Middle East latest: US believes Israel planning 'limited strike' inside Iran as White House announces sanctions plan (2024)

A few days ago we reported that the Palestinian Authority was preparing its bid for full United Nations membership.

Late on Tuesday night a UN Security Council committee considering the bid said it was "unable to make a unanimous recommendation" on whether it met the criteria.

"Differing views were expressed" on the issue, according to a committee report seen by Reuters news agency.

The Palestinian Authority is still expected to push the 15-member council to vote, possibly on Thursday, on a draft resolution recommending its full membership.

The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state - a position granted in 2012 - but full membership would effectively recognise a Palestinian state.

Success for the Palestinians here, however, is unlikely - they need their bid to be approved by the Security Council, and Israel's main ally the US has the power to block it. It also needs support from at least two-thirds of the UN General Assembly.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says its forces "engaged" two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in areas controlled by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

"It was determined the UAVs presented an imminent threat to US coalition and merchant vessels in the region," it said.

There were no injuries or damage reported by US coalition or commercial ships.

"These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition and merchant vessels."

The command also posted on X about an aid drop earlier in the day, with photos.

Statement by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan:

"Following Iran's unprecedented air attack against Israel, President Biden is coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response.

"In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry.

"We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions. In addition, we continue to work through the Department of Defense and US Central Command to further strengthen and expand the successful integration of air and missile defense and early warning systems across the Middle East to further erode the effectiveness of Iran's missile and UAV capabilities.

"These new sanctions and other measures will continue a steady drumbeat of pressure to contain and degrade Iran's military capacity and effectiveness and confront the full range of its problematic behaviours.

"Over the last three years, in addition to missile and drone-related sanctions, the United States has sanctioned over 600 individuals and entities connected to terrorism, terrorist financing and other forms of illicit trade, horrific human rights abuses, and support for proxy terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Kataib Hezbollah.

"The pressure will continue. We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions."

The Ministry of Defence has commented on escalating violence in the West Bank, which increased following the death of a 14-year-old Israeli.

The MoD said it was alarmed by the "shocking levels of violence" in the occupied area.

"These killings, and subsequent actions, are escalatingviolence in the Occupied West Bank and the wider region at acritical time," it said.

"It is vital that Israeli authorities restore calmand conduct urgent and transparent investigations into alldeaths."

Seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the attacks began on Friday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Israeli authorities have urged people not to resort to vigilante attacks.

The Iraqi prime minister has said his country has not received any reports or indications that missiles or drones were launched from its territory during Iran's attack on Israel.

Mohammed Shia al Sudani said Iraq's "position is clear" that it would not be "thrown into the arena of conflict".

As we have been reporting, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles against Israel on Saturday.

Iraq is a rare ally of both the US and Iran.

Its airspace was a main route for Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel, and Iraqi officials say Iran informed them, as well as other countries in the region, ahead of the attack.

The IDF has released footage from the Israeli Air Force's control room during the attack from Iran over the weekend.

Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian said the footage showed the control room during the first interceptions of the Iranian missiles and drones.

Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones toward Israel, although minimal damage was caused.

In a world that has grown more dangerous in recent years, the nightmare scenario of a Third World War is in the public consciousness.

Earlier this year, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned the world could be engulfed by wars involving China, Russia, North Korea and Iran in the next five years, and said we are moving "from a post-war to pre-war world".

The relief felt at the end of the Cold War in the late '80s has been replaced with increasing alarm at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and there is outcry at the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Sky News spoke to experts about whether World War Three is a possibility - and if we really are living in a "pre-war world".

Read our article below to find out what they had to say...

The two countries have agreed formally recognising a Palestinian state would help to end the current conflict.

At a joint news conference, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said: "The most important thing is that we have addressed a whole series of questions - when, not if, but when is the best moment to recognize Palestine."

Mr Golob did not give a timeline for this, saying the matter did not depend on Slovenia and Spain alone but on other international factors.

However, he said Slovenia would vote in the United Nations Security Council for full membership of a Palestinian state.

Spain has long been a champion of Palestinian rights and last month agreed with the leaders of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take the first steps towards recognising a Palestinian state.

Arab states and the European Union agreed at a meeting in Spain in November that a two-state solution was the answer to the conflict.

International peace efforts have long focused on creating an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but these have been stalled for a decade.

Since 1988, 139 out of 193 United Nations member states have recognised Palestinian statehood.

A police vehicle has been struck in Gaza City, killing eight people, according to a report.

The vehicle was thought to be helping with securing aid deliveries and maintaining order, Al Jazeera reports.

The eight people killed were reportedly part of the law enforcement deployment helping in the Tuffah neighbourhood.

The incident happened in the eastern part of the city, which is densely populated.

Several pro-Palestine protesters have been arrested during a demonstration in Miami, Florida, local reports say.

Demonstrators gathered across multiple US cities to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Some protesters were reportedly dragged from the street by police after they tried to lie down and block traffic.