It is noon in the Middle East. Here’s what you need to know
People inspect damaged cars after a US airstrike in Al-Qaim, Iraq on February 3. (Stringer/Reuters)
The United States on Friday struck 85 targets linked to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, in response to a drone strike in Jordan that killed three American soldiers, as tensions flared in the region over the conflict between Israel and Gaza. .
President Joe Biden said adversaries would need to heed U.S. warnings, while Syria said the U.S. strikes were “very dangerously fueling the conflict in the Middle East.”
Here, everything you need to know:
American attacks
Friday Attack: The United States launched massive air strikes on dozens of targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday in retaliation for drone strikes in Jordan. The United States called the attacks “successful” and said they damaged infrastructure. The attack on Iraq killed at least 16 people, including civilians, and wounded 25 others, the Iraqi government said. Meanwhile, the Syrian military said the attack killed civilians and military personnel and caused “significant damage”.
That’s just the beginning: The development marks a significant escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran-backed groups, which have attacked US bases across the region in opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strike was just “the beginning of our response” and added that action “will unfold at times and places of our choosing.” “We don’t want conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the president and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces,” he said.
Outrage in the Middle East: Both Syria and Iraq have warned that US retaliatory airstrikes would fuel conflict in the Middle East, with a spokesman for the Iraqi armed forces speaking of “potential dire consequences”, while the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as a “strategic mistake” and further instability in the Middle East. warned.
Analysis: CNN’s Nick Patton Walsh said the attacks were a relatively limited response to the worst US military losses in the region in nearly three years. The Biden administration, he said, had “an almost impossible task: hit hard enough to show it’s serious, but also make sure its opponent can absorb the blow without responding.” You can read more from Nick here.
People walk through the rubble after an Israeli attack in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on February 3. (Ashraf Amara/Anadolu/Getty Images)
Israel-Gaza
Physical Number: At least 107 people were killed and 165 wounded in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave said Saturday. A total of 27,238 Palestinians have been killed and 66,452 wounded in Gaza since October 7, the health ministry added. There have been several deaths in the southern city of Rafah, where the United Nations has warned the situation is a “pressure cooker”.
Condemnation letter: More than 800 officials from the United States and Europe have signed a scathing critique of Western policy toward Israel and Gaza, accusing their governments of possible complicity in war crimes. In a statement obtained by CNN, officials say there is “a potential risk that our governments’ policies are contributing to serious violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and ethnic cleansing or genocide.”
Hamas Ceasefire Demands: The leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad spoke on Friday to discuss a possible hostage deal and cease-fire proposal, but maintained their stance that they want a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. In a statement following a call between Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhalah, Hamas insisted that “any negotiations will lead to a complete end to the aggression.”
