Middle East crisis LIVE: Pro-Iran fighters among 6 dead in Israeli strike near Damascus

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday at least 26,637 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory during the war between militants and Israel.

The latest toll includes 215 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, while 65,387 people have been wounded since October 7.

The United States is seeking a "very consequential" response to the drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three American troops, a White House spokesman said Monday, after Washington blamed Iran-backed militants.

President Joe Biden "will respond" to the Sunday attack "in a very consequential way. But we don't seek a war with Iran. We're not looking for a wider conflict in the Middle East," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman dismissed the U.S. accusation that Tehran was behind the overnight drone strike that killed three American troops and injured dozens more in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.

"Resistance groups across the region do not take orders from the Islamic republic of Iran," said Nasser Kanaani during a regular briefing.

"We are not seeking tensions even with America, inside or outside the region. The Islamic republic of Iran seriously believes in political solutions to international and regional disputes," he said.

President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. “shall respond” to the attack.

Pro-Iran fighters were among six dead in an Israeli strike Monday on the Sayyida Zeinab district south of the Syrian capital Damascus, a war monitor said.

"Israeli strikes targeted a base belonging to Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards, killing six people" including pro-Iran fighters, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding it was unclear whether civilians were among the dead.

Hamas said on Monday that releasing hostages it is holding would require a guaranteed end to the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip and withdrawal of all invasion forces.

"The success of the Paris meeting is dependent on the Occupation (Israel) agreeing to end the comprehensive aggression on Gaza Strip," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told the news agency Reuters.

Oil rose on fresh Middle East fears on Monday following a drone strike killing three US troops in Jordan. According to a report by the news agency AFP, both main crude contracts rose more than one percent in early trade -- hitting levels not seen since November -- before paring the gains slightly.

Austria became the latest country to suspend payments to the UNRWA, which is the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Israel alleges that as many as 12 UNRWA staff had been involved in the Oct 7 Hamas attack.

Following this, several countries including the US suspended funding to the UNRWA. 

A drone strike on a military base in Jordan killed three US troops and injured 34 others, Washington said on Sunday (Jan 28). This was the first deadly strike against US forces since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct 7 last year. US President Joe Biden blamed Iran-back militants for the strike and vowed that Washington would respond. 

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Oil prices climbed on Monday after a drone attack on US forces in Jordan added to worries over supply disruption in the Middle East as Houthi rebels stepped up their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, hitting a Trafigura-operated fuel tanker.

Risks of a widening conflict comes as Russian refined product exports are set to fall, with several refineries under repair following drone attacks.

Brent crude futures rose 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $83.84 a barrel by 0230 GMT after hitting a session-high of $84.80. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 34 cents, or 0.4%, to $78.35 a barrel after reaching an intraday high of $79.29 earlier in the session.

The recent deadly attack that killed three US troops, with dozens more wounded by Iran-backed militants, has landed US President Joe Biden in a complex geopolitical dilemma, with intensifying political pressure to take decisive action against Iran.

The challenge for Biden lies in navigating a response that addresses the gravity of the situation without escalating tensions into a broader conflict, a concern that has tempered his willingness to directly confront Iran.

Experts, as per Reuters, suggest that Biden's choices may span from pinpointing Iranian forces both outside and within Iran to a more measured retaliatory approach, specifically targeting the Iran-backed militants responsible for the attack.

Iran on Monday (Jan 29) executed four people it said had links to its arch-nemesis Israel, according to Tehran's state media. The men were linked to an Israeli intelligence operation and had been convicted in the case with the Supreme Court rejecting their last appeal. 

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Japan has declared its decision to align with a cohort of nations and the suspension of financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

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The United Nation's humanitarian agency in the occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA) reported "excessive delays" as only eight planned UN missions to northern Gaza have successfully gone ahead since the beginning of January. 

The UN agency, in its latest update also said some 29 aid convoys were denied permission by Israeli authorities this month, while other deliveries faced "excessive delays" at Israeli checkpoints. 

According to the UN agency, aid deliveries to hospitals and water and sanitation facilities in northern Gaza, in particular were "largely denied". 

Israeli forces have fatally shot a Palestinian man in the town of al-Yamoun near occupied West Bank's city of Jenin, reported Al Jazeera. 

This comes amid reports of violent clashes and explosions after the Israeli forces stormed Jenin and carried out raids. 

There was no immediate statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 

Iran has denied the United States and British accusations that it supported militant groups behind a drone strike in Jordan that killed three US military personnel, reported Tehran's official IRNA news agency on Monday (Jan 29). 

"These claims are made with specific political goals to reverse the realities of the region," IRNA quoted foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying, according to AFP. 

This comes after US President Joe Biden accused Iran-backed militant groups of conducting the fatal drone strike which killed three American troops in a base in Jordan. 

Japan late Sunday, joined a growing number of countries who have suspended funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees or UNRWA, following Israeli allegations that some members from the UN agency took part in Hamas' October 7 attack. 

Tokyo was "extremely concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA staff members in the terror attack on Israel on October 7 last year."

"In response, Japan has decided to suspend additional funding to UNRWA for the time being while UNRWA conducts an investigation into the matter and considers measures to address the allegations," said the Japanese foreign ministry statement.

It added, "At the same time, Japan will continue to make persistent and active diplomatic efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to calm down the situation as soon as possible by providing support to other international organizations."

United States President Joe Biden has vowed to respond after a drone strike by Iran-backed militant groups targeted a base in Jordan on Sunday (Jan 28) killing three American troops. 

Speaking at an event in the US state of South Carolina on Sunday, Biden held a moment of silence for the three American troops killed. "We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases," said the US president. 

He added, "And we shall respond." Biden, in an earlier statement had blamed "radical Iran-backed militant groups," for the attack.

The US forces were stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border when the unmanned aerial drone attack took place. 

At least 34 personnel were injured in the attack, but that number is expected to change as more people seek care, according to a statement from US Central Command. 

Additionally, eight personnel were evacuated from Jordan for higher level care, but are in stable condition, said the US officials.