(NEW YORK) -- Iran on Saturday night unleashed a retaliatory strike against Israel, sending a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.

The attack on Israel came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded the country on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Here's how the news is developing:

Apr 18, 4:19 PM
In meeting with Israelis, US officials 'expressed concerns' over Rafah

In a Thursday meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials, the two sides discussed the attack by Iran as well as the Israeli military's plans for an operation in Rafah in Gaza, according to the White House.

During the meeting, the "U.S. participants expressed concerns with various courses of action in Rafah," according to a White House readout.

"Israeli participants agreed to take these concerns into account and to have further follow up discussions between experts, overseen by the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group," and the officials agreed to meet again "soon," according to the White House.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan convened the meeting and the Israeli side was led by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.

Apr 18, 2:38 PM
Israel makes significant process in preparations for Rafah evacuations: Source

Israel has made significant progress in preparations for the evacuation of around 1 million civilians from Rafah ahead of the Israeli military’s impending operation in the southern Gaza city, according to an Israeli source.

Preparations have been ongoing for over a month, including repairing water and sewage pipes and amassing thousands of tents, the source said

There are around 1.5 million Palestinians estimated to be in the Khan Younis and Rafah areas in southern Gaza. It’s believed around 1 million people would evacuate north. The evacuation process, which could take weeks, would not start until after Passover.

State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed to reporters that "any kind of forced relocation or displacement of the Palestinian people within Gaza cannot and should not be part of any plan or an operation."

Apr 18, 12:52 PM
US, Israeli officials to hold high-level meeting on Rafah plans

U.S. and Israeli officials will hold a high-level, virtual meeting on Thursday about alternative plans for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.

The official said that it will be a secure video meeting that will follow up on discussions from earlier this month. National security adviser Jake Sullivan will lead the meeting for the U.S. side, the official said.

The meeting was first reported by Axios.

"The main purpose really is to talk about Rafah ... and also share our continued concerns over a major ground offensive there," White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said.

Apr 18, 9:41 AM
US sanctions 16 people, two groups after Iran attacks

The U.S. is sanctioning two groups and 16 people it says enabled Iran's drone production following Iran's attack on Israel last weekend.

"Today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and in consultation with partners and allies, we are taking swift and decisive action to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. "We’re using Treasury’s economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism."

The Treasury Department said it’s sanctioning Khuzestan Steel Company, Iran's largest steel producer. The Treasury Department said Iran's metals sector generates "several billion dollars in revenue annually."

The U.S. is also targeting the Iranian carmaker Bahman Group for its role in making vehicles used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for military operations.

The sanctions also target people who work for Iran-based drone manufacturers, including executives of the Mado Company, which the U.S. says produced drone engines used in Iran's Shahed UAVs. The U.S. also sanctioned members of the IRGC who it says help supply proxy groups, like the Houthis in Yemen, with drones that have attacked U.S. service members in the Red Sea.

Yellen added that the U.S. would "continue to deploy" sanctions to counter any further action by Iran, with the goal of making it harder and more expensive for Iran to undertake destabilizing actions.

Apr 17, 6:16 PM
Israel not likely to carry out strike until after Passover: US official

Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran until after Passover, a senior U.S. official told ABC News, although that could always change.

Passover begins on Monday and ends after nightfall on April 30.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other leadership are still on a high state of alert, with some in safe houses and underground facilities, the official said.

Apr 17, 5:50 PM
Israel aborted strikes against Iran 2 nights this week: Sources

Israel prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week, three Israeli sources told ABC News.

Iran attacked Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night into Sunday morning local time in Israel. Israel has been weighing how and when to respond to Iran's attack since then, holding war cabinet meetings on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The members of the Israeli war cabinet are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

A range of responses have been presented to the Israeli war cabinet. The potential responses include options ranging from attacking Iranian proxies in the region but not on Iranian soil to a potential cyber attack, sources told ABC News.

There was no war cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but Netanyahu told his government cabinet that while he appreciates the advice from allies, Israel will "make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself."

-ABC News' Matt Gutman and Jordana Miller

Apr 17, 3:02 PM
Iranian president: Israel invasion would be met with 'massive' response

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at an army parade Wednesday that "the tiniest invasion" from Israel will be met with a "very massive and harsh response."

Apr 17, 2:26 PM
House GOP package totals $14.1 billion for Israel

House Republicans have posted the legislative text for three national security bills, addressing Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific.

For Israel, lawmakers have crafted a package totaling $14.1 billion, including: $4 billion for missile defense; $1.2 billion for Iron Beam; $4 billion replenishment of stocks to the Department of Defense; and $3.5 billion for Israel to purchase U.S. weapons.

"The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed."

Apr 17, 1:12 PM
Netanyahu: Israel 'will make our own decisions' on how to respond to Iran

After meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciates their advice, but added, "We will make our own decisions and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself."

Cameron told reporters after the meeting in Jerusalem, "It's clear the Israelis are making a decision to act."

"We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible, and in a way that -- as I said yesterday -- is smart as well as tough," Cameron added.

Cameron also reiterated that the "real need is to refocus back on Hamas, back on the hostages, back on getting the aid in, back on getting a pause in the conflict in Gaza."

"That's why I'm here today to talk to the Israeli government, to talk to the Palestinian Authority to try and push those things forward," Cameron said.

-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman

Apr 16, 7:04 PM
US says it will impose new sanctions on Iran in coming days

The United States announced Tuesday it will impose new sanctions targeting Iran in the coming days following its "unprecedented air attack against Israel."

The sanctions include targeting Iran's missile and drone program and new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry, according to the White House's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.

"We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions,” Sullivan said in a statement. "We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions."

The U.S. is telegraphing its sanction plan in advance to underscore the large international response that the U.S. is coordinating and to signal to Iran there will be diplomatic costs to what they've done, a senior administration official told ABC News. The official said they believe this will have an impact, in part, by bringing other countries on board.

Apr 16, 4:08 PM
IDF's conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers' social media posts

Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.

Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.

In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.

Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian activist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving improperly.

"You can see all the soldiers liking their posts," Tirawi told ABC News.

Apr 16, 3:48 PM
Blinken to Israeli war cabinet: 'We do not want to see further escalation'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, during which Blinken "continue[d] to send the same messages in all his conversations -- which is we do not want to see further escalation of the conflict," according to spokesperson Matt Miller.

Miller declined to say whether the U.S. assessed the threat of escalation had fallen, but an administration official said the amount of time that has already elapsed since Iran’s weekend attack had boosted hopes that Israel would exercise constraint.

Miller batted down reports that Iran and the U.S. were communicating through intermediaries in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel.

"There have not been such messages delivered. It's been days since we've communicated -- since we've sent messages to the government of Iran," Miller said. "And I say that as a reminder of something we've said before: Oftentimes, the Iranian government has misled the world about either messages they've passed to us or messages that we have passed to them."

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford

Apr 16, 3:36 PM
UK prime minister 'gravely concerned' about humanitarian situation in Gaza

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. While Netanyahu thanked Sunak for the U.K.'s support to counter Iran's weekend attack on Israel, Sunak also had harsh words for Netanyahu about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"On Gaza, the Prime Minister said he remained gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis," a Downing Street spokesperson said. "The U.K. wanted to see a massive step change in aid access to flood Gaza with vital supplies, including Israel opening up new aid routes as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister said it was deeply disappointing that Hamas blocked a deal at the weekend that would have saved Palestinian lives and secured the safe release of hostages."

Apr 16, 3:23 PM
Israeli war cabinet meeting ends again with no final decision on response: Source

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet met for the third day in a row on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran's weekend attack.

But Tuesday’s meeting ended with no final decision made about an Israeli response, according to an Israeli source with knowledge of the meeting. A variety of options are still being considered, the source said.

Apr 16, 2:13 PM
Iran foreign minister says 'no intention of further escalating the situation'

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a call that "Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation," according to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the conversation.

Apr 16, 1:56 PM
More than 19,000 children orphaned in Gaza

Over 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to a report from UN Women, the United Nations’ entity for gender equality and women's empowerment.

Out of those 10,000 women, 6,000 were mothers, who have left behind 19,000 orphaned children, according to the report.

-ABC News’ Kori Skillman

Apr 16, 11:18 AM
Israel focused too intensely on Iran's nuclear threat at expense of ballistic threat: IDF

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel focused too intensely on the Iranian nuclear threat at the expense of its ballistic threat.

A senior U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. also relied too heavily on the misguided conception that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was cautious and would never order a direct attack on Israel, and that this weekend’s attack and the general U.S. assessment of Iran now requires study and reassessment.

Sima Shine, a former head of the Iran desk at Israeli espionage agency Mossad, also said Israel’s assessment was wrong, and said "the rules of the game" have changed. A huge barrage of missiles was considered possible, but highly unlikely, Shine said.

Shine said any Israeli response under the new conception requires the assumption that Iran will follow up with its threat of another salvo of missiles. That said, Shine believes that Iran and the supreme leader do not want a full-scale war because it would be unpopular in Iran and the U.S. could get involved.

-ABC News’ Matt Gutman

Apr 16, 9:18 AM
Yellen to Iran: US 'will not hesitate' to issue new sanctions

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning Iran that the U.S. "will not hesitate" to impose new sanctions in response to Iran's "unprecedented attack" on Israel.

"Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity," Yellen is expected to say at a Tuesday press conference. "The attack by Iran and its proxies underscores the importance of Treasury's work to use our economic tools to counter Iran's malign activity."

Yellen's message follows President Joe Biden's Sunday meeting with the G7 nations, during which the leaders discussed a coordinated effort on sanction measures.

Apr 16, 6:31 AM
Israeli war cabinet to consider response again Tuesday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet is expected to meet again on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran's weekend attack.

"We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness," Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday. "Iran will face the consequences for its actions."

Halevi added Israel would "choose our response accordingly."

Apr 16, 6:14 AM
UN watchdog calls for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict

United Nations officials called on Tuesday for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, saying the retaliatory military attacks “violate the right to life and must cease immediately.”

“All countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism,” the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press release, quoting U.N. officials described as "experts."

The retaliatory strikes by both countries may constitute the “international crime of aggression by civilian and military leaders responsible,” those officials said, according to the statement.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- A Polish citizen was arrested for allegedly spying for the Russian government as part of a potential assassination attempt against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the top prosecutors in Poland and Ukraine said Thursday.

The Polish citizen, identified as Pawel K., was charged with readiness to act for foreign intelligence against the Republic of Poland, the Polish National Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.

The suspect allegedly "proactively established contact" with Russian military command representatives and "informed them of his readiness to cooperate" with the Russian Federation's foreign military intelligence agency, according to Andriy Kostin, the Ukrainian prosecutor general.

The suspect's alleged tasks for the Russian government included collecting and providing the agency with information on the security of the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, an international airport in Jasionka in southeastern Poland, Polish and Ukrainian officials said.

"This was to help Russian special services plan a possible assassination attempt on the Ukrainian President during his presence in Poland," Kostin said in a statement on X.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine forwarded information about the suspect to their Polish counterpart and "key evidence" was obtained by Ukraine during the investigation, the Polish National Prosecutor's Office said in the release. The suspect was detained on Wednesday and the investigation is ongoing, the office said.

If convicted, the suspect could face up to eight years in prison, the office said.

"This case underscores the persistent threat Russia poses not only to Ukraine and Ukrainians but to the entire free world," Kostin said. "The Kremlin's criminal regime is constantly trying to undermine European and global security. It organizes and carries out sabotage operations on the territory of other sovereign states."

Zelenskyy last visited Poland in April 2023, receiving a massive welcome from its citizens and President Andrzej Duda. Poland lies on the western border of Ukraine and took in many refugees who fled from Ukraine in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TEL AVIV, Israel) -- Two former senior Israeli military officials said a direct military strike against Iranian territory would not be in Israel's best interests.

Retired Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, who was head of Israel's National Security Council from 2004 to 2006, said the alliance that helped Israel successfully defend itself from Iran's first-ever direct attack against Israeli territory on Sunday has proven "that Israel cannot do everything alone."

Eiland said Iran's attack and the defensive military support and intelligence Israeli received from a coalition -- led by the U.S. and including European and Arab states -- has reversed Israel's growing isolation in relation to the war in Gaza. That sentiment is shared by retired Israeli Col. Miri Eisin.

Both former Israeli officers told ABC News that Israel should now capitalize on that sense of renewed support, both from allies and other regional players, like Jordan and Saudi Arabia, who also view Iran as a regional threat.

Iran on Saturday night unleashed a retaliatory strike against Israel, sending a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.

Eisin said Israel now needs to deter Iran and other adversaries from conducting future attacks. However, she said, effective deterrence would also mean working with the consent of key partners, such as the U.S., adding that allies should not be kept "out of the room."

The Biden administration has said it would not take part in any Israeli response. U.S. officials, however, are urging Israel to show restraint.

Eiland, who led the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) planning branch from 2001 to 2003, said the Israeli military is, theoretically, capable of causing "terrible destruction to the Iranian energy sector" -- either to its oil fields or by orchestrating an attack that could "shut down the electricity" to Tehran.

The Israeli government has not ruled out a direct military strike against Iranian military territory, and Eiland conceded there was a "temptation" for Israel "to try something dramatic."

Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran until after Passover, which ends after nighfall on April 30, a senior U.S. official told ABC News, although that could always change.

However, Eiland said a direct military strike against Iran would risk sparking "a real cycle of violence" between Israel and Iran that would endanger the entire region.

He also warned that Israel might not be ready or have the ammunition to conduct a drawn-out war with Iran. As a former officer he would not have access to information on Israel's current ammunition stocks, however Israel is hoping that the U.S. Congress will soon sign-off on additional military aid for the IDF.

Congress is set to vote on the matter on Saturday, although Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing opposition from some fellow Republicans on a separate vote for aid for Ukraine.

Eiland said Israel does have the capability to carry out more covert forms of attacks against Iranian territory, which would not involve a kinetic military strike.

He said cyberattacks could be one possible category of covert attack that Israel could consider but said there could be "some other creative solutions," which, because of their sensitive nature, he could not disclose.

Instead of a direct military strike against Iranian territory, Israel should increase attacks against Iran's proxies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon, both former Israeli military officers said.

Eisin, who is now managing director of the International Institute for Counterterrorism, an Israeli think-tank, said Israel should ensure that through its response it retakes the "initiative" and "defines the rules," by significantly increasing attacks on pro-Iranian Shiite militias in Syria, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The IDF announced on Tuesday that it had killed two Hezbollah commanders in two separate attacks in Lebanon. However, there has been no official confirmation that those attacks were part of Israel's response to the Iranian attack on Saturday night.

That attack, widely attributed to, but not officially claimed, by Israel, killed seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, including two generals, and precipitated Saturday's first-ever direct missile and drone attack by Iran against Israeli territory.

Eiland denied Israel miscalculated by not anticipating that Iran would launch a direct military strike involving more than a hundred ballistic missiles, and argued that by degrading the capabilities of Iran's proxies in the region, Israel was conducting self defense.

The former Israeli major general also said Israel should issue an ultimatum to Hezbollah for it to halt its attacks, which have been occurring on a daily basis across Israel's northern border since Israel launched its war in Gaza following the Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel.

For more than six months, around 70,000 Israeli citizens have been displaced from their homes in communities near the Israeli border with Lebanon.

Eiland said Israel should threaten another major ground war against Lebanon if Hezbollah refused to halt its attacks.

At the same time, he argued that Israel should halt its war against Hamas in Gaza in return for the release of all of the remaining hostages.

Hezbollah and the Yemen-based, Iranian-backed Houthis have said their attacks against Israel are a response to Israel's war in Gaza.

However, the Israeli government has repeatedly said the war in Gaza cannot end before Israel launches a military ground operation into the southern city of Rafah, where it believes thousands of Hamas fighters are still stationed.

The former major general said an offensive in Rafah would make little difference to the security threat posed by Hamas, because "80%" of its military capabilities had already been destroyed. 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) -- Prince William returned to work this week in his first official public appearance since his wife Kate, the princess of Wales, revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer.

William is traveling to Surrey on Thursday to visit Surplus to Supper, a nonprofit organization that distributes surplus food to people in need.

The royal engagement is the first for William since March, when Kate shared publicly for the first time that she was diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

Kate shared her diagnosis in a video message released March 22, the same day that William and Kate's three kids, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, began an Easter holiday break from school.

Kensington Palace said at the time that William would return to public duties once George, Charlotte and Louis returned to school.

In her video message, Kate asked for privacy for her family.

Kensington Palace has said only that Kate will return to public duties once she is medically cleared to do so.

The family has stayed out of the spotlight since Kate's announcement, including not attending Easter service at St. George's Chapel with other members of the royal family.

Since Kate's announcement, the only sighting of members of the Wales family came on April 11, when William and George attended an Aston Villa soccer game in Birmingham, England.

William's return to royal duties is a needed boost for Britain's royal family.

In addition to Kate taking a pause from royal duties, her father-in-law King Charles III is on a reduced workload due to his own battle with cancer.

The palace has not specified the type of cancer Charles was diagnosed with, the stage of cancer or the type of treatment he is undergoing.

In Charles and Kate's absence, the pressure has fallen on William, as well as Charles' wife Queen Camilla, to be the most public faces of the royal family.

Buckingham Palace has not said when Charles will fully resume public duties.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(DUBAI, United Arab Emirates) -- Flood conditions continued to impact Dubai on Wednesday, after two years' worth of rain fell in just 24 hours, records show.

Over a half foot -- 6.26 inches -- of rain was recorded in the United Arab Emirates city between 10 p.m. local time Monday and 10 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to the Dubai Meteorological Office.

Dubai receives 3.12 inches of rain per year on average, according to the World Meteorological Organization, meaning two years' worth of rain fell in 24 hours.

The Dubai International Airport, the world's second-busiest airport, said Wednesday it was facing "operational challenges" and advised passengers not to arrive as runways continued to be inundated with water. It said the "recovery process will take some time."

Egyptian and Iraqi national carriers temporarily suspended flights to and from Dubai due to bad weather, EgyptAir and Iraqi Airways said on Wednesday.

Flydubai, UAE's low-cost carrier, resumed partial operations Wednesday afternoon local time after temporarily suspending all of its flights departing from Dubai. There were further flight cancellations, it said.

The Dubai International Airport had temporarily diverted inbound flights that arrived Tuesday evening local time due to "exceptional weather," the airport said in an alert.

All Dubai government entities and private schools were instructed to work remotely on Tuesday due to the weather conditions.

Dubai receives nearly all of its annual rain (over 92%) between the months of November and March. On average, Dubai typically receives just 0.13 inches of rain during the month of April.

United Arab Emirates saw the heaviest rain ever recorded in the country on Tuesday, killing at least one person and damaging homes and businesses, according to the UAE government.

The extreme weather hit other locations in the Gulf Peninsula. In neighboring Oman, at least 19 people died in severe flooding over three consecutive days, according to state media.

Human-amplified climate change is causing extreme rainfall events to become more frequent and more intense, according to the U.S. government's Fifth National Climate Assessment.

More intense extreme rainfall events also increase the frequency and scale of flash flooding as the influx of water is more than the infrastructure was built to handle.

Climate change can increase the intensity, frequency and variability of extreme weather events.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- The Biden administration is conceding the reality of the last six months: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro does not intend to hold free and fair elections.

Six months after lifting U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's key oil and gas sectors, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday it will let those temporary licenses expire -- saying Maduro's government did not uphold its end of the bargain.

That bargain was straightforward – Maduro and the united Venezuelan opposition signed an agreement in Barbados last October to hold free and fair elections, monitored by international observers, and in exchange the U.S. temporarily lifted some of its sanctions on Venezuela's oil, gas, gold, and sovereign debt.

It was a bold move, a gamble -- and a stark departure from former President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign -- with Biden officials saying they hoped that engaging the strongman Maduro could help find a political solution to end the turmoil in Venezuela that has sent one-fifth of its population fleeing -- more refugees than from the wars in Syria or Ukraine.

But in the months afterwards, Maduro's government harassed and arrested opposition figures and barred the opposition's candidate Maria Corina Machado, who overwhelmingly won the primary, from running for office.

A senior administration official briefing reporters claimed that Maduro had met some "key commitments," but pointed to those actions as the ways his government had "fallen short" - an understatement, to say the least.

Democrats and Republicans in Congress had urged the administration to snap these sanctions back into place, as Maduro has clearly shown no appetite to hold an election in which polls consistently find he'd lose overwhelmingly.

But the administration has waffled here as it also considers domestic priorities -- the price of gas and the crisis at the border. Venezuelans have contributed to the surge at the southern border that has overwhelmed Border Patrol agents and become a political albatross for Biden, while gas prices have risen 14% in the past year, according to AAA data obtained by ABC News.

In March, Venezuela's oil exports rose to their highest level since early 2020 as customers rushed to complete purchases ahead of this move -- one that the Biden administration warned of last March – one final warning that Maduro again ignored. But Venezuelan oil production has been low for years now because of "years of underinvestment and mismanagement," per a report by the U.S. EIA last fall.

While the U.S. is snapping back the biggest piece of leverage they had – these oil and gas sanctions – after a 45-day winddown period, this is not the end. The senior administration official told reporters they will "continue to engage in a constructive and in private, pragmatic way to try to move the election back towards a better course," adding, "We will be watching and monitoring very carefully."

For his part, Maduro told Biden publicly this week that he was willing to negotiate: "I will never close the door to dialogue with anybody. I give the following message to the negotiators and to President Biden," he said during a press conference -- before speaking awkwardly in English: "You want, I want. You don't want, I too don't want."

More important, the opposition is not giving up fighting. Machado has been barred from running, but two opposition parties were able to file their candidacies -- one of whose candidates has said he would let Machado take his spot. He has a long history with the opposition, often seen as two-timing or untrustworthy, but after a meeting today, the two sides agreed to try to work together to present a candidate to run against Maduro.

There are many roadblocks ahead, including the barriers to vote for Venezuelans overseas -- many of whom would likely oppose the president that they fled – and with the U.S. snapping back sanctions, Maduro may put in place even more. But the opposition maintains – they are "united to change Venezuela."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TORONTO) -- Nine people have been arrested and search warrants are out for three others in last year's $14.77 million (20 million Canadian dollars) gold heist from the Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canadian officials announced Wednesday.

Police have only recovered six pure gold bracelets worth over $65,000 -- a fraction of the gold that was stolen from a holding cargo facility last April. Authorities announced the arrests on the one-year anniversary of the heist.

Police say 6,600 bars of pure gold weighing over 400 kilograms and foreign cash amounting to around $1.8 million were stolen in the heist. They believe that the thieves melted down the gold, sold it and then used the profits to purchase illegal firearms as part of a trafficking operation, Peel Regional Police Detective Sgt. Mike Mavity said at a press conference Wednesday.

Police have seized $312,000 worth of cash, which they believe are some of the profits suspects made after selling the gold. Police also seized smelting pots, casts and molds, which they believe were used to change the composition of the gold bars, according to Mavity.

They also found two lists accounting for $7.21 million and $10.23 million at two separate locations.

"A common term in drug trafficking investigations, we believe these lists actually show where the money was distributed when the gold was sold by the suspects," Mavity said.

In the yearlong investigation, authorities say they have have executed 37 search warrants and interviewed over 50 people. They have brought 19 charges against individuals in this case.

Canadian police worked in cooperation with the Philadelphia Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which arrested one individual in the U.S. who had 65 illegal firearms in his possession.

He was stopped during a routine traffic stop, which resulted in his arrest. He was later identified as the driver of the truck during the heist, police said.

Police are still searching for a former Air Canada employee, who they say helped the thieves, and two others involved.

The gold and foreign currency stolen in the heist were ordered from a refinery in Zurich. They had been transported on an Air Canada flight to Toronto.

Shortly after the plane landed on April 17, 2023, the gold and cargo were transported from the plane to a cargo facility, Mavity said.

A suspect driving a five-ton truck arrived at the facility later that evening, providing a fraudulent airway bill to a cargo warehouse attendant and receiving the shipment. The airway bill was a duplicate of one used the previous day to pick up a shipment of seafood, Mavity said.

The container containing the gold and foreign currency was then loaded onto the truck and the suspect drove away. The container was discovered missing later that night after Brink’s Canada employees arrived to pick up the container, Mavity said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) -- The United States has reportedly sent assurances to the United Kingdom intended to facilitate the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange -- including that he will not face the death penalty -- signaling, for now, that the U.S. is continuing to move forward with its efforts to prosecute Assange on espionage charges.

Last month, the U.K.’s High Court ordered a delay in Assange’s extradition unless the U.S. could provide assurances on a number of issues, including that he would not face the death penalty and that he will be granted the same first amendment protections as American citizens.

The U.S. embassy in London has now sent a letter to the U.K. Foreign Office, according to multiple news organizations, seeking to address those issues.

The letter referred specifically to Assange having “the ability to raise and seek to rely upon” the first amendment but also said that its applicability “is exclusively within the purview of the U.S. courts,” according to the Guardian. It also states that “a sentence of death will neither be sought nor imposed on Assange.”

It came despite President Joe Biden’s comments last week that he was “considering” an Australian request to end the prosecution of Assange, setting off speculation that the Biden administration may be seeking to avoid a contentious trial that would be fraught with media freedom issues, amid other reports the administration is looking at a plea deal.

The move is the latest development in a years-long legal battle by the U.S. to prosecute Assange over the publishing of classified military and diplomatic materials that were leaked by the former American soldier Chelsea Manning in 2010, including some that showed possible war crimes committed by American forces in Iraq.

Assange has spent five years in London’s Belmarsh prison while he fights the U.S. extradition request, and his imprisonment has been widely condemned by international human rights organizations as well as United Nations human rights officials.

The U.K. High Court in a ruling last month had set a deadline for the U.S. to provide those assurances and scheduled a hearing for May 20 to rule on whether they are sufficient to extradite Assange or if he should be allowed to appeal against it again.

Assange’s wife in a statement confirmed the letter’s existence but denounced it as “weasel words,” saying, in reality, it did not offer any real protections for Assange if he were extradited.

“The United States has issued a non-assurance in relation to the First Amendment, and a standard assurance in relation to the death penalty. It makes no undertaking to withdraw the prosecution's previous assertion that Julian has no First Amendment rights because he is not a US citizen. Instead, the US has limited itself to blatant weasel words claiming that Julian can 'seek to raise' the First Amendment if extradited. The diplomatic note does nothing to relieve our family's extreme distress about his future -- his grim expectation of spending the rest of his life in isolation in US prison for publishing award-winning journalism. The Biden Administration must drop this dangerous prosecution before it is too late,” Stella Assange said in a statement.

Assange was arrested in London in 2019, after he was evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy where he had been sheltering for seven years while facing prosecution in Sweden on sexual assault charges that have since been dropped. After his arrest by British police on charges of breaking his bail conditions related to the Swedish case, U.S. prosecutors unveiled an indictment charging him with hacking offenses related to the Manning files.

But weeks later, the Justice Department under the Trump administration brought a greatly expanded indictment, charging Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act by obtaining and publishing the materials from Manning. Leading media organizations,, including The New York Times, have warned the effort to prosecute Assange using the Espionage Act threatens media freedoms in the U.S. and have urged the Biden administration to drop the charges.

Despite only ever being sentenced to 50 weeks in prison by a U.K. court for violating his bail conditions in the Swedish case -- which has since been closed -- Assange has spent five years imprisoned in Belmarsh Prison in London while he contests extradition.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(JERUSALEM) -- Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some of the Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.

Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.

In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.

Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian journalist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving improperly. "You can see all the soldiers liking their posts," Tirawi told ABC News. "

The images and videos have been condemned by activists, and military ethics experts say some of the incidents captured on video and photos show serious violations. Israeli soldiers are prohibited from bringing phones and filming military activities in Gaza.

"The pictures [and] the videos I saw were taken by the soldiers. So it's not fabricated and they are wrong. Their activities there are wrong," said Asa Kasher, a professor at Tel Aviv University and the lead author of the IDF's code of ethics.

Oren Ziv, an Israeli journalist who was the first to report on the videos inside Israel, told ABC News the posts were emblematic of a worrying trend in Israeli society and its military.

“The loss of any moral compass and seeing the Palestinians as human beings in general…it is a long process for dozens of years," he said.

"Of course, after Oct. 7, I think it's very hard to the general Israeli public and for sure the soldiers on the front to see them as human beings and also to make the differentiation between Hamas and the people who committed the massacre on Oct. 7, and then civilians who live in Gaza," Ziv added.

U.S. officials expressed outrage after seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed on April 2 by Israeli air strikes.

"This week's horrific attack on the World Central Kitchen was not the first such incident. It must be the last," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said following the attack.

Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the IDF, told ABC News that he was aware of the videos posted by soldiers but maintained the army is committed to adhering to its code of ethics.

"This is the army of the people. And we follow the core, the values and the international law. Those that made the video, [and] not just a video about bragging…will be [met] with a punishment, a severe punishment," he said.

A group of Israeli soldiers is seen kneeling in what was a Gaza neighborhood before setting off explosives in a video filmed by an IDF soldier that was verified by ABC News.

The soldier said he was destroying 21 homes to commemorate the death of 21 Israeli soldiers in a Hamas ambush in January.

When asked about the video, the IDF said in a statement that it “examines events of this kind as well as reports of videos uploaded to social networks and handles them with command and disciplinary measures.”

Acts of vengeance and collective punishment are prohibited under international law, according to Professor Kasher.

Kasher told ABC News that he was disturbed by other alleged incidents by IDF members, including one in the West Bank where a soldier was filmed reciting a Jewish prayer through the speakers of a mosque that the soldiers raided.

The IDF said it removed the soldiers from duty who were seen in that video.

In another video that went viral, IDF reservist Leroi Taljaar was seen jokingly saying "everything is fine" while on duty in Gaza before IDF soldiers detonated an explosive.

Taljaar, a South African citizen, told ABC News that the video was "a joke."

"And, I definitely wouldn't put a video up of where I knew that there was innocent civilians being killed," he said. "Me and my friends went through a very, very difficult time while we were there. And our way of getting over that difficulty was making dark comedy. Maybe it wasn't at the right time, at the right place."

Taljaar said that the IDF has not spoken to him about the incident; however, South Africa has now said it would prosecute dual-national soldiers like him if they tried to return to the country.

Taljaar said he wasn't concerned about the repercussions.

"Let's first sort out the problems inside our country before we look to problems of other countries," he said. " [The South African government is] looking for problems in places where they can't really do anything anyway."

The incidents aren't limited to the rank-and-file members of the IDF.

ABC News verified a video showing a drone missile on an empty Gazan college building. The strike was ordered by a general who wasn't authorized to do so, according to officials.

Video of the strike on the Palestinian Institution of Higher Learning was posted by a soldier -- which is against IDF policy.

Israeli officials allege the building was used by Hamas as a weapons depo and said that the general who ordered the unauthorized strike was reprimanded.

Although tensions are high because of the violence of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which was also filmed and shared on social media, Israeli forces must adhere to their code of conduct, Amos Yadlin, former head of intelligence for the IDF told ABC News.

"It's against the rules of engagement and against the ethics of the IDF, and the IDF commanders have a duty to make it not happen and to make the discipline," he said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) -- One of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen, Denmark, that was built in the 17th century has become engulfed in flames as rescue efforts are underway to salvage artwork and other valuable assets from the building.

The Old Stock Exchange, located in the heart of downtown Copenhagen next to the Danish Parliament building, became engulfed by fire early Tuesday morning as the building's iconic spire collapsed due to the flames.

People could be seen rushing into and out of the burning building attempting to salvage art work that is housed within the Old Stock Exchange.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown and no injuries have been reported as crews work furiously to extinguish the flames.

Denmark's Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt put out a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying there were "terrible pictures from the Stock Exchange this morning" and that "400 years of Danish cultural heritage" had gone up in flames.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SYDNEY) -- An attack on a religious leader during a sermon in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, on Monday has been deemed a terror-related incident, police said.

"Anyone with information about extremist activity or possible threats to the community should come forward, no matter how small or insignificant you may think the information may be," the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday.

The government's Joint Counter Terrorism Team has begun an investigation into the stabbing, which was first reported to police at about 7 p.m. on Monday.

A 16-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene after being restrained by members of the congregation, police said. He was hospitalized, underwent surgery for injuries sustained during the alleged attack and remained under police guard, they said.

"There is no place for violence in our community," Anthony Albanese, the prime minister said. "There is no place for violence extremism. We are a peace-loving nation."

Albanese identified the church as Christ the Good Shepherd, in Wakeley, where an Assyrian Orthodox congregation worships.

A video of the incident, which was viewed by ABC News, appears to show a man approaching the religious leader as he speaks to his congregation. The man appears to interrupt the sermon and to begin violently attacking the man.

Officers who responded to the church on Welcome Road attended to a 53-year-old man "with lacerations to his head," police said. The man's name has not been released.

"A 39-year-old man also sustained lacerations and a shoulder wound when he attempted to intervene," a law enforcement statement said.

Both of the injured were treated by paramedics at the scene and were later taken to Liverpool Hospital, police said, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb deemed the incident terror related, according to the force. It will be investigated by the NSW Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the NSW Crime Commission, police said.

The church identified the attacked leader as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and asked for privacy during his recovery.

"We strongly condemn this senseless act of violence that took place during his sermon," the church said in a media release.

The church added, "Such actions not only bring distress bust also contradict the cherished values of compassion and unity that are integral to our Australian identity."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- As the world's oceans experience unprecedented rising temperatures, significant coral bleaching has been reported across the globe, according to experts.

On Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported the fourth global bleaching event on record and the second in the last 10 years.

"From February 2023 to April 2024, significant coral bleaching has been documented in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of each major ocean basin," Derek Manzello, Ph.D., NOAA CRW coordinator, said in a press release Monday.

According to the National Ocean Service, warmer ocean temperatures can result in expulsion of algae that live in the coral tissue. This leaves the coral completely white, known as coral bleaching. Coral bleaching does not necessarily mean corals will die, according to NOAA, which noted that corals can recuperate if the strain on their ecosystems is reduced.

At a local level, storms, disease, sediments and changes in salinity can cause corals to bleach, however, mass bleaching, when several varieties of coral reefs are bleached, is largely caused by increased sea temperatures, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Last month, the average global sea surface temperature reached a record 69.93 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Since early 2023, mass bleaching of coral reefs has been confirmed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, basins including parts of Florida and the U.S. Coastline, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Australia, the South Pacific, the Persian Gulf, coasts of East Africa, as well as Indonesia, according to the NOAA report.

"As the world's oceans continue to warm, coral bleaching is becoming more frequent and severe," Manzello said. "When these events are sufficiently severe or prolonged, they can cause coral mortality, which hurts the people who depend on the coral reefs for their livelihoods."

Coral bleaching does not necessarily mean corals will die, according to NOAA, which noted that corals can recuperate if the strain on their ecosystems is reduced.

In 2019, NOAA and the National Academies of Sciences published the study Interventions to Increase the Resilience of Coral Reefs, which provided "resilience-based management practices" and heightened the importance of coral restoration.

"We are on the frontlines of coral reef research, management and restoration, and are actively and aggressively implementing the recommendations of the 2019 Interventions Report," Jennifer Koss, director of NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), said in the release.

In 2023, a heatwave in Florida spurred an "unprecedented" coral bleaching event in the region that "started earlier, lasted longer and was more severe than any previous event in that region," according to NOAA.

A buoy in Manatee Bay, Florida, reported an ocean temperature of 101.1 degrees in July 2023, according to meteorologists at the time.

In response, NOAA enacted the Iconic Reefs program to attempt to offset the effects of global climate change on the local coral reefs by moving coral nurseries to deeper, cooler waters and deploying sunshades to protect corals in other areas, according to NOAA.

This year's global coral bleaching event follows previous confirmed events in 1998, 2010 and 2014-2017, according to NOAA.

ABC News' Dan Peck contributed to this report

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- As Israel on Monday weighed its response to Iran's stunning attacks this weekend, the U.S. is privately telling officials there: If Israel strikes back militarily, it will do so alone.

It's an unusual message for a close ally that's spent decades receiving more US military aid than any other country in the world and whose relationship with America is often described as "ironclad."

But after months of Israel acting on its own in Gaza -- and facing tough criticism from the U.S. and other allies that its military operations have gone too far – the Biden administration made clear the U.S. wouldn't participate in offensive military operations against Iran, fearing a broader war in the Middle East.

"We believe Israel has freedom of action to protect itself and defend itself," a senior administration official told reporters shortly after Iran's attack ended. "That's a long-standing policy, and that remains."

When asked by a reporter if the U.S. would help Israel counter with offensive military operations, the official said no.

"We would not envision ourselves participating in such a thing," this person said.

According to a second U.S. official, that message was also delivered directly to Israel's top officials in a private phone call Sunday between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In addition to expressing support for Israel's defense, the official said Austin made clear in a very "direct" manner that the U.S. was not planning to join a potential counteroffensive on Israel's behalf.

Iran's attack on Israel late Saturday had deeply rattled world leaders, including U.S. officials who initially thought the Islamic Republic had readied only a dozen or so ballistic missiles. One senior U.S. official described their hand "trembling" while taking notes in a meeting upon learning that U.S. intelligence believed more than 100 ballistic missiles being prepared for launch.

The attack was considered retaliation for a military strike on what Iran called its consulate in Damascus, Syria, widely believed to be Israel's doing.

In the end, U.S. officials estimate that Iran launched some 300 missiles and drones, including more than 100 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles.

Two U.S. officials confirm to ABC News that about half of those missiles either failed to launch, failed in flight or crashed before reaching their targets in Israel.

Israeli's air defense systems were successful in defeating the majority of the remaining air threats, with U.S., U.K. and Jordanian forces coming to their aid.

According to U.S. Central Command, American forces in the region – including two U.S. Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea -- shot down some 80 drones and up to six ballistic missiles. One missile was shot down near Erbil, Iraq, by U.S. forces who suspected it was headed toward Israel.

The senior administration official told reporters afterward the defensive effort was a "spectacular" success, even if Iran's intent "clearly was to cause significant damage and deaths in Israel."

Israel's response wasn't immediately clear. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his war cabinet on Sunday, and top officials said a decision could be made as early as Monday.

President Joe Biden had already spoken privately with Netanyahu within hours of the attack. Biden later joined G7 leaders on Sunday in a statement expressing "full solidarity and support to Israel."

"I think coming together in such a very, very strong way under the umbrella of the United States Central Command, together with the British, together with the French and the regional players, sent a very, very clear message to Iran that you can't get away with it," said Israel's Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Force.

That global support for Israel was a notable shift for Israel after months of criticism its destructive military operations against Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel has defended the offensive operation as necessary to defend itself against future attacks.

US officials said that they believe Iran's attack late Saturday was mostly a failure, and the goal now should be a carefully calibrated response with broad international support.

"I think Israel has to think through carefully what it does next," the senior administration official said.

ABC News' Martha Raddatz, Luis Martinez and Britt Clennett contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) -- A suspect was arrested after a priest was stabbed during a livestream in Wakeley, a city in New South Wales, Australia, police said on Monday.

A "number" of other people were also stabbed, law enforcement said.

A video of the incident, which was viewed by ABC News, appears to show a man approaching the priest as he speaks to his congregation. The man appears to interrupt the sermon and to begin violently attacking the priest.

"Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries," the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement. "The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics."

Officers were dispatched to a church on Welcome Street after a call about multiple injuries came in at about 7:10 p.m. on Monday, police said.

"A large police response is underway and the public is urged to avoid the area," police said in a statement.

ABC News' Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- In a significant revelation, the U.S. military has for the first time publicly named the suicide bomber behind the catastrophic attack at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic final days of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

The identification was part of findings from a supplemental review ordered by U.S. Central Command to build on the military's initial investigation by taking into account information and claims that have since surfaced. The review also found that members of a Marine scout sniper platoon at the airport who believed they had the bomber in their crosshairs were mistaken, and they would not have been able to prevent the attack.

In a recent briefing with reporters about the review, U.S. officials identified Abdul Rahman al-Logari as the terrorist responsible for killing 13 American service members and some 170 Afghans when on Aug. 26 he detonated a suicide vest laden with 20 pounds of military-grade explosives. The blast sent a mass of 5-millimeter ball bearings ripping through the densely-packed crowd near the airport's Abbey Gate.

Al-Logari was a member of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province group, or ISIS-K, since 2016, according to a member of the review team from the Army.

At one point he was detained by coalition forces and held in custody, according to the review official. But al-Logari was one of the many prisoners released by the Taliban as its fighters swept to take control of the country from Afghan security forces — mostly without a fight — in the days just before the bombing, a second review team member said.

ISIS-K took credit for the carnage at Abbey Gate shortly after the attack, praising al-Logari for committing the atrocity.

U.S. intelligence compared a photo of the alleged bomber posted by ISIS-K and photos of al-Logari taken during his time in coalition custody, using facial analysis to determine it was the same person, according to the official.

The U.S. intelligence community went on to conclude al-Logari was indeed the suicide bomber, according to the first Army review team member.

"Over the last two years following the bombing, multiple intelligence agencies have also assessed the bomber identity as al-Logari," the Army official said.

Though the bomber had been released from prison by the Taliban shorty before the attack, ISIS-K would have been able to carry out the bombing either way, the second Army official said.

"They had multiple bombers that were available," the official said. "And this supports the conclusion that the attack at Abbey Gate was not preventable at the tactical level."

GOP congress members have repeatedly raised the possibility the bombing could have been prevented in their attacks on the Biden administration's handling of the withdrawal, largely based on testimony from former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a member of one of the sniper teams providing overwatch near Abbey Gate.

In a March 2023 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Vargas-Andrews claimed his team had a suspicious man matching a description of the suspected Abbey Gate suicide bomber in his sights before the deadly explosion on Aug. 26. He said they were denied permission to fire and prevent the blast, which claimed two of his own limbs.

The top U.S. general in the Middle East during the withdrawal, now-retired Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, told lawmakers of the same committee last month that he was not aware of any intelligence alerts given to U.S. forces at the time matching the description given by Vargas-Andrews.

Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills accused McKenzie of calling the Marine's integrity into question, asking, "Do you want to face him and tell him that before him now?"

"I don't want to face him and tell him that. I want to say that the battlefield is a very complex place. There were a lot of threats that were floating around out there that day. I honor his service. I regret he was injured," McKenzie responded.

The supplemental review team likewise found that the man spotted by the sniper teams did not match descriptions given by any intelligence reports, adding that no specific individual was identified as the bomber by intelligence before the attack. The reviewers concluded the Marines were errantly going off of a description that conflated some pieces of an intelligence report on one man with elements of an informal "spot report" describing a different suspicious individual seen by other troops near the airport perimeter.

They honed in on a "bald man in black" who didn't precisely match any actual be-on-the-lookout reports at the time, according to the review. Even authentic description reports of suspicious individuals were often vague enough to have matched any number of people in the crowd, according to the review.

Furthermore, the review team compared a photo taken by the sniper team of the man they believed could have been the bomber with photos of al-Logari, and determined with great confidence that they were not the same person.

The first Army review official said that al-Logari did not linger in the crowd, but detonated his vest just after arriving at Abbey Gate. This makes it very unlikely even the trained observers of the Marine sniper teams could have picked him out of the masses in time, especially since there was no description of the terrorist before the attack, according to the official.

"I must reiterate by saying that service members were vigilant in their duties," the official said. "Yet, the intelligence available lacked targetable data to gain positive identification of the bomber prior to the attack. The suspicious person identified by a sniper team was not the Abbey Gate bomber."

The military plans to release a redacted version of the full 1,200-page supplemental report to the public at an unspecified date, an Army official said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.