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
Live Updates
A handout picture courtesy of the US Navy shows the guided missile destroyer USS Carney firing on missiles and drones launched from Yemen on October 19, 2023
A handout picture courtesy of the US Navy shows the guided missile destroyer USS Carney firing on missiles and drones launched from Yemen on October 19, 2023. AFP

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 strikes Houthi missiles again following joint strikes with UK
  • 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
  • Israeli national security minister slams 'bad deal' amid talks for month-long truce
  • Houthis order all American, British UN staff to leave Yemen in 30 days
  • Pope Francis reminds world of Holocaust in renewed call for peace

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.

The live update has ended.

Israeli army 'increasing pressure' on Hamas in Khan Yunis

The Israeli army is "increasing the pressure" on Hamas through ground battles and with the assistance of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), the IDF said Wednesday. In its documentation, the IDF showed how it struck terror targets in buildings across Gaza's second-largest city.

The latest update comes as multiple outlets report a significant exodus among Gaza residents from Khan Yunis.

Pope Francis evokes Holocaust horrors in renewed call for peace

Pope Francis on Wednesday once again called for peace during his weekly audience at the Vatican, Reuters reported. He evoked the Holocaust horrors ahead of its memorial day, calling on the world to "not forget that the logic of hatred and violence can never be justified" as he recounted "the memory and condemnation of that horrible extermination of millions of people."

He called on Christians to "not get tired of praying for peace, for conflicts to end, for weapons to stop, for relief for exhausted populations."

"War is always a defeat," he reiterated, adding that the "only winners" are companies that manufacture weapons.

Pope Francis's approval of blessings for same-sex couples is fiercely opposed by some conservative Catholics
Pope Francis previously called for a ceasefire in Gaza. AFP

Houthis order American, British UN personnel to leave Yemen

The Yemeni Houthi rebel militia on Wednesday ordered all U.S. and British staff of the United Nations to leave the country within 30 days.

This comes after joint U.S. and UK strikes in Yemen that targeted Houthi assets, including missiles, in the past few days.

Iranian president due in Turkey Wednesday

Ebrahim Raisi is expected in Turkey Wednesday to meet with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the war in Gaza.

The escalation of Middle East tensions delayed Raisi's supposed Turkey visit twice, as per AFP. His visit will mark his first in Turkey since he became president in 2021.

Turkey's Erdogan is known as a Netanyahu critic, even comparing the Israeli president to Adolf Hitler.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) visited Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran in 2022
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) visited Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran in 2022. AFP

Israel's national security minister slams month-long truce deal

Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday criticized the one-month ceasefire deal that mediators are trying to get the warring sides to agree on.

"For the return of the kidnapped, against a bad deal," he wrote on X, as per a Google translation.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a staunch backer of the government's reform plans, secured an expansion of his portfolio in return for agreeing to the pause, his Jewish Power party said
Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir AFP

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.

Such operations in Iraq will be considered "aggressive actions," the statement added.

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.

Israeli soldiers stand guard as trucks carrying humanitarian aid move through the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the southern Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers stand guard as trucks carrying humanitarian aid move through the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

2 reported killed in US strikes in Iraq

Two people were killed and two others were wounded in airstrikes conducted early Wednesday by the U.S. targeting Iran-backed militia in Iraq, AFP reported, citing Iraqi officials.

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.

Map of the Red Sea and Yemen showing some of the areas close to where the United States conducted strikes on Huthi missiles.
Map of the Red Sea and Yemen showing some of the areas close to where the United States conducted strikes on Huthi missiles. AFP

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.

Palestinians fleeing Khan Yunis on January 22, 2024
Palestinians fleeing Khan Yunis on January 22, 2024. AFP

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.

Israelis have been staging protests calling for a deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza
Israelis have been staging protests calling for a deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza. AFP

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.

The protests challenged supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran's Ali Khamenei AFP

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."

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."

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.

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.

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.