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(NEW YORK) — The U.S. on Friday began to carry out strikes against Iran-backed militants and Iranian military targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a drone strike on an American base in Jordan last Sunday that killed three U.S. service members.

Dozens of other American troops were wounded in the drone attack on the Tower 22 base near Jordan’s border with Iraq and Syria. The U.S. says Iran is responsible for funding and arming the militants while Iran has denied involvement.

President Joe Biden had quickly warned that America would respond forcefully, escalating U.S. involvement in the Middle East after months of trying to contain tensions from boiling over into a broader war in the region.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Feb 04, 10:47 AM
More retaliatory operations planned after troop deaths, official says

The U.S. will take “more action” against Iran-backed militants in response to the deadly drone attack in Jordan last week, the White House’s national security adviser said in an interview on Sunday.

“This was the beginning of our response, there will be more steps,” Jake Sullivan told ABC News “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos. “Some of those steps will be seen, so may not be seen. But there will be more action taken to respond to the the tragic death of the three brave U.S. service members.”

The U.S. has blamed Iran-backed fighters for the attack on Tower 22 in Jordan on Jan. 28.

Iran has denied involvement. Pressed by Stephanopoulos whether additional strikes could escalation tension with Iran, Sullivan said it’s something the U.S. is prepared for.

“This is something that we have to look at as a threat,” he said. “We have to prepare for every contingency, and we are prepared for that contingency. And I would just say, from the perspective of Tehran, if they chose to respond directly to the United States, they would be met with a swift and forceful response from us.”

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow

Feb 03, 11:05 PM
US destroys anti-ship cruise missile in Yemen: CENTCOM

Early Sunday morning, the United States conducted a strike “in self-defense against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea,” a statement from the U.S. Central Command forces said.

Around 4 a.m. locally, U.S. forces identified a cruise missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region, according to CENTCOM.

According to the release, “This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels.”

Feb 03, 6:06 PM
Airstrikes on Yemen aim to stop attacks against US ships and international commercial vessels

The round of airstrikes launched by the U.S. and U.K. on Saturday “further degraded the Houthis’ capability to continue their illegal and reckless attacks” against U.S. ships and international commercial vessels, according to a senior U.S. administration official.

“The U.S. does not want escalation, and these strikes are directly in response to the actions by the Iranian-backed Houthis,” the senior administration official said. “They are unrelated to the action the United States took on Friday in response to the continued attacks on our troops and facilities in Iraq and Syria.”

The official emphasizes that the U.S. has “rallied a global coalition” to condemn and hold the Houthis accountable, adding that this is the third round of strikes as part of the coalition that includes the U.S., UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, the Netherlands, and now also Denmark and New Zealand.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

Feb 03, 6:05 PM
Correction: Strikes on Houthis in Yemen not in response to attack on troops in Jordan, per US officials

The U.S. and U.K. led a coalition of strikes against Houthis in Yemen focused on degrading the Houthis capabilities in shipping attacks, US officials say, stressing that the strikes are unrelated to strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday which were in response to the attack on U.S. troops in Jordan. Earlier reporting said the attacks on Yemen were in response to the attack on U.S. troops in Jordan.

While the timing may be coincidental, both the militia groups in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis are backed by Iran, U.S. officials say. But when asked if there was an intended message for Iran as well, the U.S. officials said they did not want to focus on Iran and instead kept the discussion about how each of the airstrikes was intended to deter and degrade Iran’s local proxies.

Feb 03, 5:16 PM
Austin warns Houthis to end attacks on shipping vessels

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement saying the strikes on Yemen aim to “disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia” from continuing to attack vessels in the Red Sea.

The strikes targeted Houthis’ deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars, according to a statement from Austin.

“This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels,” Austin said.

He added, “We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways.”

-ABC News’ Nate Luna

Feb 03, 5:05 PM
US, UK launch strikes against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen

The militaries of the U.S. and U.K. launched strikes against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand, the countries said in a joint statement Saturday.

The strikes targeted 13 locations in Yemen in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea, the statement said.

“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, and the lives of innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Houthi actions since previous coalition strikes on January 11 and 22, 2024, including the January 27 attack which struck and set ablaze the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda,” the statement said.

-ABC News’ Nate Luna

Feb 03, 4:37 PM
US retaliatory strikes begin in Yemen

The next round of retaliatory strikes for the attack in Jordan are ongoing in Yemen at this time, three U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News.

The strikes are in addition to the six anti-ship missiles that were taken out, also in Yemen, earlier in the day.

-ABC News’ Nate Luna

Feb 03, 2:37 PM
29 members of Iranian militias killed in strikes on Syria

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group which reports on war in Syria, confirmed that 29 members of Iranian militias were killed in airstrikes on 28 positions.

Separately, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a state security force including Iran-backed groups, said that 16 its members were killed including fighters and medics.

Feb 03, 12:10 PM
Hezbollah condemns US strikes in Iraq, Syria

In a statement on Saturday, the Hezbollah terrorist organization strongly condemned the U.S.’s strikes on Iraq and Syria and extended its sympathies for the lives lost.

“What the United States of America did is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the two countries, an attack on their security and territorial integrity, and a shameless violation of all international and humanitarian laws,” Hezbollah said.

“This new aggression contributes to destabilizing the region, and creating false justifications and pretexts for the continuation of the American occupation of several regions in Iraq and Syria against the will of their people who yearn for freedom and independence,” Hezbollah said.

U.S. officials said Friday that targets were chosen to avoid civilian casualties and because they were connected to enabling the attacks against American service members.

-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Aras Maman

Feb 03, 12:05 PM
Jordan denies involvement in US strikes in Iraq

A Jordanian military source told the state-owned Al-Mamlaka TV that Jordan was not involved in U.S. strikes on Iraqi soil, refuting earlier allegations. However, the Jordanian statement did not mention strikes in Syrian territory.

“There is no truth to press reports regarding the participation of Jordanian aircraft in operations carried out by American aircraft inside Iraq,” the source told Al-Mamlaka TV.

“The Jordanian Armed Forces respect the sovereignty of brotherly Iraq,” the source said, confirming “the depth of the brotherly relations that unite Jordan with all Arab countries.”

-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Aras Maman

Feb 03, 11:06 AM
Iraq declares 3 days of public mourning over strike deaths

The Iraqi government declared that it will have three days of public mourning over the civilians and armed forces who were killed in the U.S. strikes.

“Today, Saturday, the Prime Minister, Mr. Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, directed the declaration of general mourning in all state departments and institutions, for a period of three days, out of mercy for the souls of the martyrs of our armed forces and the civilians who died as a result of the American bombing on the areas of Akashat and Al-Qaim, west of Anbar Governorate,” the Iraqi prime minister’s office said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres

Feb 03, 6:39 AM
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons US diplomat following strikes

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi MFA said in an official statement.

“In protest against the American aggression that targeted Iraqi military and civilian sites, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the Charge d’Affairs of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Mr. David Perker, due to the absence of the American Ambassador, to hand him an official note of protest regarding the American attack that targeted military and civilian sites in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions yesterday evening,” the MFA statement said.

Feb 03, 6:07 AM
U.S. strikes in Iraq killed at least 16 and wounded 25: Iraqi government

U.S. strikes in Iraq killed at least 16 people and wounded 25 others, the Iraqi government confirmed in an official statement.

“The American administration committed a new aggression against the sovereignty of Iraq, as the locations of our security forces, in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions, as well as neighboring civilian places, were bombed by several American aircraft,” said the Iraqi government. “This blatant aggression led to 16 martyrs, including civilians, in addition to 25 wounded. It also caused losses and damage to residential buildings and citizens’ property.”

The Iraqi government also said the strikes would “put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss” and that they directly contradict the United States effort to “establish the required stability” in the region.

Feb 02, 10:22 PM
Video of B-1 bomber aircraft taking off to carry out airstrike: CENTCOM

The United States Central Command posted a video Friday evening showing B-1 bomber aircraft taking off from its bases in the U.S. to carry out the airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans. We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and hold those responsible who threaten their safety,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, U.S. CENTCOM Commander, said in a statement.

Feb 02, 6:45 PM
‘We believe that the strikes were successful’: Kirby

The Department of Defense is in the early stages of battle damage assessment “but we believe that the strikes were successful,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a call Friday.

“The initial indications are that we hit exactly what we meant to hit, with a number of secondary explosions associated with the ammunition and logistics locations,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Chiefs, said on the call.

Kirby said the strikes took place in the course of 30 minutes and involved over 125 precision-guided munitions. Of the seven total strike locations, three were in Iraq and four were in Syria, according to Sims.

Targeted facilities included command and control centers, intelligence centers, rocket missile and drone storage facilities, and logistics ammunition supply chain facilities, Kirby said.

Kirby noted the targets were chosen to avoid civilian casualties and because they were connected to enabling the attacks against the U.S. service members.

The administration does not know at this time if or how many militants may have been killed or wounded.

Officials would not tell ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce definitively whether there will be more strikes Friday night but said all U.S. aircraft were out of harm’s way.

Kirby said the strikes are expected to continue in the “coming days.”

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Sarah Kolinovsky and Molly Nagle

Feb 02, 5:55 PM
Iraqi border area with Syria being targeted: Iraqi military

The city of Al-Qa’im on the Iraqi border with Syria as well as other areas along the Iraqi border with Syria “are being subjected to air strikes by United States aircraft,” the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces said in a statement.

“These strikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, an undermining of the efforts of the Iraqi government, and a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into unforeseen consequences, the consequences of which will be disastrous for security and stability in Iraq and the region,” the statement continued.

Feb 02, 5:40 PM
Defense Secretary Austin: 7 facilities used by groups to attack US forces were struck

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. military forces, at Biden’s direction, conducted strikes on seven facilities inside Iraq and Syria that “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use to attack U.S. forces.”

“This is the start of our response,” Austin said in a statement. “The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces. These will unfold at times and places of our choosing.”

Like Biden, Austin stressed the U.S. doesn’t seek conflict in the Middle East but attacks on U.S. troops won’t go unanswered.

“We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests,” he concluded.

Feb 02, 5:39 PM
Biden says US response will continue ‘at times and places of our choosing’

President Biden, who earlier Friday attended the dignified return of the three Army reservists killed in the Jordan drone attack, signaled more action is to come.

“Our response began today,” Biden said in his first statement on the strikes in Iraq and Syria.

“This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces,” he added. “It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

He ended saying, “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” he continued. “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”

Feb 02, 5:08 PM
Biden’s retaliatory strikes come with risks of escalation and political consequences: Experts

President Biden is facing a turning point in the Middle East conflict that carries significant risks of escalation and heavy election-year political consequences.

The debate inside the White House ahead of the retaliatory strikes was tense, according to a U.S. official, as the administration weighed options that some believe will send a clear message to Iran-backed proxy groups to stop the attacks and others fear could trigger broader fighting in the region.

“The choices that any administration and every administration have faced since the Iranian Revolution are fraught,” Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official, told ABC News. “They are not between good and bad policies. They’re between bad and worse policies.”

Biden’s decision making is made only more complicated by the impending election, they said. Many Republicans, including Donald Trump, have accused him of being weak in his response to Iran-backed groups and their attacks on U.S. forces.

“He’s in a politically tough spot because policy would compel him to think about this and act with a scalpel,” the Center for a New American Security’s Jonathan Lord said. “But this being an election this year, and this being probably the premier foreign policy issue Republicans are lining up to cudgel him with, he can’t let policy be the only consideration here. Politics, of course, plays a role.”

Feb 02, 4:48 PM
US strikes aimed at more than 85 targets, targeted Iran’s IRGC and militia groups: CENTCOM

In a new statement, U.S. Central Command said American forces “conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.”

“U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States,” CENTCOM said. “The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.”

According to a U.S. official, B-1 bombers were used in the retaliatory strikes.

-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty

Feb 02, 4:17 PM
US begins retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria, officials say

Retaliatory U.S. airstrikes have begun in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials say.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Feb 02, 3:59 PM
Correction: Initial round of strikes not from US

An initial battery of strikes in Syria did not come from the U.S., sources say. U.S. strikes are still anticipated.

Feb 02, 3:08 PM
Blinken, in coming Middle East visit, to continue work on preventing wider conflict

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East from Sunday to Thursday, making stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank.

It will mark Blinken’s fifth visit to the region since Oct. 7.

One focus, according to the State Department, will be to continue work to prevent the conflict from spreading — a major concern as the U.S. readies retaliatory strikes — while also “reaffirming that the United States will take appropriate steps to defend its personnel and the right to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”

Feb 02, 2:30 PM
Biden attends dignified transfer ceremony for fallen troops

Biden joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of three fallen Army reservists killed in Jordan.

He was accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown.

They met with the families privately before receiving the remains, the White House said.

The Pentagon identified the fallen soldiers as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia.; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.

Feb 02, 1:59 PM
What we know about the drone attack on US base in Jordan

The U.S. has attributed the drone attack on the American base in Jordan to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias.

According to a U.S. official, the drone that successfully hit the base was an Iranian-made Shahed drone, similar to those used by the Russians on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Iran has denied involvement in the Jordan strike. But President Joe Biden earlier this week faulted Iran for providing munitions and funding to these different proxy groups.

The U.S. base is known as Tower 22, a major logistical hub for U.S. troops still in Syria on a mission to prevent a resurgence by Islamic State fighters. According to Central Command, there are approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed to the base.

Feb 02, 1:45 PM
US will have a ‘multi-tiered’ response

The Biden administration has been preparing to strike back in the Middle East after three American troops were killed and dozens more wounded in a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday.

“We will have multi-tiered response, and again, we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday.

The Pentagon has declined to get into specifics on when and where the strikes would take place, although Austin said the goal is to degrade the capabilities of Iran-backed militants without plunging the region into a broader war

A U.S. official familiar with the plan said the strikes will unfold across several days and hit multiple countries including Iraq, Syria and possibly Yemen.

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(NEW YORK) — The U.S. on Friday began to carry out strikes against Iran-backed militants and Iranian military targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a drone strike on an American base in Jordan last Sunday that killed three U.S. service members.

Dozens of other American troops were wounded in the drone attack on the Tower 22 base near Jordan’s border with Iraq and Syria. The U.S. says Iran is responsible for funding and arming the militants while Iran has denied involvement.

President Joe Biden had quickly warned that America would respond forcefully, escalating U.S. involvement in the Middle East after months of trying to contain tensions from boiling over into a broader war in the region.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Feb 03, 2:37 PM
29 members of Iranian militias killed in strikes on Syria

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group which reports on war in Syria, confirmed that 29 members of Iranian militias were killed in airstrikes on 28 positions.

Separately, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a state security force including Iran-backed groups, said that 16 its members were killed including fighters and medics.

Feb 03, 12:10 PM
Hezbollah condemns US strikes in Iraq, Syria

In a statement on Saturday, the Hezbollah terrorist organization strongly condemned the U.S.’s strikes on Iraq and Syria and extended its sympathies for the lives lost.

“What the United States of America did is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the two countries, an attack on their security and territorial integrity, and a shameless violation of all international and humanitarian laws,” Hezbollah said.

“This new aggression contributes to destabilizing the region, and creating false justifications and pretexts for the continuation of the American occupation of several regions in Iraq and Syria against the will of their people who yearn for freedom and independence,” Hezbollah said.

U.S. officials said Friday that targets were chosen to avoid civilian casualties and because they were connected to enabling the attacks against American service members.

-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Aras Maman

Feb 03, 12:05 PM
Jordan denies involvement in US strikes in Iraq

A Jordanian military source told the state-owned Al-Mamlaka TV that Jordan was not involved in U.S. strikes on Iraqi soil, refuting earlier allegations. However, the Jordanian statement did not mention strikes in Syrian territory.

“There is no truth to press reports regarding the participation of Jordanian aircraft in operations carried out by American aircraft inside Iraq,” the source told Al-Mamlaka TV.

“The Jordanian Armed Forces respect the sovereignty of brotherly Iraq,” the source said, confirming “the depth of the brotherly relations that unite Jordan with all Arab countries.”

-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Aras Maman

Feb 03, 11:06 AM
Iraq declares 3 days of public mourning over strike deaths

The Iraqi government declared that it will have three days of public mourning over the civilians and armed forces who were killed in the U.S. strikes.

“Today, Saturday, the Prime Minister, Mr. Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, directed the declaration of general mourning in all state departments and institutions, for a period of three days, out of mercy for the souls of the martyrs of our armed forces and the civilians who died as a result of the American bombing on the areas of Akashat and Al-Qaim, west of Anbar Governorate,” the Iraqi prime minister’s office said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres

Feb 03, 6:39 AM
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons US diplomat following strikes

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi MFA said in an official statement.

“In protest against the American aggression that targeted Iraqi military and civilian sites, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the Charge d’Affairs of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Mr. David Perker, due to the absence of the American Ambassador, to hand him an official note of protest regarding the American attack that targeted military and civilian sites in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions yesterday evening,” the MFA statement said.

Feb 03, 6:07 AM
U.S. strikes in Iraq killed at least 16 and wounded 25: Iraqi government

U.S. strikes in Iraq killed at least 16 people and wounded 25 others, the Iraqi government confirmed in an official statement.

“The American administration committed a new aggression against the sovereignty of Iraq, as the locations of our security forces, in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions, as well as neighboring civilian places, were bombed by several American aircraft,” said the Iraqi government. “This blatant aggression led to 16 martyrs, including civilians, in addition to 25 wounded. It also caused losses and damage to residential buildings and citizens’ property.”

The Iraqi government also said the strikes would “put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss” and that they directly contradict the United States effort to “establish the required stability” in the region.

Feb 02, 10:22 PM
Video of B-1 bomber aircraft taking off to carry out airstrike: CENTCOM

The United States Central Command posted a video Friday evening showing B-1 bomber aircraft taking off from its bases in the U.S. to carry out the airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans. We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and hold those responsible who threaten their safety,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, U.S. CENTCOM Commander, said in a statement.

Feb 02, 6:45 PM
‘We believe that the strikes were successful’: Kirby

The Department of Defense is in the early stages of battle damage assessment “but we believe that the strikes were successful,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a call Friday.

“The initial indications are that we hit exactly what we meant to hit, with a number of secondary explosions associated with the ammunition and logistics locations,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Chiefs, said on the call.

Kirby said the strikes took place in the course of 30 minutes and involved over 125 precision-guided munitions. Of the seven total strike locations, three were in Iraq and four were in Syria, according to Sims.

Targeted facilities included command and control centers, intelligence centers, rocket missile and drone storage facilities, and logistics ammunition supply chain facilities, Kirby said.

Kirby noted the targets were chosen to avoid civilian casualties and because they were connected to enabling the attacks against the U.S. service members.

The administration does not know at this time if or how many militants may have been killed or wounded.

Officials would not tell ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce definitively whether there will be more strikes Friday night but said all U.S. aircraft were out of harm’s way.

Kirby said the strikes are expected to continue in the “coming days.”

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Sarah Kolinovsky and Molly Nagle

Feb 02, 5:55 PM
Iraqi border area with Syria being targeted: Iraqi military

The city of Al-Qa’im on the Iraqi border with Syria as well as other areas along the Iraqi border with Syria “are being subjected to air strikes by United States aircraft,” the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces said in a statement.

“These strikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, an undermining of the efforts of the Iraqi government, and a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into unforeseen consequences, the consequences of which will be disastrous for security and stability in Iraq and the region,” the statement continued.

Feb 02, 5:40 PM
Defense Secretary Austin: 7 facilities used by groups to attack US forces were struck

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. military forces, at Biden’s direction, conducted strikes on seven facilities inside Iraq and Syria that “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use to attack U.S. forces.”

“This is the start of our response,” Austin said in a statement. “The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces. These will unfold at times and places of our choosing.”

Like Biden, Austin stressed the U.S. doesn’t seek conflict in the Middle East but attacks on U.S. troops won’t go unanswered.

“We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests,” he concluded.

Feb 02, 5:39 PM
Biden says US response will continue ‘at times and places of our choosing’

President Biden, who earlier Friday attended the dignified return of the three Army reservists killed in the Jordan drone attack, signaled more action is to come.

“Our response began today,” Biden said in his first statement on the strikes in Iraq and Syria.

“This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces,” he added. “It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

He ended saying, “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” he continued. “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”

Feb 02, 5:08 PM
Biden’s retaliatory strikes come with risks of escalation and political consequences: Experts

President Biden is facing a turning point in the Middle East conflict that carries significant risks of escalation and heavy election-year political consequences.

The debate inside the White House ahead of the retaliatory strikes was tense, according to a U.S. official, as the administration weighed options that some believe will send a clear message to Iran-backed proxy groups to stop the attacks and others fear could trigger broader fighting in the region.

“The choices that any administration and every administration have faced since the Iranian Revolution are fraught,” Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official, told ABC News. “They are not between good and bad policies. They’re between bad and worse policies.”

Biden’s decision making is made only more complicated by the impending election, they said. Many Republicans, including Donald Trump, have accused him of being weak in his response to Iran-backed groups and their attacks on U.S. forces.

“He’s in a politically tough spot because policy would compel him to think about this and act with a scalpel,” the Center for a New American Security’s Jonathan Lord said. “But this being an election this year, and this being probably the premier foreign policy issue Republicans are lining up to cudgel him with, he can’t let policy be the only consideration here. Politics, of course, plays a role.”

Feb 02, 4:48 PM
US strikes aimed at more than 85 targets, targeted Iran’s IRGC and militia groups: CENTCOM

In a new statement, U.S. Central Command said American forces “conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.”

“U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States,” CENTCOM said. “The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.”

According to a U.S. official, B-1 bombers were used in the retaliatory strikes.

-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty

Feb 02, 4:17 PM
US begins retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria, officials say

Retaliatory U.S. airstrikes have begun in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials say.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Feb 02, 3:59 PM
Correction: Initial round of strikes not from US

An initial battery of strikes in Syria did not come from the U.S., sources say. U.S. strikes are still anticipated.

Feb 02, 3:08 PM
Blinken, in coming Middle East visit, to continue work on preventing wider conflict

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East from Sunday to Thursday, making stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank.

It will mark Blinken’s fifth visit to the region since Oct. 7.

One focus, according to the State Department, will be to continue work to prevent the conflict from spreading — a major concern as the U.S. readies retaliatory strikes — while also “reaffirming that the United States will take appropriate steps to defend its personnel and the right to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”

Feb 02, 2:30 PM
Biden attends dignified transfer ceremony for fallen troops

Biden joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of three fallen Army reservists killed in Jordan.

He was accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown.

They met with the families privately before receiving the remains, the White House said.

The Pentagon identified the fallen soldiers as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia.; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.

Feb 02, 1:59 PM
What we know about the drone attack on US base in Jordan

The U.S. has attributed the drone attack on the American base in Jordan to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias.

According to a U.S. official, the drone that successfully hit the base was an Iranian-made Shahed drone, similar to those used by the Russians on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Iran has denied involvement in the Jordan strike. But President Joe Biden earlier this week faulted Iran for providing munitions and funding to these different proxy groups.

The U.S. base is known as Tower 22, a major logistical hub for U.S. troops still in Syria on a mission to prevent a resurgence by Islamic State fighters. According to Central Command, there are approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed to the base.

Feb 02, 1:45 PM
US will have a ‘multi-tiered’ response

The Biden administration has been preparing to strike back in the Middle East after three American troops were killed and dozens more wounded in a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday.

“We will have multi-tiered response, and again, we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday.

The Pentagon has declined to get into specifics on when and where the strikes would take place, although Austin said the goal is to degrade the capabilities of Iran-backed militants without plunging the region into a broader war

A U.S. official familiar with the plan said the strikes will unfold across several days and hit multiple countries including Iraq, Syria and possibly Yemen.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PARIS) — The schedule for Notre Dame’s grand reopening in December was announced Saturday in a pastoral letter from Archbishop of Paris Mgr. Laurent Ulrich.

The cathedral was heavily damaged in an April 2019 fire, causing the collapse of the landmark’s upper section including its famous spire.

The reopening of the iconic Paris cathedral will last from Dec. 8, 2024, to June 8, 2025, according to the letter.

During that period, different celebrations will be held, with French and foreign members of the clergy.

A fortnight before the reopening of the building in December, a large procession will be held in the streets of Paris to accompany the return of the statue of Notre Dame.

In July, ABC News highlighted the work of a group of American carpenters who worked with a team of French carpenters to help in the recovery process, including the use of centuries-old techniques to rebuild the woodwork of the roof and the spire.

“I feel very happy, very proud,” Phillip Jost, the head of restoration at Notre Dame, told ABC News’ James Longman in December. “Proud for all of the companions, all the workers, which work with enthusiasm.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. on Friday began to carry out strikes against Iran-backed militants and Iranian military targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a drone strike on an American base in Jordan last Sunday that killed three U.S. service members.

Dozens of other American troops were wounded in the drone attack on the Tower 22 base near Jordan’s border with Iraq and Syria. The U.S. says Iran is responsible for funding and arming the militants while Iran has denied involvement.

President Joe Biden had quickly warned that America would respond forcefully, escalating U.S. involvement in the Middle East after months of trying to contain tensions from boiling over into a broader war in the region.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Feb 03, 12:10 PM
Hezbollah condemns US strikes in Iraq, Syria

In a statement on Saturday, the Hezbollah terrorist organization strongly condemned the U.S.’s strikes on Iraq and Syria and extended its sympathies for the lives lost.

“What the United States of America did is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the two countries, an attack on their security and territorial integrity, and a shameless violation of all international and humanitarian laws,” Hezbollah said.

“This new aggression contributes to destabilizing the region, and creating false justifications and pretexts for the continuation of the American occupation of several regions in Iraq and Syria against the will of their people who yearn for freedom and independence,” Hezbollah said.

U.S. officials said Friday that targets were chosen to avoid civilian casualties and because they were connected to enabling the attacks against American service members.

-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Aras Maman

Feb 03, 12:05 PM
Jordan denies involvement in US strikes in Iraq

A Jordanian military source told the state-owned Al-Mamlaka TV that Jordan was not involved in U.S. strikes on Iraqi soil, refuting earlier allegations. However, the Jordanian statement did not mention strikes in Syrian territory.

“There is no truth to press reports regarding the participation of Jordanian aircraft in operations carried out by American aircraft inside Iraq,” the source told Al-Mamlaka TV.

“The Jordanian Armed Forces respect the sovereignty of brotherly Iraq,” the source said, confirming “the depth of the brotherly relations that unite Jordan with all Arab countries.”

-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Aras Maman

Feb 03, 11:06 AM
Iraq declares 3 days of public mourning over strike deaths

The Iraqi government declared that it will have three days of public mourning over the civilians and armed forces who were killed in the U.S. strikes.

“Today, Saturday, the Prime Minister, Mr. Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, directed the declaration of general mourning in all state departments and institutions, for a period of three days, out of mercy for the souls of the martyrs of our armed forces and the civilians who died as a result of the American bombing on the areas of Akashat and Al-Qaim, west of Anbar Governorate,” the Iraqi prime minister’s office said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres

Feb 03, 6:39 AM
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons US diplomat following strikes

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi MFA said in an official statement.

“In protest against the American aggression that targeted Iraqi military and civilian sites, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the Charge d’Affairs of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Mr. David Perker, due to the absence of the American Ambassador, to hand him an official note of protest regarding the American attack that targeted military and civilian sites in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions yesterday evening,” the MFA statement said.

Feb 03, 6:07 AM
U.S. strikes in Iraq killed at least 16 and wounded 25: Iraqi government

U.S. strikes in Iraq killed at least 16 people and wounded 25 others, the Iraqi government confirmed in an official statement.

“The American administration committed a new aggression against the sovereignty of Iraq, as the locations of our security forces, in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions, as well as neighboring civilian places, were bombed by several American aircraft,” said the Iraqi government. “This blatant aggression led to 16 martyrs, including civilians, in addition to 25 wounded. It also caused losses and damage to residential buildings and citizens’ property.”

The Iraqi government also said the strikes would “put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss” and that they directly contradict the United States effort to “establish the required stability” in the region.

Feb 02, 10:22 PM
Video of B-1 bomber aircraft taking off to carry out airstrike: CENTCOM

The United States Central Command posted a video Friday evening showing B-1 bomber aircraft taking off from its bases in the U.S. to carry out the airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans. We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and hold those responsible who threaten their safety,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, U.S. CENTCOM Commander, said in a statement.

Feb 02, 6:45 PM
‘We believe that the strikes were successful’: Kirby

The Department of Defense is in the early stages of battle damage assessment “but we believe that the strikes were successful,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a call Friday.

“The initial indications are that we hit exactly what we meant to hit, with a number of secondary explosions associated with the ammunition and logistics locations,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Chiefs, said on the call.

Kirby said the strikes took place in the course of 30 minutes and involved over 125 precision-guided munitions. Of the seven total strike locations, three were in Iraq and four were in Syria, according to Sims.

Targeted facilities included command and control centers, intelligence centers, rocket missile and drone storage facilities, and logistics ammunition supply chain facilities, Kirby said.

Kirby noted the targets were chosen to avoid civilian casualties and because they were connected to enabling the attacks against the U.S. service members.

The administration does not know at this time if or how many militants may have been killed or wounded.

Officials would not tell ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce definitively whether there will be more strikes Friday night but said all U.S. aircraft were out of harm’s way.

Kirby said the strikes are expected to continue in the “coming days.”

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Sarah Kolinovsky and Molly Nagle

Feb 02, 5:55 PM
Iraqi border area with Syria being targeted: Iraqi military

The city of Al-Qa’im on the Iraqi border with Syria as well as other areas along the Iraqi border with Syria “are being subjected to air strikes by United States aircraft,” the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces said in a statement.

“These strikes constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, an undermining of the efforts of the Iraqi government, and a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into unforeseen consequences, the consequences of which will be disastrous for security and stability in Iraq and the region,” the statement continued.

Feb 02, 5:40 PM
Defense Secretary Austin: 7 facilities used by groups to attack US forces were struck

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. military forces, at Biden’s direction, conducted strikes on seven facilities inside Iraq and Syria that “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use to attack U.S. forces.”

“This is the start of our response,” Austin said in a statement. “The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces. These will unfold at times and places of our choosing.”

Like Biden, Austin stressed the U.S. doesn’t seek conflict in the Middle East but attacks on U.S. troops won’t go unanswered.

“We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests,” he concluded.

Feb 02, 5:39 PM
Biden says US response will continue ‘at times and places of our choosing’

President Biden, who earlier Friday attended the dignified return of the three Army reservists killed in the Jordan drone attack, signaled more action is to come.

“Our response began today,” Biden said in his first statement on the strikes in Iraq and Syria.

“This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces,” he added. “It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

He ended saying, “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” he continued. “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”

Feb 02, 5:08 PM
Biden’s retaliatory strikes come with risks of escalation and political consequences: Experts

President Biden is facing a turning point in the Middle East conflict that carries significant risks of escalation and heavy election-year political consequences.

The debate inside the White House ahead of the retaliatory strikes was tense, according to a U.S. official, as the administration weighed options that some believe will send a clear message to Iran-backed proxy groups to stop the attacks and others fear could trigger broader fighting in the region.

“The choices that any administration and every administration have faced since the Iranian Revolution are fraught,” Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official, told ABC News. “They are not between good and bad policies. They’re between bad and worse policies.”

Biden’s decision making is made only more complicated by the impending election, they said. Many Republicans, including Donald Trump, have accused him of being weak in his response to Iran-backed groups and their attacks on U.S. forces.

“He’s in a politically tough spot because policy would compel him to think about this and act with a scalpel,” the Center for a New American Security’s Jonathan Lord said. “But this being an election this year, and this being probably the premier foreign policy issue Republicans are lining up to cudgel him with, he can’t let policy be the only consideration here. Politics, of course, plays a role.”

Feb 02, 4:48 PM
US strikes aimed at more than 85 targets, targeted Iran’s IRGC and militia groups: CENTCOM

In a new statement, U.S. Central Command said American forces “conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.”

“U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States,” CENTCOM said. “The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.”

According to a U.S. official, B-1 bombers were used in the retaliatory strikes.

-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty

Feb 02, 4:17 PM
US begins retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria, officials say

Retaliatory U.S. airstrikes have begun in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials say.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Feb 02, 3:59 PM
Correction: Initial round of strikes not from US

An initial battery of strikes in Syria did not come from the U.S., sources say. U.S. strikes are still anticipated.

Feb 02, 3:08 PM
Blinken, in coming Middle East visit, to continue work on preventing wider conflict

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East from Sunday to Thursday, making stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank.

It will mark Blinken’s fifth visit to the region since Oct. 7.

One focus, according to the State Department, will be to continue work to prevent the conflict from spreading — a major concern as the U.S. readies retaliatory strikes — while also “reaffirming that the United States will take appropriate steps to defend its personnel and the right to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”

Feb 02, 2:30 PM
Biden attends dignified transfer ceremony for fallen troops

Biden joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the return of the remains of three fallen Army reservists killed in Jordan.

He was accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown.

They met with the families privately before receiving the remains, the White House said.

The Pentagon identified the fallen soldiers as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia.; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.

Feb 02, 1:59 PM
What we know about the drone attack on US base in Jordan

The U.S. has attributed the drone attack on the American base in Jordan to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias.

According to a U.S. official, the drone that successfully hit the base was an Iranian-made Shahed drone, similar to those used by the Russians on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Iran has denied involvement in the Jordan strike. But President Joe Biden earlier this week faulted Iran for providing munitions and funding to these different proxy groups.

The U.S. base is known as Tower 22, a major logistical hub for U.S. troops still in Syria on a mission to prevent a resurgence by Islamic State fighters. According to Central Command, there are approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed to the base.

Feb 02, 1:45 PM
US will have a ‘multi-tiered’ response

The Biden administration has been preparing to strike back in the Middle East after three American troops were killed and dozens more wounded in a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday.

“We will have multi-tiered response, and again, we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday.

The Pentagon has declined to get into specifics on when and where the strikes would take place, although Austin said the goal is to degrade the capabilities of Iran-backed militants without plunging the region into a broader war

A U.S. official familiar with the plan said the strikes will unfold across several days and hit multiple countries including Iraq, Syria and possibly Yemen.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.

The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 02, 2:23 PM
Blinken to travel to the Middle East next week

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East next week, making stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank, the State Department announced.

This will be Blinken’s fifth visit to the region since Oct. 7.

During this trip, Blinken will focus on reaching “an agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages and includes a humanitarian pause that will allow for sustained, increased delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said.

Blinken is also looking to prevent the conflict from spreading while “reaffirming that the United States will take appropriate steps to defend its personnel and the right to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” Miller said.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

Feb 02, 4:41 AM
Framework of proposed hostage deal with Hamas not yet agreed upon, Israeli sources say

The framework of a new proposed hostage deal between Hamas and Israel has not yet been agreed upon by either side, two Israeli sources close to the negotiations told ABC News on Friday.

Talks remain ongoing, the sources said.

Israel is still waiting to hear Hamas’ response to the framework. Hamas will then likely request changes to the framework, requiring more negotiations to iron out the details.

-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor

Feb 01, 2:27 PM
Hamas receives proposed hostage deal: Qatari official

Hamas has received a new proposed hostage deal but has not yet responded, a Qatari official told ABC News.

“There is no deal yet,” said a Qatari official with knowledge of the negotiations. “Hamas has received the proposal positively but we are waiting for their response.”

Feb 01, 1:26 PM
Some Gazans say they’re forced to use bird feed in place of flour

The possibility of a “full-fledged famine” looms large across the entire Gaza Strip, humanitarian groups have warned — especially in northern Gaza, where some people there say they’re using bird feed in place of flour to stave off starvation.

Northern Gaza has been largely cut off for months now, according to the United Nations, and aid trucks carrying flour arrive sporadically and are swarmed by hundreds of hungry people.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East officials also say Israel provides too few authorizations to make deliveries into some areas and that heavy fighting often makes it too dangerous for aid workers to operate. The aid arriving in northern Gaza has been particularly restricted, the U.N. says. Israel disputes the criticisms.

“For more than two months, we have not received flour due to the difficulty of aid entering and the scarcity of flour in the area,” Sami Abu Sweilem, a 55-year-old father who is sheltering in a UNRWA school in northern Gaza, told ABC News.

“Children almost died of hunger, so we thought of a way to save our children from death,” he said, explaining how he’s been using bird feed and animal fodder in place of precious flour.

Feb 01, 12:00 PM
Executive order targets four Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday to sanction four Israeli settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the State Department. The sanctions will prohibit them from accessing the U.S. financial system and property in the U.S. and will block them from receiving financial transactions from U.S. citizens.

The move escalates U.S. posture against the hardline elements in Israeli society amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In December, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Israelis linked to violence and unrest in the West Bank that impacted “dozens” of settlers in the Israeli-occupied territory, according to the State Department.

Feb 01, 11:05 AM
Biden to sign executive order targeting Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order to sanction Israeli settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, two sources familiar with the plans confirmed to ABC News. The news was first reported by Axios.

The move would escalate U.S. posture against the hardline elements in Israeli society amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It was not immediately clear how many Israelis would be targeted by the administration’s actions. In December, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Israelis linked to violence and unrest in the West Bank that impacted “dozens” of settlers in the Israeli-occupied territory, according to the State Department.

Feb 01, 7:40 AM
UNRWA warns operations will be shut down by end of February without funding

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East warned Thursday that it “will most likely be forced to shut down” its operations in the war-torn Gaza Strip and the wider region “by the end of February” if funding does not resume.

Sixteen donor countries, including the United States, have suspended financial support to the U.N. agency over Israel’s allegations that 13 UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. UNRWA said it is investigating the accusations and that “full accountability and transparency are expected out of this process, should the allegations be substantiated.”

“As the war in Gaza is being pursued unabated, and at the time the International Court of Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance, it is the time to reinforce and not to weaken UNRWA. The Agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Thursday. “I echo the call of the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to resume funding to UNRWA. If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region.”

Feb 01, 6:21 AM
What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has reached the three-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 27,019 people have been killed and 66,139 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 297 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than two million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — At least three people were killed and 298 others were injured late Thursday when a gas explosion sparked an inferno in Kenya’s capital as residents were asleep, authorities said.

A fire resulting from a gas explosion was reported in the Mradi area of Nairobi’s Embakasi neighborhood at 11:30 p.m. local time. The wounded were evacuated and transported to various hospitals across the city, according to a statement from the Kenya Police Service.

Dozens of others received medical treatment on site, according to Emergency Plus Medical Services, a private ambulance service owned by the Kenya Red Cross Society.

The blaze, which burned homes and warehouses, has since been contained and the scene secured, police said.

Kenya Police Service Deputy Inspector General Douglas Kanja visited the site Friday morning and a multi-agency team remains on scene, according to police.

The Kenya Red Cross said in a statement Friday that its staff were currently at the site “providing first aid and psychosocial support services to those affected.” The organization also said it had set up a “tracing desk” and was assisting with search and rescue efforts. So far, 21 children who were separated from their families in the aftermath of the explosion have been reunited with their parents, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

Meanwhile, Nairobi City County has waived the hospital bills for all victims and begun distributing essential food and non-food items to the affected families, according to a statement from Kenyan government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura.

The incident remains under investigation and the government is calling on people to donate blood and items to support the victims, Mwaura said.

The explosion apparently occurred at an illegal liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant. Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) confirmed that it had rejected applications for construction permits for an LPG storage and filling plant at the site in 2023.

The main reason for the rejection was failure of the designs to meet the safety distances stipulated in the Kenya Standard,” the agency said in a statement Friday. “EPRA noted the high population density around the proposed site and the applicant was requested to submit a Qualitative Risk Assessment clearly indicating the radiation blast profiles in the unfortunate case of an explosion like the one that happened yesterday.”

“The applicant never provided the requested QRA resulting in the rejection of the applications,” EPRA added. “Email correspondences providing reasons for the rejection were sent to the applicant.”

EPRA said it takes actions to “ensure that operating licenses for all plants rated below the high safety integrity status are revoked” and that “illegal plants operating across the country” are demolished.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — An American woman freed after being held hostage in Gaza and the families of two men killed in the Oct. 7 attack in Israel sued Binance, the leading cryptocurrency exchange, which they accused of providing a funding mechanism for Hamas.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court Thursday, also named Iran and Syria and is the first of what could be a torrent of lawsuits over the Hamas attack against Israel that left at least 1,200 Israelis dead, according to Israeli officials.

Among the plaintiffs are members of the Raanan family. Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie, were kidnapped and held in Gaza before they were freed in a prisoner exchange in October. Other plaintiffs include the family and estate of Itay Glisko, the 20-year-old New Jersey native and IDF sergeant killed in action during the attack by Hamas.

The lawsuit accused Binance of processing numerous transactions for Hamas between 2017 and 2023, “providing a clandestine financing tool that Binance deliberately hid from U.S. regulators.”

Binance did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

The company and its former CEO Chengpeng Zhao pled guilty last year to violations of U.S. anti-money laundering laws while agreeing to pay more than $4 billion in fines.

The violations included processing and failing to report “transactions with cryptocurrency wallets that Binance senior executives had knowledge were linked to terrorist groups such as Hamas or Palestine Islamic Jihad,” according to a Department of Justice filing.

Zhao agreed to resign as part of his plea deal and will be sentenced in February where he faces up to 18 months in prison. The company also agreed to enter in a number of anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance programs and retain an independent monitor for the next three years.

“For years, Binance remained willfully blind to the use of its platform by illicit actors, including terrorists, by failing to do any due diligence on the vast majority of its users prior to August 2021,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit added, “Incredibly, Binance went out of its way to protect users associated with Hamas and other terrorist groups from regulatory scrutiny, especially if they were ‘VIP users who generated huge profits for Binance.”

The lawsuit, modeled on suits that emerged after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, accused Binance of aiding terror organizations, providing material support to terrorists and sought unspecified damages.

“This needs to be done. These crypto funds are turning a blind eye to all of this illegal activity and now it’s actually facilitating terrorism,” said plaintiff’s attorney Rob Seiden. “We’re doing this to send a message to these crypto institutions: you can’t do this stuff. You have to be more vigilant.”

More than 100 hostages are thought to still be detained in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 attack has killed at least 27,019 people in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.

The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 01, 1:26 PM
Some Gazans say they’re forced to use bird feed in place of flour

The possibility of a “full-fledged famine” looms large across the entire Gaza Strip, humanitarian groups have warned — especially in northern Gaza, where some people there say they’re using bird feed in place of flour to stave off starvation.

Northern Gaza has been largely cut off for months now, according to the United Nations, and aid trucks carrying flour arrive sporadically and are swarmed by hundreds of hungry people.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East officials also say Israel provides too few authorizations to make deliveries into some areas and that heavy fighting often makes it too dangerous for aid workers to operate. The aid arriving in northern Gaza has been particularly restricted, the U.N. says. Israel disputes the criticisms.

“For more than two months, we have not received flour due to the difficulty of aid entering and the scarcity of flour in the area,” Sami Abu Sweilem, a 55-year-old father who is sheltering in a UNRWA school in northern Gaza, told ABC News.

“Children almost died of hunger, so we thought of a way to save our children from death,” he said, explaining how he’s been using bird feed and animal fodder in place of precious flour.

Feb 01, 12:00 PM
Executive order targets four Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday to sanction four Israeli settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the State Department. The sanctions will prohibit them from accessing the U.S. financial system and property in the U.S. and will block them from receiving financial transactions from U.S. citizens.

The move escalates U.S. posture against the hardline elements in Israeli society amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In December, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Israelis linked to violence and unrest in the West Bank that impacted “dozens” of settlers in the Israeli-occupied territory, according to the State Department.

Feb 01, 11:05 AM
Biden to sign executive order targeting Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order to sanction Israeli settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, two sources familiar with the plans confirmed to ABC News. The news was first reported by Axios.

The move would escalate U.S. posture against the hardline elements in Israeli society amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It was not immediately clear how many Israelis would be targeted by the administration’s actions. In December, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Israelis linked to violence and unrest in the West Bank that impacted “dozens” of settlers in the Israeli-occupied territory, according to the State Department.

Feb 01, 7:40 AM
UNRWA warns operations will be shut down by end of February without funding

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East warned Thursday that it “will most likely be forced to shut down” its operations in the war-torn Gaza Strip and the wider region “by the end of February” if funding does not resume.

Sixteen donor countries, including the United States, have suspended financial support to the U.N. agency over Israel’s allegations that 13 UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. UNRWA said it is investigating the accusations and that “full accountability and transparency are expected out of this process, should the allegations be substantiated.”

“As the war in Gaza is being pursued unabated, and at the time the International Court of Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance, it is the time to reinforce and not to weaken UNRWA. The Agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Thursday. “I echo the call of the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to resume funding to UNRWA. If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region.”

Feb 01, 6:21 AM
What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has reached the three-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 27,019 people have been killed and 66,139 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 297 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than two million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

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(LONDON) — The possibility of a “full-fledged famine” looms large across the entire Gaza Strip amid the Israel-Hamas war, humanitarian groups have warned — but especially in northern Gaza, where some people there say they’re using bird feed in place of flour to stave off starvation.

Northern Gaza has been largely cut off for months now, according to the United Nations, and aid trucks carrying flour arrive sporadically and are swarmed by hundreds of hungry people.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) officials also say Israel provides too few authorizations to make deliveries into some areas and that heavy fighting often makes it too dangerous for aid workers to operate. The aid arriving in northern Gaza has been particularly restricted, the U.N. says. Israel disputes the criticisms.

“For more than two months, we have not received flour due to the difficulty of aid entering and the scarcity of flour in the area,” Sami Abu Sweilem, a 55-year-old father who is sheltering in a UNRWA school in northern Gaza, told ABC News.

“Children almost died of hunger, so we thought of a way to save our children from death,” he said, explaining how he’s been using bird feed and animal fodder in place of precious flour.

“I saw one of the displaced people in an area neighboring us with a bag of corn from a store and he told me that he wanted to grind it to make bread. I thought it was a good idea and we tried it,” Abu Sweilem said.

Soon others followed suit, he said, and now it’s even difficult to find animal feed to grind.

Almost all Gazans are now reliant on food aid for sustenance, according to the United Nations. The World Food Programme estimates that 26% of the population in Gaza is now facing starvation. Roughly two-thirds of Gazans relied on food aid before the start of the war, the WFP has said.

“If things continue as they are, or if things worsen, we are looking at a full-fledged famine within the next six months,” Arif Husain, the chief economist for the WFP, told ABC News.

“We were searching for flour and constantly waiting for aid,” Salwa Diab told ABC News on the phone from her refuge at the Gaza Training College in Gaza City. But when the aid never came, she said she was forced to turn her bird feed into bread.

“When I made this bread for the first time, my children thought it was like a normal loaf of bread. They were very happy with it and ate it and were forced to accept its taste,” she said, adding: “When the bread is cold, it becomes so bad that we cannot eat it, unfortunately, but when the children are hungry, they are forced to eat it in order to silence their hunger. For more than a month, I have been making this bread when we have available fodder.”

“The aid that comes very rarely, we know about it through the news,” 42-year-old Khaled Nabhan told ABC News in a phone call from Gaza City.

“People come out onto the streets, either on the coast road or Salah al-Din Street, waiting for the aid to enter,” he said, estimating that the crowds can reach the thousands and adding that people have been injured due to stampeding and gunfire.

“The question now is, when these fodders run out, how will we get flour,” Nabhan asked. “This war has been a quest to escape death, either from bombing or from hunger,” he added.

Israeli officials, who control the routes into Gaza, say they send 200 trucks of food and aid a day into the Gaza Strip. Before the war, 500 trucks were being sent to Gaza, according to UNRWA.

Israeli officials denied accusations they’re not letting enough food into Gaza and blamed the Hamas terrorist group for stealing aid. They said they conduct necessary inspections on the trucks, and also blamed the U.N. and other aid agencies for creating logistical bottlenecks.

The U.N. has disputed the Israeli officials’ claims, saying, on average, far less than 200 trucks are entering Gaza most days. U.N. officials have said excessive Israeli inspections, as well as arbitrary rejections of some aid, frequently hold up deliveries.

“We are getting the average of trucks near 80, 80 trucks per day,” UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna told ABC News.

UNRWA has come under fire over the last week, as a dossier from the Israeli military recently revealed new allegations against some UNRWA employees who are accused of being involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The report obtained by ABC News alleges that 13 UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 attack, including six employees who allegedly infiltrated Israel.

The U.N. condemned the alleged actions and said nine of those workers were fired. Two of the accused workers are reportedly dead and one has not immediately been identified, the U.N. said.

Not long after the allegations were announced Friday, several nations and other organizations, including the U.S. State Department, announced they would pause funding to UNRWA as the investigation continues.

On Monday, a coalition of 20 nongovernmental organizations, including Save the Children, sent out a letter condemning the funding pause, saying innocent Gazans will be left to suffer without aid from UNRWA.

“We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be protected while doing their job,” the statement read.

UNRWA, which is the primary aid provider in Gaza and shelters about 1.4 million people, has warned that the funding suspension could impact its operations within weeks.

“If funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

More than 27,000 people have been killed in Gaza and over 65,000 others injured since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Since then, in Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others injured, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. Israeli officials say 556 Israel Defense Forces soldiers have been killed, including 221 since the ground operations in Gaza began.

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(NEW YORK) — More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.

The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 01, 12:00 PM
Executive order targets four Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday to sanction four Israeli settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the State Department. The sanctions will prohibit them from accessing the U.S. financial system and property in the U.S. and will block them from receiving financial transactions from U.S. citizens.

The move escalates U.S. posture against the hardline elements in Israeli society amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In December, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Israelis linked to violence and unrest in the West Bank that impacted “dozens” of settlers in the Israeli-occupied territory, according to the State Department.

Feb 01, 11:05 AM
Biden to sign executive order targeting Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order to sanction Israeli settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, two sources familiar with the plans confirmed to ABC News. The news was first reported by Axios.

The move would escalate U.S. posture against the hardline elements in Israeli society amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It was not immediately clear how many Israelis would be targeted by the administration’s actions. In December, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Israelis linked to violence and unrest in the West Bank that impacted “dozens” of settlers in the Israeli-occupied territory, according to the State Department.

Feb 01, 7:40 AM
UNRWA warns operations will be shut down by end of February without funding

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East warned Thursday that it “will most likely be forced to shut down” its operations in the war-torn Gaza Strip and the wider region “by the end of February” if funding does not resume.

Sixteen donor countries, including the United States, have suspended financial support to the U.N. agency over Israel’s allegations that 13 UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. UNRWA said it is investigating the accusations and that “full accountability and transparency are expected out of this process, should the allegations be substantiated.”

“As the war in Gaza is being pursued unabated, and at the time the International Court of Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance, it is the time to reinforce and not to weaken UNRWA. The Agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Thursday. “I echo the call of the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to resume funding to UNRWA. If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region.”

Feb 01, 6:21 AM
What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has reached the three-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 27,019 people have been killed and 66,139 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 297 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than two million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

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