Netanyahu says genocide claim ‘outrageous’ after UN court stops short of ordering cease-fire in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected genocide claims against Israel as “outrageous” and vowed to press ahead with the war with Hamas.
Iran on Monday denied involvement in the weekend attack on a U.S. base in Jordan that killed three Americans, saying militant groups in the region do not take orders from Tehran and that Iran does not “welcome the expansion of conflicts in the region.”
But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani accused the U.S. of repeatedly violating the sovereignty of Iraq and Syria and said the military strikes on militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen will “escalate the cycle of instability.”
“Repeating the unfounded allegations against Iran is shifting of the blame,” said Kanaani, dismissing the accusations as a “plot by those who see their interests in once again getting the U.S. involved in a new conflict in the region and provoke it to expand and escalate the crisis.”
President Joe Biden blamed Sunday’s deadly drone attack on “Iran-backed militants.” The casualties were the first U.S. troops killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Several Republicans in Congress called for retaliatory strikes targeting Iran.
“We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing,” Biden said in a statement.
Developments:
∎ The three U.S. soldiers and most of the wounded in Sunday’s attack were Army soldiers, several U.S. officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details had not been made public. Central Command said about 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel were deployed to the base.
∎ A senior Jordanian security source told Reuters that Jordan had sought more advanced US defense equipment and support amid worries Iran and its proxies could conduct a strike.
∎ Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria are evacuating their posts in preparation for a retaliatory strike, a source from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq told Qatari-based al-Araby al-Jadeed. The militant group has evacuated its positions along the Iraq-Syria border, leaving only one or two guards to man each post, the official said.
War and politics: Joe Biden faces campaign pressure over drone deaths and response to Iran
Republicans, led by their presidential candidates, didn’t waste much time Sunday putting campaign pressure on Biden over the Middle East drone attacks that killed three U.S. service members. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, challenger Nikki Haley and several prominent GOP lawmakers blamed Biden’s policy for the attack, and demanded that he retaliate against Iran, the alleged sponsor of the incident.
“This brazen attack on the United States is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender,” Trump said.
Haley, a former United Nations ambassador, said militants “would not be attacking our troops if Joe Biden weren’t so weak in his treatment of Iran.” Read more here.
− David Jackson and Josh Meyer
Contributing: The Associated Press
