Middle East latest: Iran tells Israel 'our hands are on the trigger' and warns it knows where its nuclear sites are (2024)

The US and Israel will hold a virtual meeting about a possible ground invasion of Rafah today at the White House, two officials have told our partner network NBC News.

This is a follow-up discussion to the 1 April meeting on the same issue, which is said to have included raised voices, waving of arms, and US officials who did not believe the Israeli plans for dealing with the humanitarian concerns around the operation were realistic.

Today's meeting will be chaired by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and will include representatives from the Pentagon including senior US military planners.

However, President Joe Biden is not expected to attend.

Rafah is the only major city in Gaza yet to be assaulted by Israeli troops from the ground, but hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians crammed into the city have still been subjected to airstrikes over the past few months.

US President Joe Biden has released a short statement on the freshly announced sanctions against Iran.

The US said its measures targeted 16 individuals and two entities enabling Iran's UAV production, including engines that power Iran's Shahed drones (see 2.32pm post for more detail).

Here is the president's statement in full:

"Less than a week ago, Iran launched one of the largest missile and drone attacks the world has ever seen against Israel. Together with our allies and partners, the United States defended Israel.

"We helped defeat this attack.

"And today, we are holding Iran accountable—imposing new sanctions and export controlson Iran.

"The sanctions target leaders and entities connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's defence ministry, and the Iranian government's missile and drone program that enabled this brazen assault.

"As I discussed with my fellow G7 leaders the morning after the attack, we are committed to acting collectively to increase economic pressure on Iran.

"Andour allies and partnershave orwill issue additional sanctions and measures to restrict Iran's destabilizing military programs.

"During my administration, the United States has sanctioned over 600 individuals and entities—including Iran and its proxies,Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Kataib Hezbollah.

"And we will keep at it.

"I've directed my team, including the department of the treasury, to continue to impose sanctions that further degrade Iran's military industries.

"Let it be clear to all those who enable or support Iran's attacks: The United States is committed to Israel's security.

"We are committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region.

"And we will not hesitate to take all necessary action to hold you accountable."

US officials have flatly denied reports (see our 1.15pm post) that the Biden administration gave a green light to Israel's plans to assault Rafah in return for Israel holding off on striking Iran, according to Axios.

The news site reported the US and Israel will hold high-level virtual meetings today about the possible operation in Rafah.

American officials told Axios the US was still concerned an offensive would lead to a huge number of civilian casualties.

The US and Israel have been discussing the IDF's plans for Rafah at a lower level for several weeks, the officials said.

The IDF presented plans for a "gradual" operation in specific neighbourhoods that would be warned in advanced, Axios reported.

The UK and US have sanctioned Iranian firms involved in drone and missile production.

The general staff of Iran's armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary GuardCorps Navy are among 13 new designations under the UK's sanctions regime.

Several Iranian military organisations, individuals and entities related to drone and ballistic missile industries were included.

The US said its measurestargeted 16 individuals and two entities enabling Iran's UAVproduction, including engines that power Iran's Shahed drones.

The American treasury said it was designating five companies providing component materials for steelproduction to Iran's Khuzestan Steel Company or purchasing KSC's finishedsteel products.

Also targeted by the US were three subsidiariesof Iranian automaker Bahman Group, which it said had materiallysupported Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In Khan Younis, photographs taken by Reuters show a destroyed school.

Two boys, Abed al-Qara and Muhammad al-Fajem, were seen walking among the ruins.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has said at least 33,970 Palestinians have now been killed by Israel in Gaza and 76,770 wounded since 7 October.

The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its reports, but says most of those killed are women and children.

For context:While some Israeli officials have sought to cast doubt on fatality figures given out by the Palestinian Health Authority in Gaza, a number of independent groups say they have proved to be largely reliable and broadly in line with those later produced by the UN and Israel itself.

Examination of data from previous Gaza conflicts - the Hamas-run health ministry's counts compared with the post-war United Nations analysis - shows that the initial data is largely accurate with, at most, a 10-12% discrepancy.

Brian Root, a senior quantitative analyst at Human Rights Watch, says the ministry's figures have "always been comparable" to his own findings.
"There's nothing that would lead us to distrust the numbers."

US assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, Barbara Leaf, told a congressional panel on 9 November that it was "very possible" that the number of Palestinians killed by Israel since the conflict began could be higher than the figure given by the health ministry in Gaza.

"We think they are very high, frankly, and it could be that they are even higher than are being cited," she said.

By Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem

Five days on and we're still in a guessing game: everyone assumes Israel will retaliate against Iran, we just don't know when or where.

For most of the week the working theory has been that Israel would want to carry out any attack before the Jewish festival of Passover starts on Monday, and to leave enough time for Iran's potential counter-response ahead of the holiday.

As the days pass with no action, however, some analysts are starting to consider whether Israel's actions might now be delayed until after Passover, which finishes 30 April.

Typically, when there is a vacuum of information or action, rumour and speculation start.

The latest, being reported in Egyptian media, is that the US has given its approval for an Israeli invasion of Rafah in return for a much more limited response to Iran.

There is also a suggestion that unusually heavy storms in the Gulf region are preventing any strike.

Israeli media, usually well-informed on domestic political matters, is reporting that the military prepared for and then aborted strikes on at least two occasions over recent days.

Whatever the truth in any of this, Western allies of Israel will be hoping that time creates space for calmer, more rational judgement and that the potential war, which seemed so possible only a few days ago, is averted.

Iran could review its nuclear doctrine, says a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, according to state media agency Tasnim.

"The threats of the Zionist regime against Iran'snuclear facilities make it possible to review our nucleardoctrine and deviate from our previous considerations," said Ahmad Haghtalab, who is in charge of nuclear security.

"If the Zionist regime wants to take action against ournuclear centres and facilities, we will surely and categoricallyreciprocate with advanced missiles against their own nuclearsites."

The commander said Israel's nuclear facilities have been identified, adding "our hands are on the trigger".

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the last say on Tehran's nuclear program, which some in the West suspect has military purposes.

Tehran has always maintained its nuclear program was strictly for peaceful purposes.

The remarks come after senior ex-Mossad official Zohar Palti told Sky News that striking Iran's nuclear facilities was on the table of options being considered by Israel to retaliate after Saturday's attack.

A child who survived a deadly Israeli airstrike on his family home has been killed after being hit by an aid airdrop.

Zein Oroq, 13, was struck by a package dropped last week, fracturing his skull, pelvis and abdomen, as he rushed toward it hoping to collect some beans, rice or flour, said his father, Mahmoud.

A hungry crowd heading for the box did not pay attention and the "pressure increased on him", Mahmoud said.

"My son is so precious, he was my support, my entire life, my first joy in this world, my biggest child, may he rest in peace."

Zein was taken to hospital, where he died from his wounds on Sunday.

Some 17 members of his family were killed in November when an airstrike hit their house, pinning Zein underneath the rubble of the building.

"He cameout from under the rubble with wounds in his head, hand and leg,God saved him," said his grandfather, Ali.

Ali recalled how Zein would swim in a pond to get a meal from theair drops, but said he should have been sitting at a desk inschool instead.

Pictures taken by Reuters photographers in northern Israel show debris littering the floor of a community centre hit by Hezbollah.

The group, based in Lebanon, launched missiles and drones at the Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe.

Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned group that says it acts in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, has exchanged fire across the border with Israel since the war began.