Iran denies involvement in deadly Jordanian drone attack on US base
Tehran has denied involvement in a drone strike that killed three US soldiers at a base in Jordan, near the border with Syria, after US President Joe Biden blamed Iran-backed militias and vowed to revenge.
In a statement published by the official IRNA news agency, the UN mission in Tehran said: “Iran has no connection and has nothing to do with the attack on the US base.” adding: “There is conflict between US forces and resistance groups in the country. region, who retaliate in retaliation.
Saturday’s unmanned aerial drone attack on the Tower 22 military outpost was the first deadly strike against U.S. forces since Israel’s war with Hamas began in October and sent shockwaves throughout the entire Middle East.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance Coordination Group, which has long tried to drive US troops out of Iraq and Syria and has used the Gaza war as a canvas background to intensify its efforts and broaden the battlefield. .
US forces have faced a near-daily barrage of drone and missile strikes in Iraq and Syria since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. But the incident brings the United States much closer to direct conflict with Iran, an outcome both sides insist they want to avoid but may now be unable to prevent as the incidents proliferate and intensify.
Here is the Guardian’s full report on the drone attack:
Key events
The charity ActionAid has called the withdrawal of funding from UNRWA by some donor countries a “death sentence” for the people of Gaza.
In a statement he said:
ActionAid welcomes UNRWA’s investigation into allegations implicating a small group of UNRWA personnel in the October 7 attacks. However, we vehemently denounce the callous choice to punish an entire population by some of the very countries that previously called for increased aid and protection for humanitarians in Gaza.
The withdrawal of funding by these donor countries is nothing short of a death sentence for an estimated two million civilians, more than half of whom are children who rely on UNRWA aid in Gaza to survive.
Patrick Wintour
Patrick Wintour is the diplomatic editor of the Guardian
The claim of The Houthis of Yemen having attacked the USS Lewis B Extractor (See 9:13 GMT) was carried out by Brigadier General Yahya Saree. He said: “One of the tasks of this ship is to provide logistical support to US forces participating in the aggression against (Yemen). The targeting process is part of the military measures taken by the Yemeni armed forces to defend dear Yemen and in confirmation of the decision to support the oppressed Palestinian people.
“The Yemeni armed forces continue to implement the decision to prevent Israeli shipping or shipping to occupied Palestinian ports in the Red and Arabian Seas until the aggression ceases and the siege against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
The statement only referred to the targeting of the ship and did not claim any damage was inflicted. But it is a sign that the Houthis have not been deterred from continuing their assault on Israeli shipping.
The news came as the chairman of Yemen’s UN-backed presidential command council, Rashad Al-Alimisaid, said his forces were preparing to launch defensive strikes against Houthi positions, the first time the government-based in Aden pledges to take military action to stop. rival Houthi government’s efforts to prevent ships from reaching Israeli ports.
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, agreed in a telephone call on the importance of allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, a German government spokesperson said on Monday.
“The Chancellor and the President agreed that, in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, there is an urgent need to significantly improve humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip and supplies to the Palestinians,” reports the port -speech in a press release.
Germany is among countries that cut funding to UNRWA, the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel accused some of its employees of being involved in the Hamas attack from October 7 in Israel.
Pakistan And IranForeign ministers met today in Islamabad. In public statements, they said they respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and are committed to expanding security cooperation. The meeting comes days after the two countries exchanged airstrikes on each other’s territory, both saying their targets were terrorists and militants operating inside their neighbor.
If you were looking for additional information on the attack on American troops stationed at Jordan who killed three soldiers, we have just published this explanation: Drone strike in Jordan – who is the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and what is Tower 22?
U.S. officials have rejected Yemen’s Houthis’ claim that they attacked a U.S. Navy ship.
Earlier, a Houthi spokesperson said they had targeted the USS Lewis B Puller with a missile.
A U.S. defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said no attacks had been reported.
Images of Rafah This morning, smoke rises over the Gaza Strip as Israel continues its military assault.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency reports that “dozens of civilians, mostly children and women” were killed in the latest Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
He writes :
Israeli military forces carried out intense and fierce airstrikes targeting the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City, and the Tal Al-Hawa area, west of the city, resulting in the deaths of several people and causing numerous victims.
Earlier yesterday evening, at least 23 civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting an inhabited house belonging to the Al-Mutwi family west of Nuseirat camp.
The claims have not been independently verified.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice in The Hague told Israel it must “take all measures within its power” to stop killing Palestinians in violation of the Genocide Convention.
Reuters quickly learned that Austria announced it was the latest country to suspend payments to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Israel says as many as 12 UNRWA personnel were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Palestinians in need should not be penalized because of the alleged actions of a dozen employees. He said nine UNRWA staff members had already been fired for their alleged involvement in the Hamas attack.
The United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany are among the countries that have already suspended funding to UNRWA.
The Israeli military issued a statement saying it had killed “dozens of armed terrorists during fighting in the central Gaza Strip” and said activities “against terrorists and infrastructure continue in Khan Younis and in Gaza City.
Listing several engagements, it claims to have “located large quantities of weapons, including an RPG, military equipment and technological assets” inside the Gaza Strip, and killed what it claims were “four terrorists who were preparing to carry out an attack on IDF troops near Al-Amal Hospital.
The claims have not been independently verified.
