Our live coverage of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has moved here.
January 31, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war
By Amir Vera, Sana Noor Haq, Antoinette Radford, Aditi Sangal, Leinz Vales, Elise Hammond, Tori B. Powell and Kathleen Magramo, CNN
Updated 12:17 a.m. ET, February 1, 2024
39 Posts
Sort by
US Central Command says airstrikes destroyed Houthi drone ground control station in Yemen
From CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee
The US carried out airstrikes against an Iranian-backed Houthi drone ground control station in Yemen and 10 Houthi drones early Thursday morning, the US Central Command said.
“U.S. forces identified the UAV ground control station and one-way attack UAVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
“U.S. Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the UAV ground control station and 10 one-way attack UAVs in self-defense."
These strikes are the latest in a series of attacks on Houthi weapons that the US military said were set to be launched against international shipping lanes and US warships in the region.
US Central Command says US destroyer shot down Houthi ballistic missile and 3 drones
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
The USS Carney shot down one Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and three drones on Wednesday evening Yemen time, the US Central Command said.
CENTCOM described the drones as Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
CNN earlier reported that the US destroyer shot down a Houthi ballistic missile and drones.
These strikes are the latest in a series of attacks on Houthi weapons before they are launched against international shipping lanes and US warships in the region.
The US carried out airstrikes on "a number of" Houthi drones in Yemen, US official says
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
The US carried out airstrikes against “a number of” Houthi drones in Yemen on Wednesday, a US official told CNN.
These strikes are the latest in a series of attacks on Houthi weapons before they are launched against international shipping lanes and US warships in the region.
More context: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been stepping up their strikes on ships in the Red Sea, which they say are revenge against Israel for its military campaign in Gaza.
The attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, which could potentially cause a shock to the global economy.
The Houthis are believed to have been armed and trained by Iran, and there are fears that their attacks could escalate Israel’s war against Hamas into a wider regional conflict.
CNN's Christian Edwards contributed reporting to this post.
US destroyer intercepts Houthi ballistic missile and drones in Gulf of Aden, official says
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
A United States destroyer operating in the Gulf of Aden intercepted a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and Houthi drones on Wednesday, according to a US official.
The USS Carney, an Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer, shot down the Houthi launches on Wednesday evening (Yemen time).
The interception of multiple launches comes one day after a Houthi cruise missile came within one mile of another US ship in the Red Sea, the closest a Houthi attack has yet come to a US warship.
On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the continued Houthi launches “reckless and illegal attacks against military vessels and commercial shipping.”
Tensions over UNRWA allegations, more Houthi attacks and other headlines you should know
From CNN staff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called for the end of the mission of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
His comments come after Israel alleged 13 employees were associated with Hamas' October 7 attacks. It's the first time Netanyahu has called for an end of the mission on camera and specifically accused UNRWA officials of being complicit in the attack.
Catch up on other headlines related to the Israel-Hamas war and tensions in the region:
- More UNRWA updates: The US said UNRWA needs to make changes to "restore donor confidence" before it will resume giving money to the agency, the US ambassador to the UN said. The US has long been a leading donor for the agency and is among a list of countries that have suspended some or all funding. Also, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of the UN’s humanitarian work inside Gaza, saying it is “absolutely vital,” while also calling again for the allegations to be addressed. He's set to travel back to the Middle East at the end of the week, the White House said Wednesday.
- Developments on the ground: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) say they have evidence that indicates Israel carried out a strike earlier this month on a compound housing humanitarian workers and their families in a supposed safe zone in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza is “still standing,” but “barely functional,” the head of medical activities in Gaza for Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors without Borders, Aurélie Godard said Wednesday.
- Demands for an investigation: Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are demanding an investigation after the reported discovery of about thirty bodies in bags buried under rubble and sand in a school in northern Gaza.
- Jordan drone attack: The United States believes an umbrella group of militants called Islamic Resistance in Iraq was behind the drone attack in Jordan that killed three American service members, the White House said Wednesday, its first formal attribution for the incident. At least 41 US National Guard members were injured in the attack, according to the National Guard Bureau. President Joe Biden said he has decided on the US response to the attack.
- Hostage developments: Netanyahu is assuring the families of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza that he is "making every effort" to get them back. It comes as hostage talks, mediated by Qatar, are still ongoing.
- Houthi attacks: The US destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile in Yemen early Wednesday eastern time, according to a statement from Central Command. And a cruise missile launched by the Houthis into the Red Sea on Tuesday night came within a mile of a US destroyer before it was shot down, four US officials told CNN, the closest a Houthi attack has come to a US warship. Also, a US destroyer operating in the Gulf of Aden intercepted a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and Houthi drones on Wednesday, according to a US official.
- Sanctions: The US Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on “three entities and one individual located in Lebanon and Türkiye for providing critical financial support to an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and Hizballah financial network.”
More than 40 National Guard members were injured in Sunday's Jordan drone attack
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
At least 41 United States National Guard members were injured in the Sunday drone attack in Jordan that killed three US soldiers, according to the National Guard Bureau.
The injured troops came from the Arizona, California, Kentucky and New York National Guard units. Of those injured, 27 were able to return to duty, while 14 are still being evaluated for further care, including one who was medically evacuated in stable condition.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon said that more than 40 troops were injured in the attack, a number officials said was expected to rise because of the delay in the onset of symptoms for traumatic brain injury.
The three US soldiers who were killed in the attack are expected to be returned to Dover Air Force Base on Friday during a dignified transfer of remains ceremony.
Netanyahu calls for the end of UNRWA's mission
From CNN's Amir Tal, Nic Robertson and Radina Gigova
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called for the end of the mission of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
"I think it's time that the international community and the UN itself understand that UNRWA's mission has to end," Netanyahu told a delegation of UN ambassadors.
It's the first time Netanyahu has called for an end of the mission on camera and specifically accused UNRWA officials of being complicit in the October 7 Hamas attacks against Israel.
Netanyahu also addressed genocide accusations brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying many of the charges at the UN’s top court were brought by UNRWA officials.
"The worst thing that I can say is this: That many of the charges are false and unfounded, that were leveled against us in The Hague, were brought by UNRWA officials. And we have discovered in the last few weeks that UNRWA officials were complicit in the massacre," he said.
Netanyahu also said UNRWA is "self-perpetuating" in its "desire to keep alive the refugee, the Palestinian refugee issue," adding "we need to get other UN agencies and other aid agencies replacing UNRWA in if we're going to solve the problem of Gaza, as we intend to do."
Netanyahu said the UN has not been a "stellar organization" when it comes to dealing with Israel. "It's often unbelievably tilted," he said of the agency.
More about UNRWA: The agency is the primary humanitarian aid group in Gaza. Some 2 million Gazans rely on it for aid, with 1 million people using UNRWA shelters for food and healthcare amid the fighting in the enclave.
Israel struck a compound housing humanitarian workers in Gaza safe zone earlier this month, aid agencies say
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy
Two aid agencies are claiming they have evidence that indicates Israel carried out a strike earlier this month on a compound housing humanitarian workers and their families in a supposed safe zone in Gaza.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said an independent assessment carried out by the United Nations concluded that the damage was caused by an airstrike most likely involving a missile package exclusively possessed by the Israeli military.
"The Israeli military is the only armed actor in Gaza with access to this weaponry," the statement on Wednesday said. The strike took place on January 18.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the claims.
More context: Although officially designated as a safe zone by the IDF, Al Mawasi – a 5.22 square mile (13.5 square kilometer) coastal strip where the compound was located – has suffered several strikes in recent weeks, according to reports from the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza and the Palestinian state news agency, WAFA.
The two organizations reiterated that attacks against these kinds of settings violate international humanitarian law. Despite remaining committed to serving the "humanitarian imperative," the IRC and MAP likened the current situation in Gaza however to fighting a "losing battle."
CNN is unable to independently confirm these claims due to the difficulty of reporting from the war zone.
