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  As President Joe Biden continues to urge top lawmakers to approve his $60 billion aid request for Ukraine, a grim realization has settled in for the administration that this is likely the last chance for any new US military funding to flow to the war-torn country before the 2024 presidential election. Lawmakers have conveyed as much directly to the White House, a US official told CNN. And underscoring the current gridlock, Pentagon officials have not held a single meeting since last month to decide on what to send Ukraine from the Defense Department’s weapons stockpiles — because there is no money left to fund the aid packages. Biden met with House and Senate lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday to outline what is at stake for Ukraine. At one point, the President turned to his national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to lay out specific capabilities that Ukraine would run out of in the coming months, according to a White House official familiar with the meeting, who declined to get into more detail. Another official told CNN that they specifically pointed to air defense systems and artillery ammunition as examples of key capabilities that could be depleted without US support. Biden also warned that US personnel were on the line, saying that if the Ukraine-Russia war spills over into NATO territory, the US would have to get directly involved in the conflict. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, who along with other House Republicans has tied additional Ukraine funding to a broader immigration deal, said afterward that continuing to fund Ukraine risked turning it into a quagmire for the US akin to its two-decade war in Afghanistan. “We cannot spend billions of dollars without a clear strategy articulated and I told the president in the meeting today again, as I’ve been saying repeatedly, ‘Sir, you have to articulate what the strategy is. What is the endgame?’” Johnson said Wednesday night in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. At the White House on Thursday, Biden told reporters he thought the meeting went well and that he believed “the vast majority of members of Congress support aid” to Ukraine. “The question is whether or not a small minority are going to hold it up, which would be a disaster,” Biden said. House Speaker Mike Johnson makes a statement alongside Reps. Mike Turner, Mike Rogers and Mike McCaul on January 17, outside the White House. Samuel Corum/Getty Images Race to approve funding before election Meanwhile, inside the White House, NATO headquarters and in Kyiv, there is a keen awareness that if Donald Trump is reelected in November, he will likely slash support for Kyiv. “The number one reason Republicans will not come out in favor of a supplemental for Ukraine is they don’t want to offend candidate Trump and his supporters,” Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley said on CNN Max on Wednesday. “He’s already made it clear what he would do — the war would be over on his first day, which means Putin gets to keep the borders he has, if not more.” No matter what happens in American politics this year, US and Western intelligence officials believe that Russia’s war in Ukraine is likely to go on for much longer. Assessments vary, but virtually all of them assume that there will be at least two more years of fighting, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence — long enough to outlast Biden’s first term. Privately, some US and Western officials say there could be as many as five more years of fighting. Administration officials and lawmakers, including some hawkish Republicans, have for that reason been eager to approve and channel the funding to Ukraine before the clock potentially runs out at the end of 2024. “Aside from there being a desperate need, getting as much aid in before January 2025 is on the minds of a lot of folks I’ve spoken to,” said one US official. “Not only is it important that the monies get appropriated, but that they get disbursed before the election as any FY24 funds still waiting to be spent can get blocked by Trump.” A congressional aide familiar with the discussions said that the more hawkish lawmakers, like Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, were among those pushing last fall for Congress to approve enough funding to hold Ukrainian military forces over through the 2024 election. The administration ultimately requested $60 billion, but Congress could not reach a deal before the end of last year — doing anything more in a fraught election year may now be little more than a pipedream, the aide said. “We are out of money,” said a US military official stationed in Europe. “The administration was able to do some magic [but] we’re getting down to the last of it.” Said one source familiar with Western intelligence, “Basically everything depends on Biden getting reelected, doesn’t it?” A static situation on the battlefield Continued Western support for Ukraine is critical, US and Western officials argue, even as the battle lines have remained largely static over the last several months following a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive to retake territory seized by Russia. Ukrainian soldiers huddle under cover during artillery fire as the soldiers of Ukrainian National Guard hold their positions in the snow-covered Serebryan Forest on January 12, 2024 in Kreminna, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images Still, in the short term, US intelligence officials don’t believe a drop-off in US funding will have a major battlefield impact for Ukraine. Russia is struggling to regroup, which buys Ukraine some time, people familiar with the assessments said. But in the longer term, a lack of US aid could allow Moscow to regain momentum by ramping up its weapons supply and taking advantage of support from Iran and North Korea, one of the people said. US officials have also considered the impact that a pullback of US support could have on other allies, particularly the message it sends about the US not having the political will to support allies and partners long term. Another concern is that Europe, which is already at the bottom of the barrel

UN human rights official says he met men who were detained, beaten and blindfolded by Israeli forces in Gaza. Near-total telecommunications blackout in the Gaza Strip enters its seventh day on Friday, making it difficult for information to get out of the enclave amid constant Israeli attacks. Conditions in Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital have become “unbearable” according to a doctor working there, as Israel attacks the vicinity of the facility, causing thousands to flee. US State Department says “support for Israel remains ironclad” despite Israeli PM rejecting US’s stance on establishment of Palestinian state. At least 24,620 people killed and 61,830 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139. Israel’s emergency government ‘close to collapse’ The emergency government in Israel that is managing affairs amid the ongoing war on Gaza may be “close to collapse”, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post. The Israeli outlet said “the question is no longer whether an election will take place in 2024, but rather when in 2024” as Netanyahu’s position falters amid Israel’s failures in achieving objectives in Gaza. However, it said an election is unlikely to take place imminently as most coalition members have received their budgets and are reluctant to shake things up despite demands by the population. The Jerusalem Post had also reported last week, quoting unnamed Likud members, that they believe Netanyahu’s time as the leader of the party are numbered as the party continues to perform poorly in opinion polls. Click here to share on social media 142 killed, 278 wounded in last 24 hours At least 142 people have been killed in Israel’s bombing of Gaza in the last 24 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Another 278 have been wounded in the same period. The latest casualties bring the total number of people killed in Gaza since October 7 to 24,762, with 62,108 injured. Many victims are still trapped under the wreckage and cannot be reached by rescuers. Click UN Special Rapporteur: Israel has violated international law by bombing Gaza The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory says Israel has violated international law with its violent bombing of the Gaza Strip, which led to the razing of entire neighbourhoods and the killing of more than 23,000 Palestinians. “Israel has done a number of things that are largely illegal,” Francesca Albanese said at a press conference in Madrid. “International humanitarian law must be respected to protect people not participating in combat: Civilians, prisoners of war, the sick and the wounded. “This means distinguishing between combatants and civilians, and ensuring that military attacks are proportionate to avoid excessive harm to civilians. Instead, what happened was more than 100 days of heavy bombing. In the first two weeks, 6,000 bombs were used weekly, bombs each weighing 2,000 pounds [about a ton], in very crowded areas.” Click here to share on social media Gaza’s north receives almost no aid as famine looms The continuing difficulty in getting humanitarian relief into the Gaza Strip, particularly in the north, which continues to be under constant Israeli bombardment, is raising risks of malnutrition. “Less than a trickle amount [of aid] has been delivered to the northern part in which people are suffering [from] an actual famine,” says Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza. In December, the UN warned that Gaza’s entire population of 2.3 million people risks “imminent famine” as war rages on. (Al Jazeera) Click here to share on social media Palestinian woman recounts abuse, killings by Israeli soldiers Um Odai Salem, wife of a Palestinian man who was among at least 11 shot dead by Israeli forces on December 19, told Al Jazeera of abuse she says she and her daughters endured before her husband’s “execution”. “They [Israeli forces] beat me and my daughters,” she said. “They put us women in one place and threatened us with guns and knives. They made us strip. They searched us, insulting us with the most terrible words. They took our names and filmed us.” She said the Israeli soldiers did not listen to their pleas that they were all civilians, and proceeded to “execute” all the men they rounded up outside. After the men were killed, Israeli fire hit the apartment Um Odai and her daughters were sheltering in, one of her daughters told Al Jazeera, killing her three-year-old sister, Nada. Click Photos: The aftermath of Israeli raid in West Bank’s Tulkarem [Zain Jaafar/AFP] [Zain Jaafar/AFP] [Zain Jaafar/AFP] [Zain Jaafar/AFP] Click UNICEF: 20,000 babies born during war on Gaza, 135,000 minors at ‘severe risk’ of malnutrition According to UNICEF, nearly 20,000 babies have been born during the continuing war in Gaza, while 135,000 children in the Gaza Strip under the age of two are at “severe risk” of malnutrition. “The situation of pregnant women and newborns in the Gaza Strip is beyond belief, and it demands intensified and immediate actions,” Tess Ingram, a UNICEF spokesperson, said. “The already precarious situation of infant and maternal mortality has worsened as the healthcare system collapses.” Ingram stressed that mothers face unimaginable challenges in accessing adequate medical care, nutrition and protection before, during and after birth. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their babies are living in “inhumane conditions, makeshift shelters (with) poor nutrition and unsafe water”. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/19/israels-war-on-gaza-live-us-support-for-israel-ironclad-despite-rebuff

Riot police fired tear gas, flash grenades and used batons to disperse demonstrators in Russia’s Bashkortostan region after a local activist was sentenced on Wednesday to four years in prison. Videos showed supporters of Fail Alsynov clashing with police near the court where he had been convicted of inciting ethnic hatred, according to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti. Bashkortostan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs called the demonstrations an “unauthorized rally” and said police have begun investigating “mass unrest,” in a post on Telegram. Some 20 people have been detained by police, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian protest monitoring group. CNN cannot independently verify this number, but Russia has routinely carried out mass arrests at protests. Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside a public building in the remote town of Baymak, with some waving the blue, white and green flag of Bashkortostan region, which neighbors Kazakhstan. Protesters were heard to cry “shame” at police officers as they tried to disperse the crowds with tear gas. RusNews/Reuters Protesters could be heard chanting “Freedom,” in a video posted on public Telegram channels and shared by OVD-Info. In another, protesters were seen throwing snowballs at police holding riot shields. Chants of “shame” could be heard after police fired tear gas. Some social media accounts are reporting that internet connection was restricted in the area of the gathering. Alsynov spoke at a rally in spring 2023 against the mining of a mountain considered to be sacred to the Bashkir people, a Turkic ethnic group concentrated in Bashkortostan and closely related to the Tatars. The protests in Bashkortostan have become some of the most significant in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Source:https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/17/europe/russia-riot-police-protest-bashkortostan-intl/index.html

Pakistan’s air force has launched retaliatory air strikes on Iran, allegedly targeting fighters’ positions. Iranian state media says the attack killed at least nine people. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described their attack as “a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes”. The strikes in Sistan-Baluchestan province follow Iran’s attack on Tuesday on Pakistani soil that killed two children in the southwestern Balochistan province. Pakistan stock market takes a hit Abid Hussain Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE) fell by 1,000 points this morning following news of strikes on Iran. However, the PSE rebounded later in the day, gaining back nearly 650 points at close. Pakistan was on the brink of default last year before it managed to secure an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for $3 billion. In the past six months, it has shown gradual improvement in its economic indicators, including inflation – which fell from a high of 38 percent to 29 percent. Click Pakistan will ‘not compromise’ on security: President Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi says his country fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states while expecting the same treatment from other nations. “Pakistan would not compromise on its national security and territorial integrity and would take all necessary measures to defend its soil,” Alvi said in a statement published by his office on X. Alvi added that Pakistan and Iran were “brotherly countries”, and should resolve their issues through “dialogue and mutual consultation”. Click here to share on social media Taliban calls for ‘regional stability’ The Taliban government has called the attacks in Pakistan and Iran “alarming”, calling for both sides to exercise restraint. “In light of the region’s newfound peace and stability after protracted imposed wars and instability, both sides should direct efforts towards further strengthening regional stability and resolving disputes through diplomatic channels and dialogue,” the Taliban government’s foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on X. Why did Pakistan and Iran allow space for these ‘militant groups’? Pakistan’s former human rights minister has described the country’s response as “swift and proportionate” but questioned the presence of “militant groups” on either side of the border. “Response swift & proportionate. Full spectrum deterrence reasserted militarily – meeting the threat at a level of our choosing & prevailing,” Mazari posted on X. “But one of the many disturbing questions arising is why both supposedly friendly ‘brotherly’ Muslim countries, with deep historical & social ties, allowed space creation for these militant groups in each other’s territories?” Turkey calls for calm Iran and Pakistan do not want to escalate tensions in the region, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan has said after holding calls with officials from both sides. Speaking at a news conference in Jordan, Fidan said Turkey recommended that the sides do not escalate further and that calm should be restored as soon as possible. Click here to share on social media Former Pakistan foreign minister says Iran attacks ‘irrational’ Hina Rabbani Khar has described Iran’s attack on Pakistan as “shocking”, adding that the region could not afford another escalation. “They were irrational, illegal and escalatory. It seems whoever authorised it had not thought through,” she said on X. “Pakistan has repeatedly conveyed its concerns about terrorist hideouts in Iran. However, Pakistan preferred to rely on diplomatic solutions and create mechanisms where both countries could address each others concerns within the framework of international law and UN charter.” Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Tehran after denouncing the attack and barred Iran’s envoy to Islamabad from returning. Click Pakistan-based BLF says no fighters killed in attack The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), an armed group operating in Pakistan, says it “has no hideouts in Iran” and none of “our Saramchar [fighters] was martyred in the recent attacks by Pakistan”. As we reported earlier, the Pakistan army said “hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front were successfully struck” on Thursday morning. The BLF has conducted frequent attacks on Pakistani forces as well as on projects operating under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/18/pakistan-iran-attacks-live-at-least-7-killed-near-irans-southeast-border

An air strike in Rafah – an Israeli-designated “safe zone” – kills 16 people, including children, who were sheltering in a home. A shipment of medical supplies for Israeli captives and Palestinians in need is being distributed as part of a deal brokered by Qatar and France. US missiles rain down on sites used by Yemen’s Houthis after the armed group targeted an American Navy vessel and “scored a direct hit”. At least 24,448 people killed and 61,504 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139. UN chief meets released Israeli captives in Davos The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has met released Israeli captives for the first time at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to Israeli media. The i24 News report said Guterres met with Nili Margalit and Moran Stella Yanai as well as Noam Perry, the daughter of Haim Perry, who is still held in Gaza. He also met with representatives from the Hostage and Missing People’s Families’ headquarters. Guterres said that he called for the immediate release of all the captives, the report said. ‘All patients have a right to treatment’: Red Crescent Mahmoud Alsaadi – who leads ambulance operations for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank – says Israeli raids and movement restrictions make it impossible to provide timely care for injured and sick Palestinians. This not only impacts Palestinians wounded in Israeli attacks, he said, but others facing unrelated medical emergencies. “We do not only transport the injured and those wounded by bullets,” said Alsaadi. “There are many humanitarian cases and we receive calls from citizens with medical conditions — kidney patients, heart patients, or cancer patients. All of these cases require transportation to hospitals.” Because of lengthy Israeli inspections of Red Crescent ambulances and “harassment of medical staff”, patients in need of urgent hospital treatment may be held up for more than an hour, putting their lives in jeopardy, he said. More than 300 Palestinian sports clubs call for Israel Olympic Games ban More than 300 Palestinian sports clubs and dozens of major Palestinian civil society organisations are calling for a ban on Israel from the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The International Olympic Committee should “apply its principles and fulfil its obligations by banning Israel from the next Olympic Games to be held in Paris in July 2024, until it ends its grave violations of international law, particularly its system of apartheid and its ongoing genocide in Gaza”, they said. The Palestinian clubs include men’s and women’s football, basketball and volleyball teams, and those whose players have been killed by Israeli fire. Last month, Israeli forces killed the Palestinian Olympic football team coach, Captain Hani al-Masdar. Israel’s bombings also destroyed the office of the Palestinian Olympic Committee in Gaza. Click here to share on social media ‘Endless chaos and growing despair’: UNRWA chief After making his fourth trip to Gaza since the war broke out, the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees says the enclave has sunk even “further into despair” and renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire. “Everyone I met had a personal story of fear, death, loss, trauma to share,” said UNRWA Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini. “The people of Gaza have moved from the sheer shock of losing everything – in some cases every member of their family – to a debilitating struggle to stay alive and protect their loved ones. “This has gone on for far too long. There are no winners in these wars. There is endless chaos and growing despair. I call once again for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to bring some respite.” The genocide must stop, Turkey’s FM says Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan issued a call to “stop the genocide” in the Gaza Strip. “It is absolutely unacceptable for Israel to justify its attacks [on Gaza] for security reasons,” he said. Speaking at a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman, Hakan also said the Palestinians have the right to establish an independent state. In November, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv, citing Israel’s refusal to accept a ceasefire, “continuing attacks against civilians”, and denying free entry to humanitarian aid. It was the culmination of a sharp dive in ties since October 7. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Turkey [File: Cagla Gurdogan/Reuters] Click Israel should allow displaced Gaza residents to return home: Jordan Israel should allow displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes, says Jordan’s foreign minister. Ayman Safadi was speaking at a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. “With regard to the current priorities, they are clear: ending the aggression in Gaza, letting in sufficient permanent humanitarian aid to all parts of the Strip, south and north, stopping the destruction, and working immediately for the return of displaced Gazans to their areas and homes,” Safadi said. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/18/israels-war-on-gaza-live-medicine-arrives-for-captives-palestinians

Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned an Iranian airstrike inside its borders that killed two children, calling it an “unprovoked violation of its airspace” and warning of retaliation. Iran said it used “precision missile and drone strikes,” to destroy two strongholds of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, known in Iran as Jaish al-Dhulm, in the Koh-e-Sabz area of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, according to Iran’s state-aligned Tasnim news agency. The attack comes after Iran launched missiles in northern Iraq and Syria Monday, in the latest escalation of hostilities in the Middle East where Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza risks spiraling into a wider regional conflict. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the attack on its territory killed “two innocent children” and warned Iran of “serious consequences.” It described the airstrike as an “unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran … inside Pakistani territory.” “It is even more concerning that this illegal act has taken place despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran,” the ministry said. Following the strike, nuclear-armed Pakistan lodged a “strong protest” with a senior official in Iran’s Foreign Ministry in the Iranian capital Tehran and called on the Iranian charge d’affairs, saying the “responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran.” Iran launches missile strikes in northern Iraq and Syria, claims to destroy Israeli spy base The Jaish al-Adl militant group late Tuesday said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had used six attack drones and a number of rockets to destroy two houses where the children and wives of its fighters lived. Authorities in Balochistan province told CNN two girls had died and at least four people were injured. The girls, aged eight and 12, were killed in houses that were damaged in the attack in the village of Koh-e-Sabz in Kulag, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Panjgur district, on Tuesday evening, according to the district’s deputy commissioner Mumtaz Khetran. Khetran also said a mosque near the homes was targeted and hit in the strikes. Koh-e-Sabz — about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Pakistan’s border with Iran — is known to be the home of Jaish-ul-Adl’s former second-in-command Mullah Hashim, who was killed in clashes with Iranian forces in Sarawan, an Iranian region adjacent to Panjgur, in 2018. Last month, Iran accused Jaish al-Adl militants of storming a police station in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan, which resulted in the deaths of 11 Iranian police officers, according to Tasnim. Jaish al-Adl, or Army of Justice, is a separatist militant group that operates on both sides of the border and has previously claimed responsibility for attacks against Iranian targets. Its stated goal is the independence of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province. The strikes in Pakistan came a day after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched ballistic missiles, targeting what it claimed was a spy base for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad in Erbil, northern Iraq, and at “anti-Iran terror groups” in Syria. Iran said the strikes in Iraq were in response to what it said were Israeli attacks that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders, and claimed targets in Syria were involved in the recent dual bombings in the city of Kerman during a memorial for the slain Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani that left scores dead and wounded. It defended the strikes as a “precise and targeted” operation to deter security threats, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement on Tuesday. Iran’s attacks will further raise fears that Israel’s war in Gaza could widen into a full-scale war in the Middle East with grave humanitarian, political and economic consequences. The attacks in Iraq and Syria were condemned by the United States as “reckless” and imprecise, while the United Nations said, “security concerns must be addressed through dialogue, not strikes.” Iraq said it submitted a complaint to the UN Security Council and the UN on Tuesday. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said there are no Mossad-affiliated centers operating in Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Concerns of an escalating war Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza in response to Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks has killed more than 24,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, and wrought widespread devastation, as civilians live with the threat of imminent death – either by an airstrike, starvation or disease. The conflict has escalated hostilities across the region, with Iran’s allies and proxies – the so-called axis of resistance – launching attacks on Israeli forces and its allies. On Tuesday, the US military launched new strikes against Houthi targets inside Yemen, targeting anti-ship ballistic missiles controlled by the Iran-backed rebel group, a defense official told CNN. A few hours later, the Houthis launched a missile into international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea, hitting the M/V Zografia, a Maltese flagged bulk carrier, the official said. The strikes are at least the third round of attacks the US military has launched against the Houthis’ infrastructure since last Thursday, when American and British conducted a joint operation that targeted command and control nodes and weapons depots used by the Houthis to launch missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. US troops in Iraq and Syria have also repeatedly come under rocket and drone attacks from Tehran’s proxies. Last week, the US carried out a strike in Baghdad that killed a leader from an Iran-backed proxy group that Washington blamed for attacks against US personnel in the region. And fighting has intensified between Israel and the powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah, across the Lebanon border. On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed to press on with confrontations with Israeli forces on the Lebanon border until the end of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Source:https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/17/middleeast/iran-missile-attack-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html

At least 23 Palestinians killed in Khan Younis as Israeli attacks levelled dozens of residential homes and damaged the Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals. UN rights experts say “every single person in Gaza is hungry” as Israel continues to bomb, besiege and block aid to the territory. Qatar says it has brokered a deal to bring medicines and other aid into Gaza in exchange for the provision of medicine to Israeli captives held in the enclave. The White House says the US has been involved in “serious” talks on captives in Doha. At least 24,285 people killed and over 61,154 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139. Death toll from Israeli drone strike on Tulkarem goes up to four The death from the Israeli drone strike on Tulkarem that we reported on earlier has gone up to four. The Palestinian Red Crescent says it has recovered the bodies of four people killed inside the camp. The aid group also reported that Israeli forces initially blocked its ambulances from reaching those targeted. At least 85 Palestinians detained in latest West Bank raids Israeli forces have detained at least 85 Palestinians in the latest round of raids across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. It added that 40 of those were Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who were working in the West Bank. Nearly 6,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been taken into custody by Israel since October 7. Many Palestinians detained by Israel are held for months or years without charge, under a system of “administrative detention” that rights groups have slammed as a violation of international law. Click here to share on social media Photos: Aftermath of Israeli strikes on homes in Rafah Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is worsening with 85% of it 2.3 million people having fled their homes [Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images] At least 168 people in Gaza were killed in overnight Israeli bombing [Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images] The UN says Gaza faces widespread famine and disease [Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images] Click here to share on social media More on Israeli attack on Balata refugee camp As we reported earlier, the Israeli army launched a strike on a car in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, saying it killed the “head of terrorist infrastructure” at Balata refugee camp. People at the camp, however, told Al Jazeera that at least three people were believed to have been killed in the drone attack. “There are others who think that it could potentially be more,” said Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Ramallah. We will bring you more details on this shortly. Meanwhile, Jamjoom noted that the Israeli army has been conducting on average about 40 raids across the West Bank daily since the start of the war in Gaza. “Residents tell us that there’s an intensified number of raids targeting resistance fighters. The people believe that the Israeli army is going into these areas and destroying more infrastructure because they want to use that as a way to turn local populations against the armed resistance fighters,” he said. “But every time we go to these areas, people tell us that they don’t think these tactics used by the Israeli army will ultimately work.” Click here to share on social media Another Israeli drone strike hits Tulkarem The attack has killed two Palestinians in the Tulkarem refugee camp, occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. The attack comes after hours of violent raids in the city and after an earlier Israeli drone attack killed three Palestinians in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus. Click here to share on social media Ministry: 163 killed in Gaza in last 24 hours Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed 163 people and injured 350 more in 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Numerous victims are still trapped under the wreckage and cannot be reached by rescuers, the ministry said in a post on Telegram. The latest attacks bring the overall toll in Gaza to 24,448 killed and 61,504 wounded since October 7. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/17/israels-war-on-gaza-live-brutality-of-gaza-crisis-unprecedented-un

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Monday launched ballistic missiles at what it said was a spy base for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad in northern Iraq, and at “anti-Iran terror groups” in Syria, in the latest escalation of hostilities that further risks spiraling into a wider regional conflict. The strikes were condemned by the United States as “reckless” and imprecise. Iranian forces said the midnight missile strike in Iraq destroyed “one of the main espionage headquarters” of Israel in Erbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, in response to what they said were Israeli attacks that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders and members of the Iranian resistance front. “This headquarters has been the center for developing espionage operations and planning terrorist acts” in the region and Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement Monday. CNN has reached out to Israel’s Prime Minister’s office for comment on the IRGC’s claim. The IRGC also said it struck several locations in Erbil and claimed to target “sites of Iranian opposition groups.” At least four civilians were killed and six others injured in the attack, according to a statement early Tuesday by the Security Council of the Kurdistan region. A large villa belonging to a well-known Kurdish businessman was also destroyed, according to a CNN journalist in the region. There were unconfirmed reports of casualties at the residential property though it is not known if the building was an intended target. “This blatant violation undermines the sovereignty of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq,” the Security Council said in its statement, which accused Iran of employing baseless pretexts to attack Erbil, a historically stable region that it said had never posed a threat to any party. Also on Monday, the IRGC said it fired ballistic missiles at bases of “anti-Iran terror groups in occupied territories of Syria.” It claimed the targets were involved in the recent dual bombings in the city of Kerman during a memorial for the slain Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani that left scores dead and wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly twin blasts near Soleimani’s burial site, in what was the deadliest attack in Iran since its 1979 revolution. In its statement, the IRGC said it “identified and destroyed a number of key terror commanders and elements, especially Daesh (ISIS), in the occupied territories of Syria by firing a number of ballistic missiles.” A US official said Monday initial indications of Iran’s missile attacks showed “this was a reckless and imprecise set of strikes.” “We have seen the reports, and we tracked the missiles, which impacted in northern Iraq and northern Syria. No US personnel or facilities were targeted,” the official said. Authorities and others gather near the site where missiles hit near the US consulate in Erbil, Iraq, on January 15, 2024. Rudaw TV/AP “Iran is claiming this is in response to the terrorist attacks in Kerman, Iran, and Rask, Iran, with a focus on ISIS. We will continue to assess the situation.” An unnamed US State Department spokesperson told CNN the strikes did not damage the “US Consulate Erbil or the New Consulate Compound under construction.” “No American personnel were injured,” they said. Kurdistan region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called on “our partners in the international community not to remain silent in the face of repeated attacks against the people of Kurdistan.” “Earlier this evening, Erbil was once again attacked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Sadly, during tonight’s unjustifiable attack, several civilians have been martyred and wounded,” Barzani said in a statement. “I condemn this cowardly attack on the people of the Kurdistan region in the strongest terms.” Concerns of an escalating war Iran’s attacks will further raise fears that Israel’s war in Gaza could widen into a full-scale war in the Middle East with grave humanitarian, political and economic consequences. Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza in response to Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks has killed more than 24,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, and wrought widespread devastation, as civilians live with the threat of imminent death – either by an airstrike, starvation or disease. The UN emergency relief chief said the war has brought famine to Gaza “with such incredible speed,” and South Africa has brought allegations of genocide at the United Nations’ top court – claims strenuously denied by Israel. The conflict has escalated hostilities across the region, with Iran’s allies and proxies – the so-called axis of resistance – launching attacks on Israeli forces and its allies. US forces last week sank three boats belonging to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, and the US and UK launched strikes against Houthi targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen aimed at halting a series of attacks on commercial shipping. A wider war doesn’t suit Iran, even as it benefits from rising tensions On Monday, a Houthi missile hit a US-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea, marking what appears to be the first time the militants have successfully struck a US-owned or operated ship. Last week, the US carried out a strike in Baghdad that killed a leader from an Iran-backed proxy group that Washington blamed for attacks against US personnel in the region. US troops in Iraq and Syria have repeatedly come under rocket and drone attacks from Tehran’s proxies. Fighting has intensified between Israel and the powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah, across the Lebanon border. On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed to press on with confrontations with Israeli forces on the Lebanon border until the end of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Last week, a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli drone strike on his car in southern Lebanon, a Lebanese security source told CNN. Wissam Tawil is the most senior member of the Shiite militant group to be killed in an Israeli strike since Hezbollah and Israel began trading fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border on October 8. Israel is also suspected of carrying out an attack on high-ranking Hamas leader, Saleh Al-Arouri, in Beirut, sparking fury among Hezbollah leaders who control the area where he was killed. Source:https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/16/middleeast/iran-missiles-kurdistan-syria-israel-intl-hnk/index.html

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police Tuesday foiled two attacks in the Lakki Marwat district — one on a police station and another at a check post, Geo News reported citing police. An attack was thwarted at the Peezo police station in the district, as per the police, during which the terrorists opened fire and threw hand grenades. The police retaliated, forcing the assailants to escape the site. There was no casualty reported, according to the police. Following retaliatory fire by the police personnel, the assailants escaped, the police said, adding that there was no casualty. Meanwhile, an attempt to attack the 15 Police post at the Gundi Chowk was also thwarted in the morning, the police added. For the past few years, KP has yet again seen an alarming surge in terror attacks with several major attacks leaving the province riddled with terrorism and violence, particularly since the Taliban-led administration took over Afghanistan in 2021. The law and order situation has worsened in several parts of KP, especially southern districts, with an increase in attacks on police, security forces and civilians. In the past few months, some political figures and gatherings have also been targeted by terrorists in certain parts of the province, while security personnel including the military and police have also been attacked. Senior police officials have said that the situation had improved in other parts of the province while efforts were being made to improve law and order in the southern districts of KP. As the country moves towards a crucial general election, set to take place on February 8, the military has been busy conducting operations against terror outfits and terrorists, particularly in KP. Last week, four terrorists were killed by security forces in two operations in the province during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted in Mir Ali, North Waziristan district. It should be noted that the year 2023 saw as many as 586 terror attacks with 17% claimed by banned terror outfits such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Daesh, and others. Meanwhile, security forces conducted 197 operations against outlaws leaving 537-545 of them dead. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1148376-two-terror-attacks-in-lakki-marwat-foiled-by-police