Our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East has moved here.
January 28, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
By Heather Chen, Andrew Raine, Christian Edwards, Antoinette Radford and Matt Meyer, CNN
Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, January 29, 2024
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Iran denies involvement in deadly attack on US base in Jordan, state media says
From CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi and Lucas Lilieholm
Iran on Sunday denied it played any part in the attack on a US military outpost in Jordan that killed three American service members, Iran's state news agency reported, citing the country's permanent mission to the United Nations.
“The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the United Nations on Sunday night told IRNA that Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base,” the report said, using the acronym for the Islamic Republic News Agency.
The attack marked the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war.
On Sunday, US President Joe Biden vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the deaths and placed blame for the attacks on Iran-backed militant groups.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for several Iran-backed militias in the country, said it attacked a number of places along the Jordan-Syria border on Sunday — including a camp near the US base in Jordan where soldiers were killed.
Deadly attack on US troops risks deepening Middle East conflict
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
The deaths of three American troops in a drone attack Sunday has thrust the United States deeper into the Middle East conflict and lent fresh urgency to efforts at securing the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for a prolonged halt in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
The confluence of intertwined events — high-stakes hostage talks in France were underway at the same time American officials were grappling with the troop deaths in Jordan — added up to one of the most charged moments since the outbreak of violence following Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks.
Now, leaders in Washington and the Middle East are mulling choices that could significantly transform the situation, with thousands of lives and the future of the region in the balance.
President Joe Biden, who vowed to respond to the drone attacks “at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” faces a decision on the scale of the American reprisal, which will have consequences both in the region and at home as he enters a tough reelection fight.
What we know about Israel's allegations against UN staffers in Gaza
From CNN staff
The main UN agency in Gaza is in turmoil after Israel accused some of its staff members of involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which have not been made public.
Following Israel’s allegations, UNRWA’s main donor, the United States, and a growing number of countries have paused funding to the organization, which employs about 13,000 people in Gaza, as the humanitarian disaster spirals in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Here's what we know:
- What is UNRWA? The agency was established by the United Nations after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to provide humanitarian assistance for displaced Palestinians, which now number 5.9 million. It covers education, health care, camp infrastructure, social services and emergency assistance, including in times of conflict.
- What are the allegations? Details remain scant. Neither Israel nor UNRWA have specified the nature of the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the events of October 7. An Israeli official told CNN on Friday that Israel shared information about 12 staffers allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks both with UNRWA and the US.
- What intelligence has been shared? The head of Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate met with senior US officials on Friday and shared "solid intelligence from different sources," an Israeli official told CNN. That included "specific names and which organizations they are affiliated with ... and what exactly they did on October 7." Israeli officials say some of the attackers who were killed or detained on October 7 had UNRWA IDs on them. CNN was not shown the IDs or other intelligence.
- What has the UN said? UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said he decided “to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth,” according to a statement. Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror “will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” he added. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said nine of the 12 UNRWA staff members at the center of the allegations had been fired. One other was dead and the identities of two others were still “being clarified.”
- How has the world reacted? Several countries announced the suspension of funding for UNRWA in the wake of the allegations, including, the US, Australia, Canada, the UK, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Finland and Japan. But other countries have announced they plan to continue funding, with Norway citing the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in Gaza.
- What have Palestinians said? Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has asked countries halting funding to reconsider, saying "such positions, if maintained, would disproportionately punish millions of our people without just cause." Abbas accused Israel of acting out of hostility for the UN agency, saying: "Officials in the Israeli government openly expressed that there would be no role for UNRWA, revealing the true motive behind this campaign." Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz suggested Friday that Israel will seek to stop UNRWA from operating in post-war Gaza.
Read more about the allegations here.
Japan suspends funding to UN relief agency in Gaza "for the time being"
From CNN’s Teele Rebane
Japan has suspended its funding to the UN relief agency in Gaza “for the time being” in response to allegations that members of its staff were involved in Hamas' October 7 attacks, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday.
“UNRWA plays a vital role in delivering essential humanitarian assistance to each and every resident (of Gaza). Against this backdrop, Japan is extremely concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA staff members in the terror attack on Israel on October 7 last year,” Foreign Press Secretary Kobayashi Maki said in the statement.
Japan will suspend funding while the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) conducts an investigation into the allegations, but will continue to provide support to other international organizations to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the statement added.
An Israeli official told CNN on Friday that Israel shared information about 12 staffers allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks both with UNRWA and the United States. UNRWA fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, the exact details of which have not been made public.
Some context: Japan joins a growing list of countries that have suspended funding for UNRWA, which employs around 13,000 people in Gaza, as the humanitarian disaster spirals in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Israel has shared intelligence with US on UNRWA staff allegedly involved in October 7 attacks, official says
From CNN's Alex Marquardt
The head of Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, met with senior US officials on Friday to share intelligence on United Nations relief agency staff members who allegedly took part in Hamas' October 7 attacks, an Israeli official told CNN.
“We gave them specific names and which organizations they are affiliated with, whether Hamas or PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) or others, and what exactly they did on October 7. We showed them that we had solid intelligence from difference sources,” the official said.
The intelligence was corroborated from different sources, the official said, which was why it took this long for it to be briefed to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the United States.
Israeli officials reached out to UNRWA with their suspicions several days before Friday’s briefing to US officials. CNN has previously reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was told by UNRWA on Wednesday.
An Israeli official familiar with how the intelligence was gathered said it was taken from Hamas computers and documents confiscated during operations in Gaza, and from interrogations of detainees and alleged terrorists.
Israeli officials say some of the attackers who were killed or detained on October 7 had UNRWA IDs on them. CNN was not shown the IDs or other intelligence.
US Central Command confirms 8 service members medically evacuated, 34 injured in Jordan attack
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand
US Central Command confirmed Sunday that eight service members were medically evacuated from Jordan after being wounded in Sunday’s drone attack on a US outpost near the Syrian border.
The "personnel that received injuries required evacuation from Jordan to higher level care," CENTCOM said in a statement.
"The number of US personnel with injuries has increased to at least 34 service members, but we expect this number to fluctuate as service members continue to seek follow-on care," CENTCOM said.
CENTCOM said about 350 US Army and Air Force personnel are deployed to the base — called Tower 22 — "conducting a number of key support functions, including support to the coalition for the lasting defeat of ISIS."
At least 8 US service members had to be medically evacuated after drone attack, official says
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand
Eight US service members had to be medically evacuated from Jordan after being wounded in Sunday’s drone attack on a US outpost near the Syrian border, a US official tells CNN.
CNN previously reported that at least three had been evacuated, and over 30 were wounded in the attack, which killed three US Army soldiers.
The injury toll was expected to climb Sunday as more service members sought treatment for potential traumatic brain injuries.
Islamic Resistance says it attacked US positions along Syria-Jordan border early Sunday
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Hira Humayun
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for several Iran-backed militias in the country, said it attacked a number of places along the Jordan-Syria border Sunday — including a camp near the US base in Jordan where soldiers were killed today.
The camp, Al-Rukban, is in close proximity to Tower 22, where the US announced three service members were killed in a drone attack.
The Islamic Resistance's statement, posted to its Telegram channel, came earlier today — before the US announced the death of its service members.
The organization's forces launched drone attacks at dawn Sunday as part of its efforts to "resist the American occupation forces in Iraq" and in response to Israel's "massacres against our people in Gaza," it said in a statement.
The attacks targeted four bases, three of which are in Syria, the group said.
What the US has said: US officials have said the drone that killed the US service members at Tower 22 was launched by Iran-backed militants and appeared to come from Syria.
The US government has not yet named a specific militia they hold responsible, however. A US official told CNN earlier Sunday that is still being determined.
More from the Jordanian government: The communications minister for the Jordanian government said the attack that killed the US soldiers targeted an “advanced position on the border with Syria” and that no Jordanian border guard forces were hurt.
The minister, Muhannad Moubaideen, described the strike as a "terrorist attack" and vowed to confront the threat of terrorism. While condemning Israel’s campaign in Gaza, Jordanian officials have often expressed concern about the potentially widening war in the Middle East.
Jordan is a key partner to the US in the region and receives substantial amounts of aid through the relationship.
CNN's Eyad Kourdi, Jomana Karadsheh and Mitchell McCluskey contributed reporting to this post.
