we are not looking for a war with iran. >> we're not seeking a conflict. >> this is an incredibly volatile time in the middle east. we have not seen a situation as dangerous since at least 1973. >> it's currently in a state of mental depression. politicians are not acting, they are only fighting. they are not offering solutions. >> the world has allowed them to keep going because they never completely thrown them out of the olympics . hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from

around the world and the united states. i'm bianca nobilo. it's tuesday, january 30th, 9:00 a.m. in london. u.s. president biden is weighing his options on how to retaliate after a drone attack on a u.s. military base in jordan killed three soldiers and injured more than 40 others. booid huddled with his team on monday. officials blame iran-backed militants for the attack, although iran is denying any involvement. they say the u.s. is the not looking for a war but won't rule out the possibility that president biden is considering strikes within the country. >> we do not seek another war. we do not seek to escalate. but we will absolutely do what is required to protect ourselves, to continue that mission, and to respond appropriately to these attacks. >> tensions have been building for months as cross the middle

east fueling fears of a regional war. a u.s. official tells cnn there's been about 165 attacks on u.s. and coalition forces in iraq and syria since the middle of october. secretary of state antony blinken commented on the precarious situation in the middle east. >> i think it's very important to note that this is an incredibly volatile time in the middle east. i would argue that we have not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we're facing now across the region since at least 1973. >> the three soldiers killed in jordan have been identified as sergeant william rivers, specialist brianna moffit, part of the reserve yupt based in georgia. scott mcclain is following developments and joins me live from istanbul. what options are on the table here for the united states if they want to fulfill their

objectives, but not to etcscala the conflict to wider areas in the region? >> reporter: good morning. officially, if you ask u.s. officials, every option is being considered right now. though some are more likely than others. president biden is under tremendous pressure to put these attacks to an end. when it comes to these iran-backed groups, diplomacy is not an option. for months you mentioned the 165 or so attacks across iraq and syria, and those have injured some 120s u.s. service members, but now the three have been killed, the calculation is different. some republicans are even suggesting that biden should go after iran directly. something that the white house says is on the table, is considered as an option, but it's not likely because they know that would likely start a

broader conflict. and iran has been quick to distance itself from these attacks. even u.s. officials say there's no evidence at this stage that iran ordered this attack or that they deliberate asked for it or looking for escalation. iron may not be seek ing escalation, but if you ask the congressman on the house armed services committee, he says there are groups that are looking for escalation and they are looking for war. listen. >> these militant groups are trying to start a war. that's what they want. they are not attacking troops to strike a trade deal here. they want a war. we don't want to play into their aims. we want to stop a war, not start one. >> reporter: for that reason exactly, that's why he's critical of these republicans

because he says that striking iran would play into these groups. now the question for the biden administration is how to respond, but also how not to make things worse. they say that officials have said that the response is likely to be bigger than previous strikes that we have seen from the the united states. and this one will likely be over several days and be more wide ranging and not limited to one country. it's also clear that the u.s. has a pretty good idea of who was behind this aa tack, but they are not saying too much about the specifics of what they know because they want to preserve some element of surprise when it comes to their response. >> scott, thank you very much. israel's defense minister is warning it will be months before the war is over. during a visit monday, he said, quote, this is a long war, but

in the end, we will break. we must keep going until we eliminate them as a military organization capable of launch ago tacks against the state of israel. jake zsullivan will meet wih with the families of israeli american hostages at the today. this comes as negotiators have agreed to a broad framework hostage release deal. an official familiar with the talks said that the framework has been presented to hamas, but details are going to be very difficult to work out. even still, that official tells cnn that they are sensing optimism. alex marquardt has the details. >> according to most of the parties involved in talks over the weekend, it does appear that progress has been made in trying to reach a deal for hostages and for a pause in the fighting in gaza. there was a meeting on sunday in paris attended by the cia director and his egyptian and israeli counterparts and the

prime minister who then came here to washington and on monday talked about a broad framework that the parties had discussed with initiatives from all of them. it's clear that a lot of work still remains to finalize this deal and get it across the finish line, but a source familiar with the discussions tells me that a broad framework was agreed to by those parties who were in paris. that would uncollude an initial phase of civilian hostages released by hamas and other groups to be accompanied by a six-week pause in the fighting that pause could be extended if more of the hostages are released, including the idf soldiers, both men and women and the botds of hostages still being held in the gaza strip. now hamas would expect palestinian prisoners to also be released. three prisoners for every civilian hostage. that ratio could go up with the

idf soldiers. i asked secretary of state antony blinken about the deal that is being discussed. he called it a strong and compelling proposal and said there's some real hope going forward. >> there's, again, strong alignment among the countries involved that this is a good and strong proposal. the work done over the weekend, including by the cia director, was important in helping to advance this. >> now one party not at those talks in paris was hamas, the ball now essentially in their court. i'm told that egyptian intelligence has delivered the proposal of this framework to hamas and the source who said that the framework had broadly been agreed to said, quote, i sense optimism. cnn at the state department. pakistan's former prmpl has been sentenced to ten years in jail according to his political party. he had been accused leaking

state secrets his party says the sentence will be challenged in a higher court. he was ousted from power in 2022 in a parliamentary no confidence vote. this decision now comes ahead of elections on february 8th. two members of britain's royal family are on the mend after hospital stays for separate issues. king charles and the princess kate were discharged on monday. max foster has the details. >> reporter: a royal wave goo good-bye. king charles heading home after undergoing a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate. the message, the crown is still strong. he left the london clinic on monday afternoon accompanied by queen camilla to the applause of on look crowds. just hours earlier, a car full of flowers for the king's

daughter-in-law kate, who left the same hospital following abdominal surgery and out of the sight of cameras. bucking ham palace releasing statements thanking well wishers for the kind messages towards the royal pair over recent days and eweeks. king charles is set for a time of undies closed home. with a spokesperson saying the print sets of wales is making good progress and is set to continue her recovery in windsor. it will be several more weeks until the world is able to see the princess again with her as well as the prince of wales pausing public duties until at least easter. it's unclear exactly what her surgery was for, however, a royal source confirm ed to cnn that the condition was noncancerous. king charles making the decision to be open about his diagnosis

to prompt men to get checked. his announcement resulting in a surge of people looking into information about prostate cancer. queen camilla told reporters ahead of the surgery that the king was looking forward to getting back to work. the recent and unusually candid health updates from the royal family possibly a sign of a slightly evolving and more transparent monarchy. heavy snow stopped falling in nova scotia for now, but it caused some issues in the province. high winds kicked up the snow on monday. it was enough to cancel schools for many areas, but some residents are taking it in stride. >> obviously, it hasn't been wasn't ri like normal. we're going to make the most of

of the snow while we can. >> very excited to be out. i think her favorite thing to eat. just happy to be out. >> that's impressive. just skiing around. today's forecast calls for high temperatures around minus 3 degree else is krus yus. still ahead, a winter of discontent in germany after concerns over the economy and policies continue to fuel protests across the country. plus israel reveals evidence it claims ties some workers to the october 7th attacks by hamas. details ahead. and elon musk's startup, we'll tell you what they are aiming to accomplish.

ukraine says its troops have expanded their foothold across the river in the russian-controlled region. the river has become a major target for kyiv since its used as a natural defensive barrier against russian forces.

ukrainian officials stress the situation in the area is fluid and russian attacks are not letting up. nato's secretary general is urging allies to send ukraine more weapons and ammunition calling it a, quote, investment in our own security. >> russia's war against ukraine is nearing the two-year mark. and a russian victory would embolden iran, north korea and china. that matters for europe's security and it matters for america's security. >>en ukraine's military is struggling to hold off russian attacks as supplies dwindle. fred pleitgen shows us what it's like on the front lines in eastern ukraine and a warning to you that some images in the story are graphic. >> reporter: all out warfare in unforgiving terrain. forest battles in eastern

ukraine facing a near constant russian onslaught. putin's army trying to breakthrough ukrainian defenses. >> translator: the situation is active and very tense because the enemy has much more equipment and man power, basically every day they try to storm the positions. >> reporter: a dead russian soldier and a destroyed tank show just how close the russians have come. it's a fight for survival and against the elements. the trench cold, wet and soggy, the only heat coming from candles the soldiers carry around gathering strength for russian fire power. they shoot direct fire, planes are flying basically they have it all, he says. but probably the worst are tanks, when they fire you don't even hear it. you hear an airplane when it

comes over, but the tank, you're in god's hands. artillery fire another threat here as we found out when we came under fire trying to make it to the area. this is unfortunately something when we work here in the country happens all too often. we were getting ready to film here and all of a sudden we heard what appeared to be outgoing artillery, but a shell came in. we're now trying to make our way out of here as safe as possible. we also have to keep moving the entire time to make sure we can get out of here hopefully safely. we believe a russian drone spotted us and directed the artillery fire. but two can play that game. a ukrainian drone mite pilot guides artillery guns targeting russian infantry, but also armored assault formations, including main battle tanks.

ammo shortages mean he has to be extremely precise. it's no secret we're starved of artillery shells. we try to work as efficiently as possible to hit the enemy's fire power. trying to fight back any way they can on one of the toughest battlefields of this war. fred pleitgen, cnn, eastern ukraine. russian president vladimir putin is officially running for reelection. his candidacy was approved unanimous ly by the election commission for the upcoming to begin march 15 theth. putin is seeking a fifth presidential term, which would keep him in power until 2030. the opposition candidate is expected to run. he's just one day or so left to submit the 100,000 signatures required to qualify. he says he's collected twice that number. germany's president is calling for a broad alliance against extremism. it comes amid revelations the main far right party is

considering the mass deportation of migrants. those fears along with concerns over the economy are fueling nationwide protests. cnn has the story. >> reporter: i don't know where to start, but let's meet on the street, this rapper rhymes. weekends in berlin and across germany are quickly becoming days of demonstration. these antifar right protesters have a message of light for germans. never again means now as they fear the rise of the far right. never again is now. we have to protect our democracy as society here together in germany because it's under threat. that stems from a reported secret meeting of right wing extremists at this hotel outside of berlin. members of the far right party attended discussing the mass deportation of immigrants and

german citizens of foreign decent. country isside and capital city also collided for the third straight week with farmers furious at fuel subsidy cuts. >> they make regulations that harm everyone of us. not only the farmers, but everyone in this country. we think enough is enough. >> reporter: train drivers have just paused a nationwide strike so they can go back to the bargaining table demanding higher wages. the fundamental cause for the protests are economic head winds. but also the government of his coalition is deeply unpopular, and that is starting to create a split in german society. the president of the german institute for economic research. >> germany is in a state of mental depression.

people have the um presentation politicians are only fighting and not offering solutions. >> reporter: that's benefitting the afd, surging particularly in rural areas and that support is shunting germany to the right. >> germany is becoming more skeptical towards engaging with europe. it's changing its economic p policy, its tax policy, it's cutting social benefits for people with low income. so indirectly, the afd is set ing the policy. >> reporter: that prospect of success and economic fears is one of the root causes for consecutive weekends of protests from the germans. their end to ensure history does not repeat itself. cnn, berlin. new political turmoil in venezuela after another opposition leader was banned for running from president. the country's supreme court,

which is controlled by its president ruling party, recently disqualified one from holding office for 15 years. after that decision, both the u.s. and the venezuelan option asuz ed them of vulting the dea signed several months back. it promises fear and fair elections for some sanctions being lifted. the white house says the government has until april to honor that agreement. meanwhile, they are slamming the ruling and refusing to bow out of the presidential race. >> political tensions are rising in venezuela after on friday the supreme court ruled that maria, an opposition leader who won her primary to run as president later this year, is banned from running and from holding public office due to corruption charges. on monday machado denied the

charges accusing the government of break its word. >> translator: about that ban, or the so-called sentence, the government is walking back on their commitments. once again, they break what we agreed. invented documents. this is judicial crime. >> reporter: in the last few days, both the government of the president and the opposition traded accusations of breaking the deal, which was agreed on october 22nd in barbados. under that deal, it would allow for free and fair elections in exchange for partial sanctions released. but the new ban has seen politicians both in venezuela and in the united states calling on the white house to reinstall the sanctions, which include sanctions on the oil exports of

venezuela. on monday the white house said that maduro has until the spring to commit to what he pledged in barbados and sanctions remain on the table. for cnn, bogota. a judge in south carolina says no to a new trial for convicted murder alec murdaugh. those plans, next. plus as negotiators inch towards a potential bipartisan border deal, house republicans and donald trump are criticizing that legislation and trying to shut it down. to duckduckgo on all your devie

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welcome back to cnn newsroom. i'm bianca nobilo. if you're just joining us, let me bring you up-to-date. former pakistani prime minister has been sentenced to ten years in jail found guilty of revealing state secrets. joe biden met with his national security advisers monday to discuss option how to respond to a drone attack in jordan that killed three american soldiers and injured more than 40 others. and in france, the government is expected to announce a series of new measures to protect french

agriculture. they say the grievances from ukrainian farms. israel is revealing details of an intelligence report on the alleged involvement of some warm workers in the october 7th attacks by hamas. an official shared a summary of their investigation with cnn. according to the report, more than a dozen employees of the u.n.'s main relief eight agency were allegedly associated with the attack, participating in various capacities. they include helping to kidnap hostages, setting up the operations room and supplying logistics. it also alleges that some of them infiltrated as part of the attack. the summary does not provide evidence to support claims and cnn has not seen the intelligence that underlies this allegation. cnn's nic robertson has those details. >> reporter: more than 110 days into the ugly war hamas' brutal

attack triggered, allegations of 13 staff took part are themselves threatening to bring more suffering. according to a document shared with cnn, six employees infiltrated israel as part of the attack. four were involved in kidnapping israelis and three additional employees were, quote, invited via an sms text message to arrive at an assembly area in the night before the attack and were directed to quip with weapons. although it's not known if they showed up. they quickly paused funding. a dozen other countries have followed raising concerns the agency's absence could etc. ka l late suffering in gaza. >> the impact will be devastating of cutting aid to

the organization that is the backbone of services to palestinian civilians. there's no other organization, including my own we're all there in gaza that could take over what they are doing. >> reporter: the only organization bringing aid into gaza, most of gaza's 2 millions depend on them. they provide food, water, and aid trucks are looted. a cut in funding here is feared on a par with israel's bombs. >> this will mean more starvation, poverty and deprivation, this university professor tells us, which u ultimately means more death. this decision means killing us, killing the human beings, she says. this is a death sentence.

this is the only thing we live on. and you want to cut it. they have fired nine staff over the allegations and is investigating two others. one person is dead. the u.n. promising a comprehensive and transparent investigation. israel's foreign minister is calling for the director to step down and cancel a meeting with him monday. as other government lawmakers press for scrapping it altogether. >> for many years we say it's involved with terrorism. they collaborated with hamas for generations. the u.n. is in charge of the u.n. that take care of the refugees worldwide. >> reporter: he points to the icj ruling israel must enable humanitarian aid for gaza.

>> unless it is reversed, the stakes are enormous here. i'm very adisappointed with the donors who spent zero time in suspending aid to an entire organization for the sins of a few staff. >> as u.s. senators get closer to a potential bipartisan border deal, former president trump is blasting the legislation call ing it unnecessary and saying it will make the border worse. other republicans are also echoing the same sentiments. >> texas is the first line of defense against this full-fledged invasion at the southerner border. as joe biden and the secretary refuse tone force our laws by rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants. texas has the right to defend itself but must take a stand for our country's sovereignty and future. i'm proud to stand with texas. >> we are ready, willing and able to work in a bipartisan way

to address the challenges that exist at the border. but the extreme maga republicans have been directed by donald trump not to work together to address the challenges at the border. >> 26 attorney generals have signed a letter to president biden and homeland security secretary in support of texas' fight to secure its border. and in a stunning political shift, biden is promise ing to shut down the border right now if given new powers by congress. melanie zanona has the details. >> reporter: the deal is already facing massive head winds inside the gop, particularly in the house. speaker johnson made clear the deal, as he understands it, is likely dead on arrival in the house. today he put out yet another statement taking aim at one of the reported provisions in the deal saying on social immemediay border shutdown authority that allows even one illegal crossing

is a nonstarter. thousands each day is ou outrageous. the number must be zero. now that's a reference to a p provision we have learned is in the senate deal the that would automatically shut down the border if average daily crossings reach over 5,000 in a one-week negotiators agreed to a provision to speed up the process for those seeking asylum to six months, and also expedite work permits. those are pretty significant concessions here from democrats. in fact, this would likely be the most conservative immigration deal being discussed on capitol hill in decades, and president biden has indicated he would sign that package into law if it comes to his desk. and yet despite all of that, it's very unclear whether it will reach biden's desk. a huge reason for that is donald trump, the republican front runner for the presidential nomination. he's been urging republicans, both privately and publicly, to reject this compromise. in large part, he wants to campaign on this issue. he does not want to have boiden

and democrats a victory. in republicans here on capitol hill eager to follow his marching orders, and that's what you're seeing on capitol hill, which is leaving more security and aid for israel and ukraine hang ing in the balances. a judge in south carolina has denied alex murdaugh's request for a new trial. they claim the court clerk tampered with the jury and say they plan to appeal monday's ruling. murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife and 22-year-old son in june of 2021. prosecutors said the killings were an attempt to distract from and delay investigations into alleged financial crimes targeting his own clients and law firm. in health news a new study found evidence of medically acquired alzheimer's disease. a report says early onset dementia symptoms in five patients may have come from the transmission of a protein that's a key component of alzheimer's. they are connected to a

discontinued human growth hormone treatment. it was derived from cadavers from 1959 can and 1985 used to treat deficiencies in children in the uk and was also used in the u.s. billionaire elon musk says the first human patient has received a brain implant device from his company. he announced the news on monday adding initial results show, quote, promising neuron spike detection. the u.s. food and drug administration gave them clearance to test on humans. this picture from 2020 shows the surgical the robot used to perform the procedure. the implant itself is about the size of of five stacked coins with the initial goal of allowing people to control a computer codes with their mind alone. still ahead, dating apps meant for the gay community in

nigeria, but all too often the result is abuse, violence and extortion.

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just into cnn, iz realliy special forces killed three pal stint yan men in a west bank hospital. the state news agency says special forces infiltrated a hospital. israel says the member killed terrorists linked to hamas. hamas said they were an umbrella group of factions. pope francis is addressing the criticism of his recent to bless same-sex couples. pushback from african bishops was a special case because homosexuality is bad from a cultural point of view and don't tolerate it. the new guidelines have received strong support from bishops across europe, including catholic clergies in france and

germany. homosexuality is illegal in many african countries where gay people face imprisonment and death. in nigeria, lgbtq people are lure d through an online relationship to a situation with their physically or verbally assaulted and often extorted. it's a practice called keto. a warning parts of this report maybe difficult to hear. >> reporter: the his story is hard to hear. raped, abused, and extorted all because of her sexuality. a practice known in nigeria as keto. it began when she met a woman online.

they exchanged messages and soon agreed to meet in person at her date's house. it all changed had when there was a knock on the door. two men came in and things quickly got violent. it soon dawned on her the woman she had been dating had set her up. she's far from being alone. cnn has spoken to 16 women here in nigeria who distrescribe bei lured through online relationships to meet people who then assault and often extort them. and these are just a fraction of the thousands of lgbtq people subjected to this practice here, according to data shared with cnn. it started with pressure from her parents to be straight.

she in with a man she met on tinder, who knew she was gay, but soon turned against her. she was deeply religious, saim sex relationships are outlawed, members of the lgbtq community are vulnerable to exploitation and attack. >> people in the community are regarded as less than and don't have the same rights as everybody else. so it's very easy to take advantage of that. it's very easy to extort. it's very easy to target people in the community. >> reporter: with the focus of law enforcement on queer people as criminals, experts say victims find it difficult to find resources to get help.

vi vicks to online to warn each other of individuals who pose a threat. doing what they can to shine a light on the abuse while many continue to suffer in the shadows unseen and unheard . >> cnn, nigeria. if you thought prices were higher at the grocery store, wait until you hear the going rate for super bowl tickets. that's next on cnn newsroom.

a top russian figure skater is looking at a four-year ban for an antidope ing violation. she's just 17 years old now, during the beijing olympics she tested positive for a heart medication that can boost endurance. she ingested the drug accidentally. her russian team finished first in the competition, but no medals were awarded at the time. the ban is back dated now to december of 2021, when she tested positive. cnn sports analyst broke the story at the time. >> one hopes they will look at the way these young athletes are being treated in russia. basically one sand done. they are just thrown in the discard pile before they hit their 16th birthday. it's outrageous. they have allowed this to keep going because they never

completely throw them out of the olympics, which is what should have been done after that big doping scheme and scandal at the sochi olympics in 2014. >> the u.s. olympic and paralympic committee confirms the american team will win the gold, possibly at the upcoming paris winter olympics. japan will take silver and canada, bronze. they are hoping to get a ticket to the super bowl, expect to spend a lot of money. right now the average price for one single ticket is around $9,800, up 7% from last year. that's according to tick pick. the cheapest available seat is more than $8,000. the kansas city chiefs play the 49ers in las vegas on february 11th. usher is performing the halftime show. it is likely that taylor swift will be in the stadium chartering on the chiefs. seven-time super bowl champ tom brady poked fun at himself

while down under. he was meeting the wildlife zoo in briz ban when they the cameras were rolling and his friend cracked this joke. mean ing the goat exhibit as in dpsmt o.a.t., the acronym for greatest of all time. his friend suggesting the star quarterback of the chiefs is the g.o.a.t. now. mahomes is getting ready if for his third. a painting stolen more than 50 years ago by mobsters has been returned to its rightful owner. the fbi shared these images of the painting and that owner. the piece of art dates back to the late 1700s. it disappear ed in the late '60

and turned up in the 1980s when the man brought the home of a convicted mobster. that man didn't know its significant. when he died, his family sdovrd the painting and contact ed the authorities. ♪ singer song writer joni mitchell has won nine grammys in her storied career but never performed at the award show. that's about to change. the 80-year-old legend will make her debut this sunday. to top it off, she's up for another award. and she's not the only one who is making history. ♪ u2 will provide the first broadcast performance from the sphere. s it's the world's largest spear

call structure with the highest resolution wrap-around screen. it does look pretty cool. the grammys will be hosted by trevor noah and they air on sunday night. that does it here on cnn newsroom. i'm bianca nobilo in london. "early start" is next. i'll the see you tomorrow.