to Israel." The Houthis, an Iranian-backed rebel militia in Yemen, previously claimed they were only attacking ships owned by Israel, bound to Israel, or those linked to Israel.

Biden vows retribution for killing of 3 US troops in Jordan

The U.S. president on Sunday vowed that he will hold accountable those responsible for the killing of three U.S. servicemen in Jordan in a drone attack that targeted a base that hosted foreign forces.

"We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing," he said. He also revealed that even as an investigation on the attack ensues, "we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq."

Read the full story here.

Top military commander assassinated by Israel: Fatah

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, the military wing of Fatah, another party in the Palestinian political scene that's just as popular Hamas, said late Sunday that Israel eliminated Mohammed Dib Salem, its field commander in Gaza, Haaretz reported.

The IDF has yet to confirm the claim.

3 countries join US, others in suspending UNRWA funding

The Netherlands on Sunday announced that it has "halted any future funding of UNRWA" following the announcement of an investigation "that some of its [UNRWA] staff members were involved in the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel."

Germany followed suit a few hours later, saying that it was temporarily suspending funding for UNRWA as investigations continue over allegations that some staffers of the agency either voiced support for Hamas Oct. 7 massacre or participated in the hostilities.

The two countries joined Canada, which announced its decision Saturday to "pause all additional funding to UNRWA pending the outcome of the investigation."

Washington and Britain were first to announce the suspension of UNRWA funding following the agency's announcement of a probe into the allegations. The United Nations, which said it was "shocked" by the allegations, has since fired 12 accused of involvement in terrorism.

Other nations that quickly followed Washington's move were Australia, Italy, Finland and Switzerland. The U.S. is UNRWA's top funding supporter, followed by Germany.