Middle East Conflict: US Strikes Houthi Drone Control Post; IRGC Reportedly Shrinks Syrian Presence

Norway 'reasonably optimistic' some countries will reverse UNRWA decision: FM

Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide told Reuters Thursday he was "reasonably optimistic" that some countries that halted funding to UNRWA will resume their payments as many countries understand the "very, very serious consequences" of drying up the agency's funds.

"They're looking for a way out. And maybe if now UNRWA comes up quickly with a good response, which is accepted as serious, they will then happily restart," Eide said.

Biden expected to issue executive order on Israeli West Bank settlers: Report

U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to issue an executive order that will rein in Israeli settlers in the West Bank in Gaza who have been attacking Palestinians in the occupied territory, Politico reported Thursday, citing a U.S. official and congressional aide and documents viewed by the outlet.

The Biden government is expected to announce later Thursday sanctions on individuals who engaged in violence in the West Bank, as per the documents.

Under the new executive order, four Israeli settlers will be sanctioned as they are accused of being directly involved in attacks against Palestinians and "systematic acts" that displaced Palestinian communities, U.S. officials told Axios.

Israeli warplane strikes Hezbollah post in southern Lebanon after rockets launched

An Israeli fighter jet struck a Hezbollah paramilitary post in Tayr Harfa, southern Lebanon Thursday following "a number of [rocket] launches" from Lebanese territory earlier in the day.

The launches were targeting the Metula and Kiryat Shmona areas in northern Israel, the IDF said. There were no casualties in the incidents, the Israeli army added.

UNRWA may shut down by February-end if funding remains suspended: Chief

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini on Thursday said "if the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by the end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region."

He said the raging war in Gaza was proof that "it is time to reinforce and not weaken UNRWA."

Lazzarini's comments came after multiple countries, including the U.S., UNRWA's top donor, announced they have halted funding to the agency following allegations that 12 of its employees were directly involved in atrocities that Hamas committed during their shock invasion of Israel on Oct. 7.

IRGC scales back senior officer deployments in Syria: Report

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has started limiting deployments of senior officers in Syria following a series of Israeli strikes that killed several members of the IRGC, Reuters reported Thursday, citing five sources familiar with the matter.

Instead of a significant presence in Syria, the Guards will now manage its Syrian operations remotely, with help from Hezbollah, a Lebanese terror group that, like Hamas, is backed by Iran, as per three sources.

Three of the sources also said the decision to withdraw senior officers is driven party by Iran not wanting to be directly involved in the Middle East conflict.

One source told the outlet that Iran doesn't have plans to "abandon" Syria but its presence and movement in the country has been reduced "to the greatest extent."

Explosion reported near vessel off Yemen: UKMTO

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Thursday said it received reports of "an explosion a distance off the vessel's starboard side" around 57 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, a Houthi-held area in Yemen.

The ship and crew are safe and are now transiting to the vessel's next port of call, the group said.

This comes about an hour after the UKMTO said it received an incident report of an "attack" off Hodeidah.

Oct. 7 victims take Iran to court

A total of 67 individuals, some of which were injured in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, while others were taken hostage, on Wednesday filed a lawsuit at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, as per NBC News.

The plaintiffs said the atrocities on Oct. 7 were "masterminded and funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran," adding that the country "bears direct responsibility" for Hamas' invasion wherein the Palestinian terror group murdered more than 1,200 people and abducted some 240 Israelis and foreign nationals.

"In many places across the world, Iran's actions have been met with silence. But Plaintiffs will not be silent. And the laws of the United States are not silent either," the lawsuit states.

IDF withdraws one brigade from Khan Yunis: Arab report

The Israeli army has pulled out its 7^th Engineering Brigade from Khan Yunis, southern Gaza's main city, Sky News Arabia reported Thursday.

The outlet also reported that Israeli tanks have "completely withdrawn" from an area northwest of Gaza City.

The IDF has yet to confirm the reports, but it has withdrawn some reserve units from Gaza in recent weeks amid U.S. pressure to scale back operations in the enclave.

Houthis fire missile toward Red Sea: Arab media

The Houthis on Thursday fired a missile toward the Red Sea, Arab media reported, citing unnamed sources.

The UKMTO has since said it received an incident report of an "attack" Thursday, west of the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port in Yemen.

This comes after the EU's foreign policy chief unveiled the bloc's plan to launch its own naval taskforce in the Red Sea, where Houthis have been running amok since November.

Protests in Israel in bid to block humanitarian aid into Gaza

Protests are underway at the Ashdod industrial port in southern Israel as demonstrators demand humanitarian aid be denied entry into the Gaza Strip until the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity are freed, local media reported Thursday morning.

The Ashdod demonstration comes a day after some protesters at the Kerem Shalom border crossing were detained for questioning.

The Netanyahu government is under increasing pressure from desperate loved ones and supporters of hostages to get the abductees back home.

Iran isn't afraid of war with US: IRGC chief

"We hear threats coming from American officials, we tell them that they have already tested us and we now know one another; no threat will be left unanswered," chief of Iran's IRGC, Hossein Salami, said Wednesday, as per Iranian media.

"We do not look for war, but we are not afraid of it. This is the well-known truth," Salami added.

His remarks came amid mounting pressure on the Biden administration to strike Iran following the killing of three U.S. servicemen in Jordan that Washington attributes to Iran and militant groups it supports.

Blinken to return to Middle East later this week

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make another visit to the Middle East later this week as part of the White House's efforts to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding throughout the region.

This will be his fifth trip to the region – at a time when hopes are increasing over a potential ceasefire deal that could see the release of more hostages.

Hamas confirmed that it has received a three-phase truce proposal and is studying it.

UN agencies call on countries to continue funding UNRWA

The United Nations' Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which is a collective UN-led group of aid agencies, on Wednesday called on countries that halted funding to the UNRWA over Oct. 7 allegations to reverse their decision.

The committee said allegations that some UNRWA employees played a hand in Hamas' Oct. 7 atrocities were "horrifying," and noted the UN chief's previous promise that any UN worker involved in terrorism will be held accountable.

"However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need," the committee said in a statement.

The decision by some countries to pause UNRWA funding "will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza," it said, appealing "for these decisions to be reconsidered."

"The world cannot abandon Gaza," the statement concluded.

Hezbollah claims to have attacked seven IDF assets

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of heavily-armed pro-Iran group Hezbollah, on Thursday said the "resistance" militia attacked seven assets of the Israeli army, including a building in the Metula area where Israeli soldiers were stationed.

Another IDF asset in the Manara area was struck "with appropriate weapons," which led to some damage, Nasrallah said.

The IDF has yet to confirm the Lebanese terror group's claims.

EU plans to launch Red Sea naval mission this month

The 27-member bloc is looking to launch its own maritime taskforce in the Red Sea amid continuing attacks by Yemeni Houthis targeting commercial shipping activities in the area.

The EU is set to discuss "the creation of a new Navy mission of the European Union to participate in escorting the merchant ships in the Red Sea facing the attacks by the Houthis," said the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell late Wednesday.

"Not all member states will be willing to participate, but no one will obstruct," he noted.

He said he hopes the mission will be launched by Feb. 17, adding that the bloc also has to decide "which country will take command" of the European Red Sea taskforce.

He clarified that the European maritime mission will not participate in "any kind of actions against the Houthis" but will only be focused on the protection of ships and intercepting Houthi attacks.

Seven EU member nations have expressed readiness to provide either ships or planes for the mission, while Belgium has already committed to sending a frigate, AP reported. Germany is expected to also send a frigate, as per the report.

US strikes Houthi drone ground control post

U.S. forces early on Thursday identified and struck a drone "ground control station and one-way attack UAVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen" that "presented an imminent threat" to U.S. Navy ships and commercial vessels in the region.

"This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels," the U.S. military said in a statement.

The latest strikes on Houthi paramilitary assets came after the Yemeni rebel militia said it will continue attacking American and British warships in the Red and Arab Seas.