February 6, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East has moved here.

Israeli forces carried out deadly nighttime strikes on Syria’s Homs province, Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Wednesday.

A Syrian military source, quoted by SANA, said that at about 12:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Israel “launched an air aggression from the direction of Lebanese airspace, targeting a number of positions in the city of Homs and its countryside.” 

Several civilians are reported to have been killed in the attack, with more injured, SANA quoted the source as saying, without providing further details. Public and private property had been damaged in the raid, the source told SANA.

Syrian air defenses responded to the attack and “shot down some of the missiles,” the source told the news agency.

Asked for comment on the alleged strikes, the Israeli military told CNN they are unable to comment on foreign reports.

Iran-backed Houthi militants on Tuesday fired six anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen toward commercial vessels, US Central Command said.

One missile exploded in the Gulf of Aden near the MV Star Nasia, causing minor damage to the Marshall Island-flagged, Greek carrier, CENTCOM said. No injuries were reported.

Other Houthi missile attacks likely targeting MV Morning Tide, a Barbados-flagged, UK-owned cargo ship operating in the southern Red Sea, “impacted the water near the ship without effect,” CENTCOM said.

In a statement Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Houthis vowed the militants would increase their attacks on US and UK ships if Israel’s war in Gaza does not stop.

A destroyed building at the site of a US airstrike in Al Qaim, Iraq, February 3, 2024.

The brother of an Iraqi student killed as a result of US airstrikes on Iraq and Syria on Friday says the family holds the United States responsible for his death.

Abdulrahman Khaled, 20, was killed in the town of Al Qaim, on the Iraq-Syria border, in what the family believes was a secondary explosion after the strikes hit three houses being used by an Iran-backed Shia militia to store weapons.

“When we all started hearing more explosions, Abdulrahman decided to go out and check on our dad, who was alone in his house,” Abdulrahman’s eldest brother, Anmar Khaled, told CNN.
“If the American administration knew there were weapon warehouses there, why did they not warn the residents in the area? At least drop leaflets before the attack so we have enough time to leave our houses.”

According to the Iraqi government, Abdulrahman is one of at least 16 people killed as a result of the strikes, which the US conducted on 85 targets across seven locations in the two countries last week in response to a deadly drone strike by Iran-backed militants on a US military outpost in Jordan  

Read the full story.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a Wednesday statement that the kingdom will have no diplomatic relations with Israel without an independent Palestinian state being recognized.

“The Kingdom has communicated its firm position to the US administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Another condition would be that, “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.

Some context: Most Arab and Islamic states don’t recognize Israel and the demand for the establishment of a Palestinian state is a long-held Saudi position.

But just weeks before Hamas launched its October 7 attack on Israel, Riyadh said it was inching closer to normalizing diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. Experts say the price that Saudi would demand in exchange for normalization would be higher now than before the Gaza war, as Riyadh may feel compelled to extract more concessions from the United States and Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Saudi still has a “strong interest” in normalizing relations with Israel.

Correction: An earlier version of this post mischaracterized the statement from Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry.

Iran has provided the Houthis with a “diverse arsenal” of weapons, including short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, since 2015, according to a new report that details the group’s use of weapons published by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

Between 2015 and 2023, the US and its partners have interdicted at least 18 Iranian vessels trying to smuggle weapons to the Houthis, the report said. Those shipments have contained ballistic missile components, drones and anti-tank guided missiles, the report said, as well as thousands of assault rifles.

Here’s what the report found:

The Defense Intelligence Agency provides military intelligence to the Department of Defense and the intelligence community, according to its website.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters outside of his office at the US Capitol on February 5, 2024 in Washington, DC.

The US House of Representatives failed to pass a stand-alone funding bill that would have provided $17.6 billion to Israel, after a late shift by members on both sides of the aisle to sink the bill. 

Because of resistance among members of the right-flank House Freedom Caucus, House Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to bring up the bill under a procedure that requires 2/3 majority of the House – including at least 72 Democrats – to approve it.

That support did not come, defeating the measure by a 250-180 vote.

Read more about the Israel aid bill

There have been 146 US casualties — the majority of which have been determined to be non-serious injuries — in the ongoing attacks by Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since October 18 of last year, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

“Of those 146 casualties, three were killed in action, two sustained very serious injuries, nine had serious injuries, and 132 had non-serious injuries,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Pete Nguyen said Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, there have been at least 168 attacks on US and coalition forces since October 17 — the majority of which have occurred in Iraq and Syria.

Three US soldiers were killed in the only attack in Jordan at the end of January. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel ahead of high-stakes meetings with top officials to discuss a proposal for a sustained cessation in the Gaza fighting in exchange for Hamas’ release of hostages held since October 7.

Hamas gave a “positive” response to the proposal, according to a short statement Tuesday, but offered few details. 

Blinken said the United States is reviewing the Hamas response, as is Israel’s intelligence service, according to a statement from Mossad released by the prime minister’s office.

US President Joe Biden described the Hamas response as “a little over the top” in remarks to the press, but did not provide further details. “We’re not sure where it is. There’s a continuing negotiation right now,” he said.

The framework of the proposal calls for a first phase of civilian hostage releases to take place over a six-week pause, with three Palestinian prisoners held by Israel released for each civilian hostage returned from Gaza.

That ratio would be expected to go up for Israel Defense Forces soldiers and a longer pause is possible beyond the six weeks for the later phases.

Here are other headlines you should know:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 6.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel ahead of meetings Wednesday with key government officials to press for a “humanitarian pause” as international pressure to end the conflict in Gaza continues to mount.

The stakes are high for Blinken’s discussions in Tel Aviv and were made even higher by news Tuesday that Hamas has put forward a response to a proposal meant to secure the freedom of the remaining hostages and a sustained cessation of the fighting in Gaza.

Blinken said Tuesday he would discuss the counterproposal with Israeli officials. 

“There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and, indeed, essential. And we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it,” Blinken said at a news conference in Doha on Tuesday.

The US diplomat is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as key officials in the Israeli war cabinet.

In those meetings, Blinken is expected to focus on pushing Israel toward a “humanitarian pause,” as President Joe Biden’s administration calls it.

Officials involved in negotiations for a potential hostage deal in Gaza are evaluating Hamas’ response to it, Israel’s intelligence agency said Tuesday.

“Hamas’s reply has been conveyed by the Qatari mediator to the Mossad,” said the statement, carried by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. “Details are being thoroughly evaluated by the officials involved in the negotiations.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas gave a “positive” response to a framework agreement on a hostage deal, but offered few details in a short statement.

US President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 6.

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that those who oppose a Senate border bill are “denying aid” to Palestinian people who are “really suffering.” 

“This bipartisan agreement also provides Israel with what it needs to protect its people and defend himself against Hamas terrorists, and it will provide the necessary lifesaving humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people,” Biden said. “By opposing this bill, they are denying aid to the people who are really suffering and desperately need help.”

The bill includes security assistance for Israel and humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas’ long-awaited counteroffer to a hostage and truce framework is “reasonable,” a source familiar with the discussions told CNN. It does not include two of its most prominent and public demands: that Israeli soldiers leave Gaza or for a deal to end the war. 

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken, who is in the Middle East to meet with leaders of multiple nations, responded positively after hearing Hamas’ proposal, the source said, which Blinken later echoed in a press conference.

A State Department official said Blinken was first informed about the Hamas counterproposal by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who told the top US diplomat that Hamas had responded an hour before the meeting.

The emir outlined the counterproposal briefly and called it positive. Then the Qatari prime minister gave further details, the official told the traveling press. State Department officials briefed the White House. 

In a statement last week, senior Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh said that “the review of the new proposal for a ceasefire is based on the basis that any negotiations lead to a complete end to the aggression.”

The next hurdle, as Blinken indicated in his comments to reporters, will be presenting the Hamas counteroffer to the Israeli government.

Prime Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed repeatedly that Israel’s war will not end until there is “complete victory” over Hamas, which includes killing Hamas leadership and “will take time — months not years.”

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting. This post was updated with additional details on a briefing by a State Department official.

Correction: This post has been updated to accurately reflect how the source characterized the counteroffer.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 5.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saudi Arabia still has a “strong interest” in normalizing relations with Israel, but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made clear that the war in Gaza must end and there should be “a clear, credible, time-bound path to the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

Blinken met with bin Salman for more than two hours on Monday in Riyadh. He is scheduled to meet with senior Israeli officials in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

On both this trip and his last tour to the region, Blinken has stressed that the Israeli government must make “difficult” decisions and move toward a two-state solution if it wants to achieve normalization with Saudi Arabia and if it wants the support of its Arab neighbors for security and reconstruction in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of a Palestinian state. He has also said that the war in Gaza will continue for months longer. 

The United States is reviewing the response from Hamas “now,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.

“I’ll be discussing with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said.

The top US diplomat reiterated that the proposal that was presented to Hamas was a “serious” one “that was aimed at not simply repeating the previous agreement, but expanding it.”

“There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible, and indeed essential. And we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it,” he said at a press conference in Doha.

Hamas gave a “positive” response Tuesday to a framework agreement on a hostage deal, but offered few details in a short statement. 

The Palestinian Islamist group’s response included elements that have not been offered by Israel, including a “comprehensive and complete ceasefire” and “lifting their siege on the Gaza Strip,” as well as “completing a prisoner exchange.”

Qatar’s prime minister also confirmed that Hamas had responded.

“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive. However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances, we will not tackle details,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at a news conference alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha on Tuesday.

The Qatari prime minister said they have given the response to Israel and added, “we are optimistic.”

Blinken heads to Israel later today.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Lusail Palace in Doha on Tuesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed “ongoing efforts to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas and enable an extended humanitarian pause in the conflict in Gaza” in their meeting in Doha Tuesday.

The Qataris have served as a key mediator in the negotiations with Hamas, to whom a proposal to reach those aims was submitted more than a week ago. The group has not yet provided a substantive response to that proposal.

“Secretary Blinken and the Amir agreed to continue close coordination to increase humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and to urge the protection of civilians consistent with humanitarian law,” a readout from State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said.
“The Secretary reiterated the U.S. rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and underscored the U.S. commitment to establishing durable peace in the Middle East, including the establishment of a Palestinian state that ensures security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” 

Prior to his meeting with the Emir, Blinken was in Cairo for discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other top Egyptian officials on the same matters. The Egyptians are the other key interlocutors with Hamas.

According to a readout from the Egyptian President’s office, “the meeting focused on developments in unyielding efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, exchanging detainees and hostages and providing access to desperately needed relief aid to end the severe humanitarian catastrophe in the sector.”

Fighting between Israel and Hamas is ongoing across multiple parts of the Gaza Strip since Monday, with operations in Khan Younis and “targeted raids in the northern and central Gaza Strip,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Journalists working for CNN in Gaza reported that Israeli fire, including the shelling of an apartment block, caused multiple casualties across the territory since Monday.

But in the south, toward Rafah, aid workers have raised concerns over any expanded military operation, where satellite images show a makeshift tent city estimated to house more than 1 million civilians displaced by the war.

The director of the Hamas-run government media office also warned the expansion would “cause a real disaster.”

Here’s what else to know today:

Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have vowed to increase their attacks on US and UK ships in the Red Sea if the war in Gaza does not stop.

The Houthis started targeting ships in the Red Sea in November 2023, and have warned they “will carry out more military operations against all hostile American-British targets,” in the Red Sea “within the right to respond to the aggression, and the right to defend our beloved Yemen and its people,” Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sare’e said in a statement on Tuesday.

He said Houthi forces “emphasize the continuation of their military operations” in the Red Sea “against Israeli shipping or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine until the siege is lifted and the aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is stopped.”

Remember: The Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea prompted the US and UK to retaliate with strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The governments said they destroyed missiles, weapons storage sites and drone systems, according to senior officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he departs for Doha, at Cairo East Airport, in Cairo, Egypt, on February 6.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived at the next stop on his whirlwind trip in the Middle East: Qatar. He is set to meet with Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Blinken traveled to Doha from Cairo amid reports that Israel is planning to shift its offensive to Rafah, a key site on the border with the Sinai Peninsula where countless people have gathered to try to get to Egypt and the only port of entry for critical humanitarian aid. 

While in Cairo, the secretary met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in a meeting that lasted nearly two hours, according to US reporters traveling with the secretary. The meeting also included intel chief Abbas Kamel, who was a part of the Paris talks on the hostages. Egypt has been a key conversational partner with Hamas in these talks.

US officials have stressed that the ball is in Hamas’ court on the proposal to release hostages and reach a sustained pause in the fighting in Gaza. 

Blinken has a news conference scheduled for noon ET.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting.

This post has been updated to note Blinken’s arrival in Qatar.

Palestinians inspect the damage in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, on February 4, following an Israeli strike.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades has announced that a senior commander was killed, along with 13 of his family members, in an Israeli airstrike on a property in Deir al-Balah over the weekend.

Issam Khattab “Abu Mazen” was killed at his family’s home, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a coalition of Palestinian militant groups.

It described him as “one of the most prominent leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.”

On Sunday, CNN reported that at least 14 Palestinians were killed, including two children and four women, and many others injured due to airstrikes in Deir al-Balah, citing a doctor at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. 

Protesters block humanitarian aid due to enter Gaza on February 6, in Kerem Shalom, Israel.

Videos from the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and Gaza show protesters — many draped in Israeli flags — protesting along a large line of trucks that deliver humanitarian aid shipments into the territory.

Israeli officials told CNN that the crossing is currently blocked by the protesters, but more than 100 trucks had gone through inspection before they arrived on Tuesday.

The group behind the protests — Tsav 9 – said Tuesday morning that “at this time the Kerem Shalom crossing was blocked for the movement of aid and supply trucks to Hamas. The people of Israel won!”

The group has demanded freedom for the Israeli hostages in Gaza before further aid is allowed into the territory. They have been protesting at the crossing since late January.

The disruption comes despite the designation last month by the IDF of Kerem Shalom as a closed military zone.

The Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza accused the Israeli military of tightening a siege of the Nasser medical complex and putting at risk the lives of 300 medical personnel, 450 wounded, and 10,000 displaced people. Video filmed in the immediate vicinity of the complex near the southern city of Khan Younis Tuesday shows intense small arms fire as a handful of people try to escape the area.

The hospital is adjacent to the main route for people trying to flee Khan Younis for somewhat safer areas along the coast.

Video recorded close to the medical complex’s northern gate shows a few people running amid the crack of small arms fire and the whirr of drones overhead.

“The occupation snipers (Israeli troops) are shooting in the area around the Nasser Hospital. There are gunshots at the gate because the occupation snipers are stationed on top of the buildings,” a man says in the video geolocated by CNN.

The road leading to the coast is completely empty because “snipers are shooting at anybody who crosses this road. The situation is a very difficult,” he added.

The Israel Defense Forces said troops were attacked in civilian areas in Khan Younis. It said that the 98th Division, including the Givati Brigade, “encountered hostile fire from buildings. In response, they alerted in a combat helicopter, which quickly identified and neutralized the source of the gunfire on the building’s first floor.” Another man was killed as he approached Israeli soldiers, the IDF added.

The Hamas-run health ministry added that the medical complex lacks anesthesia, intensive care capacity and surgical supplies, with its electricity generators down to four days of fuel. It also alleged that the Israeli military is impeding the movement of ambulances.

CNN’s Lauren Izso contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces said several “projectiles” were fired into northern Israel from Lebanon.

It said that the attack was aimed at Margaliot in northern Israel and that artillery retaliated and struck the sources of the fire. 

Two soldiers were slightly wounded, the IDF said.

Earlier Tuesday, IDF fighter jets targeted a Hezbollah military base near Marwahin in southern Lebanon, the IDF added, as well as Hezbollah’s operational facilities near Meiss El Jabal, also in southern Lebanon. 

For its part, Hezbollah announced three attacks Tuesday against targets in northern Israel, two of them targeting the Ramim barracks near Kiryat Shimona.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reported heavy fire and continuous raids in multiple parts of Gaza since Monday, with dozens of militants killed and around 80 more individuals apprehended, according to its latest operational update.

The IDF said that it continued to operate in and around Khan Younis in southern Gaza and “conduct targeted raids in the northern and central Gaza Strip.”

In the north, the IDF said that its troops had identified “four terrorist operatives trying to set up observation infrastructure in an attempt to restore intelligence-gathering capabilities” in Beit Hanoun and had launched a strike against them.

The IDF said there had been several operations in northern and central Gaza, where a “terrorist cell was struck and a number of the terrorists were killed.”

Journalists working for CNN in Gaza reported that Israeli fire, including the shelling of an apartment block, has caused multiple casualties across the territory since Monday.

The journalists reported intensive bombardment of the Al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, and that an Israeli airstrike targeted four houses in the Sabra and Al-Zaytoun neighborhoods, inflicting casualties.

Five people were killed by an Israeli missile strike on a house in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood in the southwest of Gaza City. The journalists said there had been clashes between Palestinian militants and the Israeli army in the western part of the city.

Further south, around Khan Younis, journalists reported casualties in the shelling of an apartment block in the Hamad residential area.

There was also firing close to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, and intensive gunfire in the center of the city, according to one of the journalists, who spoke of armed clashes between Palestinian militants and the Israel Defense Forces in three areas.

Hind Rajab

Demands for answers are mounting over the fate of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car with her dead relatives after it came under Israeli fire in Gaza more than a week ago.

Mystery also surrounds the whereabouts of two ambulance staff from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), who were dispatched to find her on January 29.

“We need to know what has happened to Hind and the PRCS ambulance team,” the society said in their latest statement on X early Tuesday.
“So many wonderful things can happen in a week, but for those waiting for news or for information a week is anguish. Each moment is marked by worry and sadness.”

CNN gave the Israeli military details about the incident last Friday, including coordinates provided by the PRCS. In response, the Israel Defense Forces said it was “unfamiliar with the incident described.”

Hind was traveling in a car with her uncle, his wife and their four children, fleeing fighting in northern Gaza, when they came under Israeli fire, according to the PRCS.

Hind’s cousin, 15-year-old Layan Hamadeh, made a harrowing call for help to emergency services that was recorded by the PRCS and shared on social media.

In the clip, the teenager can be heard speaking to a paramedic, crying for help and describing a tank close by.

“They are shooting at us. The tank is right next to me. We’re in the car, the tank is right next to us,” Layan screams, as intense gunfire is heard in the background.

Layan then goes quiet, and the rounds of fire stop.

The paramedic on the phone tries to speak to her, repeatedly saying, “Hello? Hello?” but there is no response.

The PRCS believe that the six other people in the car with Hind, including Layan, were killed when the car was shot at.

Read more here.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi, right, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo on February 6.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt on Tuesday, where he is meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, according to the press pool traveling with the secretary.

Abbas Kamel, head of the Egyptian intelligence services, is also in attendance, according to the pool.

Egypt is Blinken’s second stop on his high-stakes trip to the Middle East — his fifth visit to the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Blinken briefly stopped in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

He is also expected to visit Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank on the trip, which is due to last until February 8. 

A FamilyMart Co. convenience store, owned by Itochu Corp, stands in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2020.

One of Japan’s biggest trading firms, Itochu, has decided to end its partnership with a major Israeli defense company due to the war in Gaza.

The sprawling conglomerate, best known outside Japan for its Family Mart chain of convenience stores, said its aviation unit will cut ties with Elbit Systems, which bills itself as Israel’s largest defense contractor, by the end of February.

The decision was made following a January ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) — the top court of the United Nations — and guidance given by Japan’s Foreign Ministry to observe the court’s findings in “good faith,” a spokesperson for Itochu told CNN on Tuesday.

Last month, the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for Israel to suspend its military campaign in the war-torn enclave, as South Africa, which had filed the case to the court, had requested.

Read the full story here

A ship off the coast of Yemen received “slight damage” after a projectile was fired towards it, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization said early on Tuesday.

In recent weeks, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been stepping up strikes on ships in the Red Sea, which they say are carried out in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The UKMTO said Tuesday it received a report of an incident about 57 nautical miles west of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.

The ship’s master stated that a “projectile was fired at his vessel” on the left-hand side and passed over the deck, causing “slight damage to the bridge windows,” the UKMTO said in a statement.

The master “was aware of a small craft” on the vessel’s left side, it said.

“The vessel and crew are safe,” the statement said, adding that the ship is proceeding on its planned passage. 

British security firm Ambrey told Reuters the ship “incurred physical damage from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),” adding that the ship performed evasive maneuvers and continued on its journey.

There were no injuries, Ambrey said, according to Reuters. 

CNN has reached out to Ambrey for comment.

The Houthis said in a statement on X they carried out two military operations in the Red Sea, including targeting a British ship named “Morning Tide” with naval missiles.

The Houthis said they also attacked a US ship named “Star Nasia.”

Ship tracking websites showed a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel under the same name moving in the Gulf of Aden. 

Zhang Jun (C) attends the United Nations Security Council meeting after the rulings of International Court of Justice on Israel, at the UN Headquarters in New York on January 31, 2024. (Photo by )

The United States’ actions in Syria and Iraq are “triggering new regional turbulence,” said Zhang Jun, Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, condemning US airstrikes in the region.

“Recently, the United States carried out airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, resulting in a large number of casualties. These actions gravely violate the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq,” Zhang said, speaking at the Security Council’s Emergency Open Session on US Airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.
“The relevant military actions are undoubtedly triggering new regional turbulence,” he added.

Zhang said the international community had the responsibility to reduce tensions and prevent the escalation of conflicts. 

“The US says it does not seek to create conflicts in the Middle East or anywhere else, but it runs in the opposite direction,” he said, adding that “the root cause is that the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in Gaza have been unable to be implemented.”

This came after the US fired a series of airstrikes on Friday to destroy 84 targets of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

It was in response to a drone attack by Iran-backed militants that killed three US service members and wounded scores more in Jordan more than a week ago.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in the Middle East as he tries to make progress on multiple fronts: progress on a hostage deal, coordinating on the “day after” for Gaza, and trying to ensure the Israel-Hamas war does not escalate into a wider regional conflict. 

It comes after the US conducted major airstrikes over the weekend against Iran-backed militias in Iraq in response to a drone attack that killed three US service members and wounded more than 40 others in Jordan. Meanwhile, US forces also carried out further strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Blinken and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday discussed “regional coordination” on ending the war in Gaza and plans for the strip after the fighting ends, a State Department spokesperson said. They also talked about the “urgent need to reduce region tensions.”

Blinken, who is making his fifth trip to the Middle East since Hamas’ October 7 attacks, will again argue that US actions in the region have been defensive, not escalatory.

Here’s the latest from Gaza and the Middle East:

This satellite image shows a makeshift tent city in Rafah.

A makeshift tent city estimated to hold more than 1 million displaced Palestinian civilians is rapidly expanding in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to new satellite images from Maxar Technologies.

The images show much of the previously open area in Rafah has been filled with tents, largely between December 10 and February 3, as internally displaced Palestinians seek shelter from the war. 

Aid workers have raised concerns over any expanded Israeli military operation in Rafah as forces push south in their war with Hamas.

More than half of the estimated 2.2 million people in Gaza are seeking refugee in the Rafah area, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

OCHA said Monday that refugees facing acute shortage of food, water, shelter and medicine are still pouring into Rafah as fighting worsens nearby.

Hamas’ leadership, including its top official in Gaza, is “on the run” as Israel’s military pushes further south in the Palestinian enclave, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed on Monday.

The Israeli military operation in the southern city of Khan Younis will “soon achieve its goals” as troops advance southward on Rafah — Hamas’ last remaining stronghold, Gallant said in a televised briefing. “Our forces operate on the ground in most of the territory of the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Israel has publicly accused Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar of being the “mastermind” behind the group’s October 7 attack — though experts say he is likely one of several — making him one of the key targets of its war in Gaza.

Gallant claimed Monday that Sinwar had no contact with his fighters and was forced to flee from one hideout to another with the Israeli military in close pursuit. “He is not leading the forces; he is busy with his own personal survival. He became, instead of the head of Hamas, a fugitive terrorist,” Gallant said.

Gallant also claimed that Israeli forces had killed or seriously wounded about half of Hamas’ fighters in Gaza.

Hamas denial: Husam Badran, a Qatar-based spokesperson for Hamas, denied Gallant’s claims, saying they were an attempt to raise Israeli morale. Hamas fighters were “still operating in all areas” of Gaza, according to a statement from Badran published by Hamas media outlet Al Aqsa late Monday.

US officials said Monday that Iraq was not notified ahead of a series of strikes on Iran-linked targets in the country, contradicting earlier statements that the Iraqi government was warned before the strikes occurred.

“As for this specific response on Friday, there was not a pre-notification. We informed the Iraqis immediately after the strikes occurred,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a briefing on Monday.

In a call with reporters on Friday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had said the US “did inform the Iraqi government prior to the strikes.” On Monday, however, following the State Department briefing, Kirby confirmed that he misspoke.

Read more on what the US is saying about the strikes.

About 8,000 displaced people have been evacuated from the Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters and Al-Amal hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis on Monday, the Red Crescent said.

About 80 patients and wounded, 40 elderly displaced individuals and 100 administrative and medical staff remain, it added.

The Red Crescent said earlier that hundreds of people who had been taking shelter at its headquarters and the hospital had begun to leave. On Friday, the aid group had called for a humanitarian corridor for evacuees as Israeli tanks had surrounded the area and were “firing live ammunition,” killing four people.

Alarms have been raised for days over the hospital as a site of “relentless bombing and direct gunfire,” the Red Crescent said in a news release, adding its medical workers were living in a “state of terror and panic.”

Antony Blinken meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 5.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday discussed “regional coordination” on ending the war in Gaza and plans for the war-torn strip after the fighting ends, a State Department spokesperson said in a readout.

During a meeting lasting more than two hours in Riyadh, the leaders also spoke about the “importance of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing further spread of the conflict” and the “urgent need to reduce region tensions,” including attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea, according to the readout from spokesperson Matt Miller.

Following his meetings in the region last month, Blinken said US partners in the Middle East were “ready to support a lasting solution that ends the long-running cycle of violence and ensures Israel’s security.”

Blinken said at the time those partners underscored that this should include “a pathway to a Palestinian state.”

The United States and coalition forces have come under attack three more times in Syria since the US launched airstrikes against Iran-backed militias over the weekend, a US official said.

US President Joe Biden said “yes” on Sunday when asked whether the strikes were working to deter Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups — but several attacks were carried out in the region in the past few days.

The US official previously reported that a single rocket was launched at Mission Support Site Euphrates on Monday morning, but on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry amended the report, saying it was later assessed to be the SDF “firing away from the installation and not an attack on MSSE.”

More background: On Friday, the US military struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, including command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, weapons storage facilities, rockets, missiles, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities used by the Iran-backed militia groups and the IRGC. Officials said Friday they believed the strikes to be successful.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday the “war must not end” before Israel kills Hamas’ leadership. 

“Our goal is an absolute victory over Hamas. We will kill the Hamas leadership, therefore we must continue to act in all areas of the Gaza Strip,” he said at a faction meeting of his party, Likud.
“The war must not end before that. It will take time — months not years.”

Remember: Israel has repeatedly said it woul continue hunting Hamas leaders long after the war in Gaza is over. Netanyahu has also previously said the war against Hamas “will be a long fight.”

Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing at the UN headquarters on January 15, in New York City.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed a group to conduct an independent review of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the main UN agency in Gaza that provides humanitarian assistance for Palestinians.

The external review will begin on February 14 and will run alongside a separate investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services into Israel’s allegations that UNRWA personnel were involved in Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks.

France’s former foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, will lead the review and work with three research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

The group will “assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made,” Guterres said in a statement, adding that Israeli cooperation will be critical to the investigation’s success.

Some context: UNRWA fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, and its top donor, the United States, plus a growing number of countries have paused funding to the organization as the humanitarian disaster spirals in Gaza. The agency has warned that it will “most likely” have to suspend its relief work by the end of February due to the pause of funding, and that it will worsen the crisis in Gaza and among Palestinian refugees it serves in the larger region beyond the besieged enclave’s borders.

CNN’s Amy Cassidy in London and Mostafa Salem contributed reporting to this post.