US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince discussed efforts to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding, while more European leaders are due in Israel on Wednesday, the latest in a flurry of diplomacy as it weighs a ground invasion of Gaza.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire in the besieged territory, saying there were “clear violations” of international law. Israel’s ambassador to the UN demanded Guterres resign over his comments. Meanwhile, Jordan’s queen accused Western leaders of double standards for not condemning the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Israel’s credit outlook was cut to negative by S&P Global Ratings, which cited risks the war could spread and have a larger-than-expected effect on the country’s economy. The US said its forces and coalition partners were attacked more than a dozen times in Iraq and Syria by Iran-backed groups in the past week, raising the prospect of regional escalation.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
US, Coalition Forces See 13 Attacks in Iraq, Syria (6:52 a.m.)
US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria were attacked at least 13 times in the past week, through a combination of one-way attack drones and rockets, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Tuesday. The attacks were carried out by groups supported by Iran, he said.
“What we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel across the region in the very near-term coming from Iranian proxy forces and ultimately from Iran,” the spokesman said. “We are preparing for this escalation, both in terms of defending our forces and responding decisively.”
Goldman Sees Egypt LNG Exports Being Affected by Mideast Crisis (4:44 a.m.)
Egyptian exports of liquefied natural gas are lagging the seasonal average and now appear “more clearly impacted” by ongoing Middle East tension, according to Goldman Sachs analysts.
Egypt’s gas exports typically include supplies from neighboring Israel, which declined after that country’s major Tamar field was shut Oct. 9 on safety concerns. While this alone won’t significantly tighten European supply this winter, it does leave the market vulnerable to further supply or weather shocks in the coming months, Goldman said.
US Determines Israel Didn’t Cause Hospital Blast (3:44 a.m.)
US intelligence officials have determined that Israel wasn’t behind a large explosion at a hospital in Gaza last week that killed as many as 300 people, the Washington Post reported, citing three officials it didn’t identify.
While analysts weren’t able to determine who launched the rocket that caused the Oct. 18 blast, they were able to use video from four locations to track the trajectory of the weapon, which showed it was fired from within Gaza and malfunctioned. Other intelligence, including intercepted communications and a review of the damaged hospital, helped officials conclude with “high confidence” that Israel wasn’t responsible.
Israeli officials previously said they have evidence that the errant rocket was fired by the Islamic Jihad. That group, like Gaza’s ruler’s Hamas, is designed a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.
S&P Cites Risk That War Could Spread (1:40 a.m.)
S&P Global Ratings affirmed Israel’s rating at AA-, the fourth highest score. Last week Moody’s Investors Service put Israel’s debt rating on review for downgrade and Fitch Ratings placed the nation’s credit score on negative watch, both citing the conflict.
“The Israel-Hamas war could spread more widely or affect Israel’s credit metrics more negatively than we expect,” analysts Maxim Rybnikov and Karen Vartapetov wrote. “We currently assume the conflict will remain centered in Gaza and last no more than three to six months.”
Israel Calls for Resignation of UN Chief Guterres (1:25 a.m.)
The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations demanded that Secretary-General Guterres resign for saying Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel didn’t happen in a vacuum, capping a day of heated exchanges at the Security Council over violence that threatens to spark a regional war.
Ambassador Gilad Erdan was responding to Guterres’s speech at the the opening of a Security Council meeting to discuss the Israel-Hamas war in which the world body’s leader said no Palestinian grievances can justify the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, which killed about 1,400 people.
Jordan’s Queen Accuses West of ‘Double Standard’ (1 a.m.)
Jordan’s Queen Rania, in an interview with CNN, accused Western leaders of a “glaring double standard” for failing to condemn the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes continue.
“The people all around the Middle East, including in Jordan, we are just shocked and disappointed by the world’s reaction to this catastrophe that is unfolding,” she said. Over the weekend, her husband, King Abdullah II, told a summit that the Arab world’s perception was that as far as the West’ is concerned, “Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones.”
Biden Talks to Saudi Prince About Stabilization, Gaza Aid (10:00 p.m.)
Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman agreed to pursue diplomatic efforts to maintain stability across the Middle East and keep the conflict between Israel and Hamas from expanding, the White House said Tuesday.
The leaders also discussed efforts to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, and resuming broader peace talks once the immediate crisis subsides. Biden has said he believes that Hamas launched the Oct. 7 attack against Israel in part to disrupt US-backed talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia aimed at normalizing relations.
