Latest Israel-Hamas war news and Gaza conflict updates

Iran’s foreign minister brushed off Israel’s limited attack Friday, as a muted response from the two foes signaled that the threat of full-blown war could recede after weeks of escalation.

The Israeli military’s operation in Isfahan appeared intended to send a message without drawing immediate backlash, raising hopes that the two may heed global calls for restraint after a spate of attacks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian downplayed the incident in an NBC News interview, saying it “was not a strike” and “they were more like toys that our children play with — not drones.”

He also did not acknowledge Israeli involvement in the operation, saying: “It has not been proven to us that there is a connection between this and Israel.”

Israeli officials have mostly kept silent after the attack. An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the government’s thinking, said the military’s strike was meant to convey to Tehran that Israel has the ability to hit inside the country.

Iranian authorities said soon after that no damage was caused. Iran’s response seemed to add weight to the prospect of easing an increasingly volatile tit-for-tat, although it was early to declare that a broader regional war has been averted, analysts say.

“As long as there is no new adventurism by Israel against our interests, then we are not going to have any new reactions,” Amir-Abdollahian said Friday, but still vowed a “maximum” and swift response “if Israel takes a decisive action against” Iran.

U.S. officials at multiple government agencies said the Biden administration had instructed them not to speak publicly about the Israeli strike Friday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to comment on whether Washington was briefed ahead of time, but he emphasized that “the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters as he hosted a G-7 meeting that the United States was given advance notice of the Israeli operation at the “last minute” but did not participate in it.

Here’s what else to know

The United States will partner with the World Food Program to distribute aid in Gaza after it is delivered via a temporary pier to be set up by the U.S. military, USAID said in an emailed statement. USAID said discussions were underway with WFP and other partners about how to deliver aid while ensuring the safety of humanitarian workers.

Blinken said he has made a decision on accusations that Israel violated U.S. laws prohibiting the provision of military assistance where there are gross violations of human rights. “You can expect to see them in the days ahead,” he said.

The European Union imposed sanctions on two leading members of Hilltop Youth, a radical Israeli group involved in deadly attacks against Palestinians in 2015 and 2023, as well as Ben-Zion Gopstein, the founder of Lehava, a radical right-wing Jewish supremacist group closely associated with Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir.

U.N. human rights experts expressed “grave concern” over the destruction of the Palestinian education system in Gaza. In a statement, they noted that more than 80 percent of Gaza’s schools had been damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7. The enclave’s last remaining university was demolished by the Israeli military on Jan. 17.

A member of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces was killed and eight others injured in an explosion at a militia base in Iraq, the country’s military said. Authorities said no drone or plane breached Iraqi airspace and that an investigation would take place. The PMF, an array of factions including some linked to Iran, said early Saturday that the base “was attacked” without elaborating. Video showed what appeared to be the aftermath of an explosion at the site, where the 7th Brigade of the PMF is based, according to PMF media. U.S. Central Command said in statement after the blasts that it had not conducted any air strikes in Iraq. The Israeli military declined to comment.

At least 34,012 people have been killed and 76,833 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says that 260 soldiers have been killed since its military operation in Gaza began.

Mustafa Salim contributed to this report.