Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Jerusalem

There are serious discussions under way for another possible truce in the Gaza conflict, with the parties currently waiting for a response from Hamas to the draft proposal.

The framework was agreed by the intelligence chiefs of the United States, Qatar, Israel and Egypt.

Reports say it is structured in at least three phases. Each would involve the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

But it doesn’t yet commit Israel to end its war with Hamas. That’s a key sticking point because the Palestinian militant group is demanding that the truce lead to a permanent ceasefire.

Crucially, the cessation of hostilities would allow for a dramatic increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, which the UN says is at risk of famine.

If Hamas agrees to start building on the framework, there would still be many details to work out.

And it would also have to be approved by Israel’s security cabinet, where members on the extreme right have opposed the terms.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The Houthis continue to confound some of the world's most powerful militaries, still firing missiles at any international shipping they consider linked to the US, UK or Israel, as well as some that isn't.

They are a minority group of Yemenis from the mountainous north-west of the country, who take their name from their movement's founder, Hussein al-Houthi.

The Houthis fought several wars against Yemen's strongman ruler in the early 2000s and then, after he was deposed by the Arab Spring protests, they marched down to the capital, Sana'a, and seized power in 2014.

The previously deposed President Saleh, still bitter at being ousted, put his loyal Republican Guard at their disposal, enabling them to take over 80% of Yemen's population.

The Houthis then promptly assassinated the former president.

Since the group seized power, Yemen, already the poorest Arab nation, has been torn apart by a catastrophic civil war.

An estimated 150,000 people have been killed, along with millions made dependent on food aid.

For seven years the Houthis survived a massive and ultimately fruitless coalition air campaign to oust them, led by the Saudis who were alarmed at the Houthis' links to their arch-rival, Iran.

Today, they have massively increased their power and popularity at home - having harnessed themselves to the Palestinian cause, which some have accused them of cynically exploiting for their own benefit.

• Read more here

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November, with the first wave of US and UK retaliatory air strikes on 12 January.

Then later last month came the deadly drone attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three soldiers and triggered US strikes against Iran-linked targets in Iraq.

It's a complicated, confusing picture. So here's a rundown on what has happened in the recent escalation in strikes:

28 January

• A drone strike on a US military base in north-eastern Jordan, near the Syrian border, kills three soldiers and injured dozens more. The US blames Iranian-backed militias in Iraq for the attack and vows to respond, but also says it did not want war with Iran

Friday

• The US hits more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force and allied groups in Iraq and Syria. At least 16 people, including civilians, are killed in the strikes, Iraqi officials say

Saturday

• The US and UK launch new joint air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, in response to attacks on Red Sea shipping. Both countries say the targets include weapons storage facilities, missile launchers, air defence systems and radars
• Iran calls Friday's US strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria a "strategic mistake", repeating its denials of involvement

Sunday

• The US carries out a fresh wave of strikes in Yemen, with officials saying a land-attack cruise missile and four anti-ship missiles were hit

At this moment of heightened tension across the Middle East, we're endeavouring to bring you updates from a number of places - and this latest comes from Syria.

A drone attack at the largest US military base has killed at least six fighters from an allied, Kurdish-led militia force.

The report comes from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - which helped a US-led coalition defeat the Islamic State group in eastern Syria. It said , externalits commando academy at an oil field in an eastern province was hit by a one-way drone launched from territory controlled by the Syrian government.

The SDF added that an initial investigation found that Iran-backed militias were behind the “terrorist act”.

UK-based monitors reported that seven SDF commandos were killed and 18 injured in what it said was the 108th militia attack on US bases in the country since mid-October.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq - an umbrella group of Iraqi militias who are backed by Iran - claimed a drone attack on Sunday "against the US occupation base in al-Omar oil field" in a statement reported by Iraqi media.

It also claimed the drone strike on the US Tower 22 base on the Jordanian side of the Syrian border on 28 January, which killed three US soldiers and prompted the US to carry out a wave of air strikes on facilities belonging to Iranian forces and Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq.

Image source, EPA

As we explained in our last post, the Houthis say their attacks in the Red Sea are to support the Palestinians amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

Here's the latest from the besieged Palestinian enclave:

• Officials from the Hamas-run health ministry say dozens of people have been killed in recent days by Israeli forces in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip - where battles between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters continue to be reported
• The Red Cross has told the BBC that more humanitarian aid is desperately needed in the Gaza Strip. It says more than 1.8 million people are displaced inside the enclave
• EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has warned that moves to suspend the funding of UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA are "disproportionate and dangerous". A number of countries have suspended funding over allegations that some UNRWA employees were involved in the 7 October attacks
• Top US diplomat Antony Blinken - who is on the way to the Middle East - is expected to discuss boosting aid to Gaza, a possible ceasefire, and a hostage deal
• Israel's bombardment has killed more than 27,000 people in Gaza since their operation began in early October, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry which are recognised by the UN
• It began its campaign in the Palestinian enclave after an assault on southern Israel by Hamas gunmen on 7 October, in which about 1,200 were killed and more than 240 kidnapped

Correction 13 February: This post wrongly reported that about 1,300 people had been killed following the 7 October attack by Hamas. This was based on counting those who later died from their injuries in addition to the figure of more than 1,200. The article has been amended to now refer to about 1,200 deaths, a figure which includes those deaths and which Israel says is not final.

Image source, Reuters

The tensions between the Houthis and the US are directly linked to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis say they have attacked ships in the Red Sea to show solidarity with the Palestinians.

The group says it targets ships which are owned or operated by Israel - or heading to Israeli ports. However, many of the vessels which have been attacked have no connection with Israel.

The Yemen-based Shia group declare themselves to be part of the Iranian-led "axis of resistance" against Israel, the US and the wider West - along with other armed groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, recently reiterated that the group felt it had a "moral, religious and humanitarian stance in support of the resilient people in the Gaza Strip."

We have another line from the Houthi side to bring you.

The deputy foreign minister of the Houthi-run government in north-western Yemen has accused the US of “lying” about the situation in the Red Sea and the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Navigation is safe across the Red Sea”, Hussein al-Ezzi insists, as quoted by Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.

At a news conference in Sanaa, he says the aim of Iran-backed group’s attacks on merchant and naval vessels is to “prevent Israeli ships heading to the occupied Palestinian ports until the aggression stops”.

He also claims that the “militarisation of the Red Sea by the US and UK” poses a threat to maritime security.

The US and UK say the Houthis have carried out more than 30 “reckless and destabilising” attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November, and that their strikes in recent weeks have been intended to “disrupt and degrade” the group’s military capabilities.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV is reporting that US aircraft carried out 15 night-time raids in areas of western Yemen that are controlled by the Iran-backed group. It's not clear if these are the same strikes announced by the US military, which officials said happened on Sunday morning.

The outlet’s website, external cited a military source as saying that there were 11 strikes in the Red Sea province of Hudaydah - eight in Ras Isa, a Red Sea port, and three further inland in al-Zaidiya.

Another four strikes took place in eastern Saada province, the Houthis’ northern heartland, according to the source.

Al-Masirah did not report any damage or casualties.

The US military’s Central Command’s latest statement said its forces struck a Houthi land attack cruise missile and four anti-ship cruise missiles, without providing any details about their locations.

On Saturday night, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the US and UK had carried out 48 raids on the provinces of Sanaa, Hudaydah, Bayda, Taiz and Lahij.

Image source, .

Egypt's revenue from the Suez Canal - the man-made shipping canal that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean - has fallen by almost half in January, according to Bloomberg.

This follows attacks by Yemen's Houthis on ships in the Red Sea, who claim they are disrupting trade to Israel and its allies amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

But this has led to severe disruption among global supply chains, and some of the world's biggest shipping companies are diverting journeys away from the Red Sea.

US and UK naval forces in the Red Sea have now launched air strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen in response to the attacks on shipping.

• Read more about the effects of the Red Sea attacks on global trade

Image source, .

Over the weekend, Yemen's Houthis held a demonstration in the outskirts of the capital Sanaa in defiance of fresh US strikes against them, and in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The Houthis have become known for the massive demonstrations, which often see a turnout of hundreds of thousands of people.

Edmund Fitton-Brown, who was UK ambassador to Yemen from 2015-17, recently told the BBC that the Houthis bring out mobs on the street through fear.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Blinken faces concerns that US is fuelling violencepublished at 08:24 Greenwich Mean Time 5 February

08:24 GMT 5 February

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Baghdad

Image source, Reuters

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East on his fifth visit since the start of the Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza, in response to the Hamas attacks in Israel last October. He faces a multitude of challenges and growing American involvement in hostilities in the region.

At the top of his agenda will be difficult talks for a deal to allow the release of some of the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza and a pause in hostilities for the delivery of much needed humanitarian aid for civilians in the territory. At the same time, he will face concerns from some in the region who believe the latest American actions against Iran and its proxies are fuelling violence, and not defusing it.

Over the weekend, the US attacked dozens of Iranian interests in Iraq and Syria, in response to an attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three American soldiers. The White House says those strikes were just the beginning, and that more will come. In Yemen, the US-led campaign against the Houthis continues, to reduce their ability to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea that have caused major disruption to global trade.

The American attacks have been calibrated, apparently to avoid escalating tensions even further. So far, the response from Iran and its proxies in Iraq and Syria has been muted. It could be an early indication that Tehran might have opted to de-escalate, rather than retaliate.

Iran is "exploiting the Palestinian question," says Sir John Sawers, the UK's former permanent ambassador to the United Nations.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sawers says Tehran does not see the issue as being central to its goals, but is using it as a means of "asserting their strength in the region".

Discussing attacks by Iran-backed militias on US interests in the region, Sawyers says Tehran has set up these forces to "operate at arm's length" - so may not necessarily entirely control them.

He takes the example of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which receives funding and weapons from Iran. Sawers says Hamas did not feel it needed to get Tehran's approval for the 7 October attack - which gave Iran the opportunity to deny its involvement.

Despite Iran's actions in the wider region, Sawers says the leadership is facing difficult challenges at home - including secessionist movements, terrorism, and the all-important question of who will succeed the 84-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

The US military has published footage of its latest air strikes, which it says were on "Iranian-backed Houthi targets".

The three ships featured in the clips below are the the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower, as well as the destroyers USS Gravely and Carney:

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting this morning, the US has carried out more strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen - after the group's repeat attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis are an Iran-backed rebel group which considers Israel an enemy.

In response to the war in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis started firing drones and missiles towards Israel. Most have been intercepted.

If you'd like to know more about the movement, read our explainer here.

Image source, .

Image source, Reuters

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to arrive in the Middle East on his fifth tour of the region since early October.

He is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank over the next five days.

Ahead of his trip, Blinken had stressed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza must be “urgently” addressed. Local and international aid groups have repeatedly called for a ceasefire amid the devastating impact of Israel’s bombardment on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Blinken's visit follows US air strikes against Iran-backed forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen - following an attack on a US base in Jordan that had killed three US soldiers.

There are also reports of a rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appears at odds with the United States over the future of Gaza after the war.

Image source, Reuters

• In the last several hours, the US military announced, external it carried out more strikes against the Houthi movement in Yemen on Sunday
• US Central Command (Centcom) wrote in a statement that its forces struck a land-attack cruise missile and four anti-ship missiles that "were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea"
• It was the second round of attacks in Yemen over the weekend - after the US worked with the UK military to carry out similar air strikes on Saturday
• Saturday's joint US-UK strikes lit up the night sky in the south of Yemen's capital city of Sanaa, with one human rights activist and local resident telling the BBC houses were shaking
• The strikes follow continued attacks by the Iran-backed group in the Red Sea on military and commercial ships
• The Houthis' attacks have forced major shipping companies to avoid the vital waterway, impacting international trade by forcing ships to take the longer journey round the Horn of Africa to access Europe
• Houthi officials struck a defiant tone and vowed to respond. Reacting to Saturday's strikes, the group's military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, wrote on X: "These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious, and humanitarian stance in support of the resilient Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and will not go unanswered or unpunished.

Good morning. We're now picking up our coverage of the latest US air strikes in Yemen - as well as the broader crisis in the Middle East. This continues our earlier coverage.

The US military says it hit a land-attack cruise missile and four anti-ship cruise missiles, which it said the Houthis in Yemen were preparing to launch against ships in the Red Sea.

The new attacks followed a joint operation carried out against the Houthis by the US and UK on Saturday, the third set of co-ordinated strikes against the Iranian-backed Yemeni group.

This was preceded by another series of US airstrikes on dozens of Iran-linked sites in Iraq and Syria on Friday night, which were carried out in response to drone attack on the US air base last weekend which killed three soldiers.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also due to arrive in the Middle East - and this afternoon the UN Security Council will discuss the latest strikes.

So, plenty going on - and it's Adam Durbin, Ali Abbas Ahmadi, Johanna Chisholm and James FitzGerald monitoring events in London.