Arab officials held secret meeting to discuss plans for post-war Gaza

Barak Ravid /  .axios.com

Senior national security officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority secretly met in Riyadh 10 days ago to coordinate plans for the day after the war in Gaza and discuss ways to involve a revitalized Palestinian Authority in governing there, three sources with knowledge of the meeting told Axios.

Why it matters: The meeting is another sign of the increased coordination between Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority in recent months, especially since the war in Gaza started.

• The Palestinian Authority and its Arab allies are increasingly discussing plans for the day after the conflict ends but the Israeli government has said little about how it sees Gaza being governed if it achieves its goal of defeating Hamas.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes allowing the Palestinian Authority to have a role in Gaza but hasn't proposed an alternative. Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff Gen. Herzi Halevi warned the Israeli security cabinet that the military gains in Gaza could go to waste without an Israeli diplomatic plan for the day after.

Iran-backed militia attack update: 34 US service members injured, 8 evacuated from Jordan

The fatalities marked a major escalation after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East

 Bradford Betz , Liz Friden / Fox News

 

The number of injured continues to climb after Iran-backed militias killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more in an overnight attack on a military base in northeast Jordan. 

By late Sunday, the number of injured had climbed to 34 service members. This included at least eight personnel whose injuries warranted an evacuation from Jordan to higher-level care, though they were believed to be in stable condition.

Fox News is told all service members are being fully evaluated for follow-on care. The number of injured was expected to fluctuate. 

The injuries mostly include traumatic brain injury, though the number of cases will likely go up as symptoms can take time to develop.

Militant groups targeted the logistics support base located at Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network. There are around 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed at the base to counter ISIS. Read more, see X and video here.