As Israeli fire continues to flood Gaza, senior Iranian official killed by a strike in Damascus, Biden puts pressure on Netanyahu… What to remember from the conflict in the Middle East this Saturday, January 20 – Liberation

This Saturday, January 20, a review of the news surrounding the Middle East war. To find Friday's recap, it's here.

Israeli strike ousts head of Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Damascus. An explosion in a building in the Syrian capital this Saturday, believed to be caused by an Israeli strike, killed several people. Victims include “Chief of Intelligence for the Guards in Syria and his companion, as well as two other members of this force”, According to the Iranian agency Mehr. The Jewish state did not comment. Israel has already carried out several bombings in Syria, but has increased its activities since the war against Hamas began. In early January, the IDF eliminated Hamas No. 2 in a strike in Beirut, Lebanon.

Biden tells Netanyahu he 'still believes' in future Palestinian state During the first phone conversation between the two heads of state – cold – in almost a month, the US president assured his Israeli counterpart. “Always believe in perspective and possibility” of a Palestinian state, but “Recognizes that it will take a lot of work to get there”, a White House spokesman said Friday. But Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected Joe Biden's request: “Israel must have security control over all areas west of the Jordan River. This is a necessary condition, which contradicts the idea of ​​sovereignty [palestinienne]».

Fierce fighting in Gaza. Since early this Saturday morning, intense artillery and airstrikes have targeted Palestinian territory, especially in the southern city of Khan Yunis, which is now the center of military operations after the first phase in the north of the territory. . Israeli troops are destroyed with air and naval support “Terrorist Infrastructure” along the coast, and hit rocket launchers in Khan Yunis, according to the military. The Palestinian Islamic Movement reported heavy fighting in the north of the besieged and destroyed Palestinian territory.

The Hamas health ministry announced the new death toll at 24,927. The Palestinian Authority's health ministry in Gaza, whose figures are undoubtedly underestimated, has reported more than 160 deaths in the enclave in the past 24 hours. Hamas announced on Saturday that 24,927 people, mostly women, teenagers and children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Movement began on October 7.