Jan. 12: IDF says it’s on alert for ‘surprise scenarios,’ calls Iran protests ‘an internal matter’

Trump declares 25% tariff on countries ‘doing business’ with Iran

US President Donald Trump announces that “effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America.”

“This order is final and conclusive,” Trump writes on Truth Social.

The announcement appears to be the latest effort by the US to pressure the Islamic Republic amid widespread anti-government protests across Iran.

While Trump has avoided explicit talk of regime change, he has threatened military action against Iran if it kills protesters, which has reportedly been the case.

Trump said Sunday that Iran’s leadership reached out to the US over the weekend, expressing interest in holding nuclear negotiations. The president said he may take up the offer but indicated he may strike Iran first.

Trump is slated to hold a security consultation on Tuesday, during which he will be briefed on potential actions to take against Iran. He is said to lean in favor of a military strike, while also remaining open to a diplomatic solution.

The president has expressed support for the protesters and has pledged that “help” is on the way, without elaborating.

UNIFIL says IDF tanks in south Lebanon fired shells near peacekeepers, used laser to track them

UNIFIL reports that two Israeli tanks operating in southern Lebanon opened fired shells that impacted near UN peacekeepers.

According to a UNIFIL statement, the tanks fired three shells after “peacekeepers requested through liaison channels that they stop their activity” after moving from an IDF post “inside Lebanese territory near Sarda further into Lebanon.”

The UN force says two of the shells impacted some 150 meters from the peacekeepers, who while moving away for safety “were continuously tracked with a laser from the tanks.”

No peacekeepers were injured. UNIFIL says the tanks withdrew around 30 minutes later.

“UNIFIL had informed the IDF about the activities in those areas in advance, following usual practice for patrols in sensitive areas near the Blue Line,” the UNIFIL statement says.

It also says “attacks like these on identifiable peacekeepers… are becoming disturbingly common. Such attacks are a serious violation of Resolution 1701.”

The IDF doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Non-essential French embassy staff have left Iran — sources

Non-essential French embassy staff have left Iran, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell AFP, as the Islamic Republic’s authorities crack down on protests in the country.

The personnel left on Sunday and Monday, the sources add, without saying how many people departed.

The embassy in Tehran usually counts around 30 expatriate employees, as well as a few dozen local staff members.

Fundraiser for ICE agent in deadly shooting notes that ‘anti-American traitor’ Minneapolis mayor is Jewish; later deletes reference

An online fundraiser for the ICE agent who shot Renée Nicole Good includes a denunciation of “anti-American traitors like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (who is Jewish).”

The parenthetical is quietly removed from the GiveSendGo after prominent figures, including CNN anchor Jake Tapper, draw attention to it.

It still refers to illegal immigrants in Minnesota as “invaders” in a “sanctuary cesspool,” and calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “purge these lawbreaking parasites from our soil.”

The fundraiser has garnered almost $190,000 so far, just shy of its $200,000 goal.

The page says all proceeds will go to the ICE officer who shot and killed Minneapolis resident Good last week, as the latter, in the driver’s seat of her car, began to drive her car after officers demanded she get out of it.

Iran ‘secretly released’ Greek-owned tanker that it seized 2 years ago — monitoring service

Iran has “secretly released” a Greek-owned tanker it seized for two years, monitoring service Tanker Trackers says in a post on X.

It doesn’t provide further details.

Zelensky urges world to help free Iranians ‘from regime that has brought so much evil’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the world has to help Iranians build on protests to engineer change to free them from rule that brought evil to their own and other countries, including Ukraine.

Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, describes the nationwide protests gripping Iran as an “uprising.”

He says the unrest shows that Russia had to rethink its close links with Iran, which have included its wide use of Iranian-made “Shahed” drones in the nearly four-year-old war against Kyiv.

“Every normal person on Earth very much wants the people of Iran to finally be fortunate enough to free themselves from the regime that exists there and that has brought so much evil, including to Ukraine and to other countries,” Zelensky says.

“It is important that the world not miss this moment, when change is possible. Every leader, every country, international organizations must engage now and help people remove those who are responsible for Iran unfortunately being what it has been.”

Mississippi shul arson suspect confesses, calls congregation ‘synagogue of Satan’

The FBI says that the suspect in a suspected arson attack against a Mississippi synagogue confessed and admitted to antisemitic animus.

Stephen Spencer Pittman “confessed to lighting a fire inside the building due to the building’s Jewish ties,” an FBI investigator writes in a criminal complaint.

The complaint says that a review of security footage showed the perpetrator lit the fire inside the synagogue in the early morning hours on Saturday.

The hooded arsonist is seen in the footage pouring liquid from what appears to be a gas canister, the complaint says.

Pittman’s father contacted the FBI to say his son had confessed to the fire. The confession was corroborated by data from a Life360 tracking app on Pittman’s phone, Pittman’s text messages to his father, and burns on Pittman’s ankles, hands and face.

The tracking app showed that Pittman traveled from his home in Madison County, Mississippi, stopped at a gas station, then went to the synagogue, the complaint says.

From the scene of the fire, Pittman texted his father photos, saying, “My plate is off,” apparently referring to his license plate, and “Hoodie is on.”

Pittman’s father confronted him, and Pittman said he broke a window at the synagogue, went inside and lit the fire.

“Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them,” the complaint says.

During an interrogation, Pittman referred to the building as the “synagogue of Satan.”

Pittman is charged with a federal law barring the use of fire to maliciously damage or destroy property and faces five to 20 years in prison.

Report: Armed operatives killed by IDF were pursuing militiamen who assassinated senior Hamas cop

Israel reportedly killed three Hamas operatives as they pursued Gaza militiamen who assassinated senior Hamas police officer Mahmoud al-Astal this morning in Mawasi, near Khan Younis in the Strip’s south.

UK-based, Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat cites Hamas field sources as saying the operatives were killed in an IDF drone strike close to the Gaza ceasefire line south of Khan Younis. After the strike, the anti-Hamas militiamen took the operatives’ weapons, the sources say.

Hossam al-Astal, a former Palestinian Authority security officer who leads an anti-Hamas militia near Khan Younis, has claimed responsibility for the assassination of the police officer. He made the claim in a video statement filmed in front of weapons and ammunition that he said were “spoils” of his militia’s fight against Hamas, including a semi-automatic rifle with a faint red stain that he asserted was “blood of Hamas pigs and dogs.”

Shortly after Hamas said an initial investigation found the police officer was murdered by “agents of the Israeli occupation,” Palestinian media reported that Israel had carried out a drone strike south of Khan Younis, on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line.

Shortly after Hamas said an initial investigation found the police officer was murdered by “agents of the Israeli occupation,” Palestinian media reported that Israel had carried out a drone strike south of Khan Younis, on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line. Later reports said the city’s Nasser Hospital received the bodies of three men killed in the attack.

The IDF said earlier this evening that the air force, guided by troops from the 188th Brigade, killed three armed operatives and “neutralized” a fourth after they approached troops, near the Yellow Line in the area of Khan Younis, in a manner that posed an “immediate threat.”

The military does not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Asharq al-Awsat report.

Starlink access in Iran ‘patchy, but still there,’ says head of internet monitoring group

Some Iranians are still using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service despite a nationwide communications blackout, three people inside the country say, the latest example of Starlink being used to counter internet shutdowns in geopolitical flashpoints.

Iranian authorities have in recent days launched a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, including the near-complete shutdown of internet service, which is provided through fiber-optic cables and cellphone towers.

But Starlink, which beams its service directly from thousands of low-earth orbit satellites, is still working in some places in Iran, despite being banned by authorities there, three people using Starlink in the country tell Reuters. One of them, in western Iran, says he knows dozens of people using Starlink and that users in border towns and cities are largely unaffected.

Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks, says he has heard from people in the region that there is still some Starlink access in Iran, though service appears reduced.

“It is patchy, but still there,” he says.

While it’s not clear how Starlink’s service was being disrupted in Iran, some specialists say it could be the result of jamming of Starlink terminals that would overpower their ability to receive signals from the satellites.

IDF says it’s on alert for ‘surprise scenarios,’ calls Iran protests ‘an internal matter’

IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says the military remains on alert for possible “surprise scenarios” but urges the public not to “lend a hand to rumors” about the situation in Iran, which is being roiled by anti-government unrest.

“The protests in Iran are an internal matter,” Defrin writes in a post on X.

He says the IDF is “prepared defensively” and continues to hold regular situational assessments, adding that it will provide updates if and when there are any changes.

Tehran has threatened to retaliate against Israel and US military bases if it comes under American attack, as the Islamic Republic faces the largest wave of protests since 2022. US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in recent days amid reports of a growing death toll in the crackdown on demonstrators.

Knesset advances bill putting police internal affairs unit under justice minister’s aegis

A bill that would give the justice minister effective control over the Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) is approved in its first reading in the Knesset plenum.

The legislation would remove the department from under the authority of professional prosecutors and set it up as an “independent” agency within the Justice Ministry, according to Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

The bill would, however, see the director of DIPI appointed by a five-member committee, with the justice minister having control over the appointment of three members and input on a fourth. Currently, the director is appointed by a professional committee of the Civil Service Commission.

“The legislation is a central component of the [legal] reforms which will guarantee the equality of all before the law,” contends Levin, following the approval of the bill in its first reading.

“The current situation, in which DIPI is subordinate to the State Attorney’s Office, and is at the same time tasked with investigating police officers, is fundamentally flawed and creates a built-in conflict of interest,” he claims.

Justice Ministry officials, the legal adviser to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee — where the bill is being drawn up — and the opposition have all argued that the changes to DIPI’s structure, including the new authorities it gives to the justice minister, would compromise the department’s independence, politicize it, and politicize criminal probes of the police.

Trump leaning toward striking Iran as Vance urges diplomatic talks — WSJ

US Vice President JD Vance is leading the push among a group of senior administration officials for President Donald Trump to give diplomatic talks with Iran a chance before taking military action in response to Tehran’s bloody crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, The Wall Street Journal reports.

American officials quoted by the newspaper say Trump hasn’t yet made up his mind but currently leans toward striking Iran, though he could shift course. Some of the officials say Trump may attack first and then look to hold talks with the Islamic Republic.

Despite Vance’s push for diplomacy, a person familiar with his thinking says the vice president is open to bombing Iran and views the country as a threat to the United States.

Belgium summons Iranian ambassador, urges Tehran to ‘listen to peaceful demands’ of protesters

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot summons the Iranian ambassador in Brussels to urge Tehran to “listen to the peaceful demands” of protesting Iranians.

“The current situation in Iran is more than worrying. I had the Iranian ambassador to Belgium summoned today (Monday),” Prevot says in a statement.

He says he wanted to convey Belgium’s concerns and urge the authorities in Tehran to “refrain from any disproportionate use of force and ensure that they listen to the peaceful demands of Iranians.”

Last week, Belgium urged its nationals to leave Iran as soon as possible, citing the risk of arbitrary detentions.

European Parliament bans Iranian diplomats, says regime ‘sustaining itself through torture, repression and murder’

European Parliament bans Iranian diplomats from its premises.

The ban is announced by the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

“This House will not aid in legitimizing this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder,” Metsola writes on X. She also praises protesters who “continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty.”

White House: Diplomacy the first option but Iran knows better than anyone that Trump is unafraid of using lethal force

Iran is sending “quite different” messages to the United States privately than what it is saying publicly, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt tells Fox News’ ‘America Reports’ program, amid protests in the country.

“President Trump has always expressed that diplomacy is the first option,” Leavitt says. “However, he is unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military if and when he deems that necessary. Nobody knows that better than the Iranian regime.”

“The greatest leverage the regime had just several months ago was their nuclear program, which President Trump and the United States military totally obliterated.”

She adds that only Trump knows what course of action he’ll end up taking. “The world will have to keep waiting and guessing, and we will let him decide.”

Iran’s Khamenei says turnout at state-backed rallies a ‘warning’ to US

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praises pro-government rallies called by authorities in response to two weeks of protests, saying the turnout was a “warning” to the United States.

“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on treacherous mercenaries,” he says, according to Iranian state TV, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters.

“These massive rallies, full of determination, have thwarted the plan of foreign enemies that were supposed to be carried out by domestic mercenaries,” he says.

British FM tells Iranian counterpart to end ‘brutal repression’ of protesters

British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper tells her Iranian counterpart that his government must immediately end the violence against protesters in the country.

“The killing & brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific,” Cooper says on social media platform X.

“I have spoken to (Iranian) Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.”

PM said to include former top adviser Ron Dermer in high-level consultation on Iran

Former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer was summoned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join a meeting yesterday with senior ministers and security officials as the US weighs a possible military response to Iran’s deadly crackdown on protests, according to Channel 12 news.

The network reports that Dermer was consulted due to the potentially fateful decisions that the Trump administration may take vis-à-vis Iran. Dermer, a longtime Netanyahu confidant who resigned from his post in November, had been in charge of overseeing ties with the Trump administration.

The network also quotes an unnamed Israeli source warning that Iran’s offer to hold talks with the US is “a trap” meant to delay potential American strikes on the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu claims investigation of his chief of staff part of ‘witch hunt’ against him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu releases a video claiming that the investigation into his chief of staff over the suspected leak of classified documents is part of a “witch hunt” against him, amid his ongoing criminal trial on corruption charges.

“They can’t succeed in defeating me in elections, so they put me on trial,” the premier states.

He also again asserts the case against him is “collapsing” and that prosecutors are therefore trying to “extort” his aides.

Haredi faction leader threatens to oppose budget if enlistment law not passed first

MK Moshe Gafni, who heads United Torah Judaism’s Degel HaTorah faction, threatens to oppose the proposed state budget if legislation isn’t first passed to regulate ultra-Orthodox enlistment and exemptions to mandatory military service.

“Firs there should be a law,” Gafni tells the Kikar Hashabbat news site.

IDF says it killed 3 armed Gazans, wounded another who posed ‘immediate threat’ to troops

The IDF announces it struck and killed three armed operatives and wounded a fourth after they approached troops in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza near the Yellow Line, in a manner that it says posed an “immediate threat.”

According to the military, troops from the 188th Armored Brigade operating along the ceasefire line identified four armed individuals moving toward Israeli positions, though the IDF did not say whether they crossed into the Israeli-controlled side.

The air force, guided by the troops on the ground, carried out a strike that killed three of them and “neutralized” a fourth, according to the military. The IDF says weapons and equipment intended for gathering intelligence on Israeli forces were later found on their bodies.

The statement follows Arabic media reports that Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received the bodies of at least two people said to have been killed by Israeli drone strikes on the Hamas-controlled side of the ceasefire line.

Red Crescent reports Palestinian man seriously hurt by IDF fire while trying to scale West Bank security barrier

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reports that a 35-year-old Palestinian man was hospitalized in serious condition after being shot in the chest by IDF troops in the village of al-Ram while trying to climb over the West Bank security barrier into Israel.

The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gov’t accuses state attorneys of failing to seek extension on Haredi conscription enforcement

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs told the High Court of Justice earlier today that the government had sought to request an extension for implementing the court’s order to draw up policies for enforcing ultra-Orthodox military conscription, but that the State Attorney’s Office failed to file the request on time.

In a note to the court appended to the case file today, Fuchs accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of ignoring the government’s extension request in her filing to the court, in which she accused the government of violating the court’s order on conscription enforcement, and undermining the judicial branch.

The cabinet secretary accuses the attorney general of “pressing for a clash of the branches of government and a constitutional crisis,” and of “attempting to prevent the government from obtaining an extension for implementing the court ruling.”

He says that he is filing his notice to the court along with supporting emails and documents because the attorney general had not filed the government’s request for an extension.

Fuchs also objects to what he says is the Attorney General’s Office’s attempt to “present the government’s actions as a defiant violation of a judicial order.”

He concludes by repeating that the government was seeking a 45-day extension for implementing the court order to draw up effective policies for enforcing conscription for ultra-Orthodox men.

The government is currently trying to draft and pass a law to reinstate blanket military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, which would then obviate the High Court ruling, although it is facing significant political problems in legislating the bill.

During a ministerial meeting on the issue on January 4, Fuchs noted that the government was working on legislating the bill, although Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon said during the meeting that, regardless of the legislative efforts, the government was nevertheless violating the High Court order by not taking action to draw up conscription enforcement policies.

France’s Macron slams ‘state violence’ against Iranian protesters

French President Emmanuel Macron denounces “state violence” targeting Iranian protesters as rights groups say hundreds have been killed in a crackdown by authorities on a wave of demonstrations.

“I condemn the state violence that indiscriminately targets Iranian women and men who courageously demand respect for their rights,” Macron writes on X.

“Respect for fundamental freedoms is a universal requirement, and we stand alongside those who defend them,” he adds.

Putin’s national security secretary speaks with Iranian counterpart, decries alleged foreign interference in protests

MOSCOW — Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, held a telephone conversation with the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Interfax reports.

During the call, Shoigu strongly condemns what he describes as attempts by foreign powers to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.

Both sides agree to maintain contacts and coordinate their positions to strengthen security.

At least 648 killed by Iranian security forces in protest crackdown — rights group

At least 648 protesters have been killed in the crackdown by Iranian security forces on a protest movement that has shaken the Islamic Republic, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) says, warning the actual toll could be far higher.

“The international community has a duty to protect civilian protesters against mass killing by the Islamic republic,” says IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, commenting on the new tally of deaths that have been verified by the NGO.

AG: Gov’t violation of court order on Haredi draft enforcement ‘a real danger to Israeli democracy’

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara tells the High Court of Justice that the government is in violation of a court order instructing it to devise a set of policies for enlisting tens of thousands of young ultra-Orthodox men who have failed to show up at IDF enlistment offices after receiving conscription orders.

In a position paper filed with the High Court, Baharav-Miara warns that the government’s refusal to abide by a court order is “a real danger to Israel’s democracy,” as it essentially empties of content the principle of judicial review of government action and in doing so fatally undermines one of the key branches of government.

The attorney general says the government did nothing to implement the court ruling calling for new enforcement policies, nor did it express any intention of complying with the ruling.

“When the executive branch does not see itself subject to judicial orders, the judiciary is deprived of its ability to fulfill its constitutional role as a body that oversees the legality of government actions, and a dangerous opening is opened for the rule of unchecked power,” warns Baharv-Miara.

The attorney general is responding to a request for a contempt of court ruling against the government by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which filed the motion due to the government’s failure to draw up effective enforcement policies for ultra-Orthodox draft dodging after the High Court on November 19, 2025, ordered it to do so within 45 days.

Zamir unveils multi-year plan for reinvigorating IDF after two years of war

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir unveils a new multi-year plan aimed at guiding the military from 2026 through 2030 as it works to revamp itself after more than two years of war.

The plan, which is dubbed “Hosen” – a priestly breastplate with 12 stones representing the tribes of Israel – integrates the lessons learned from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and subsequent war, while also preparing the IDF for its next conflict. Zamir directs the army to pursue two parallel efforts over the coming year: ongoing operations on all fronts and a broad force-building drive.

The multi-year plan is set to be finalized by April 1, with implementation beginning after Passover, which ends April 8, subject to the security situation.

It is based on six guiding inputs, including a diagnosis of the post-war IDF, lessons learned from the war, ongoing war investigations, political echelon guidance, command decisions from Zamir and a resource framework of NIS 350 billion ($111 billion) over the coming decade, with potential adjustments tied to future US arrangements.

The plan rests on three pillars – readiness for war, return to fitness and preparation for future challenges.

Iran summons envoys of France, Germany, Italy and UK over support for protests

Iran has summoned diplomats in Tehran representing France, Germany, Italy and the UK to object to what it describes as support by those countries for the protests that have shaken the Islamic Republic, its foreign ministry says.

The diplomats were shown a video of the damage caused by “rioters” and told their governments should “withdraw official statements supporting the protesters,” the ministry says in a statement quoted by state television.

In Paris, the French foreign ministry confirms that “European ambassadors” had been summoned by Iran.

Ben Gvir claims High Court hearing on his removal part of ‘coup’ by attorney general

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir claims that the High Court of Justice hearing on Thursday concerning his removal from cabinet is part of an illegal “coup” led by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and law enforcement agencies.

The hearing is in response to a High Court filing by Baharav-Miara accusing Ben Gvir of systematically abusing his powers, and arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be ordered to explain why he hasn’t fired him.

Speaking to the press at the Knesset ahead of his Otzma Yehudit faction meeting, Ben Gvir frames the upcoming hearing and wider dispute with the attorney general as part of “a struggle over the foundational principle of democracy.”

“A group of bureaucrats is trying to strip the Knesset, the government, and the ministers of their authority,” he says.

“This is simply a coup against democracy being carried out in complete violation of the law,” Ben Gvir adds.

He accuses Baharav-Miara without evidence of “political persecution against many coalition members, including targeted harassment of the prime minister’s associates and myself.”

The attorney general has accused the far-right minister of exercising undue influence over the police, a force meant to operate independently, and has said that he has violated a compromise the two agreed on last year. Ben Gvir has maintained that he is fulfilling the will of the voters who elected him and branded the attorney general a “criminal.”

Through a “continuous (sometimes sophisticated) system of pressure” on police officers, Ben Gvir has inappropriately intervened in the force’s operations concerning anti-government protesters, the status quo on the Temple Mount and protection for Gaza-bound aid trucks, the attorney general wrote in a 68-page opinion on petitions calling for Ben Gvir to be dismissed, which the court is expected to hear on Thursday.

PA says Mahmoud Abbas, 90, underwent routine medical check-up, results are ‘reassuring’

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas underwent routine medical examinations today at Ramallah’s al-Istishari Hospital, according to WAFA, the PA’s official news agency.

The 90-year-old’s results were “reassuring,” the outlet says.

Iranian FM spoke with Witkoff in apparent effort to defuse Trump’s threats — report

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi contacted US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff this weekend to discuss the ongoing protests rocking Iran, according to Axios.

Citing sources with knowledge of the matter, the news site says Araghchi’s outreach appeared to be an effort by Tehran to defuse tensions with the United States or delay potential American strikes that President Donald Trump has threatened in response to Iran’s deadly crackdown on the demonstrations.

One of the sources adds that Witkoff and Araghchi discussed a possible sit-down in the coming days.

Spokesman for Erdogan’s party warns against ‘Israeli provocations’ in Iran

A senior Turkish official voices opposition to foreign interventions in Iran, warning that such actions could worsen the country’s crisis.

Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, acknowledges that Iran faces internal challenges but stresses they must be resolved through “its own dynamics and the will of the state.”

“We would never wish for any chaos to emerge in our neighbor Iran,” Celik says, adding that outside interference will only produce “worse outcomes.”

He cautions that regional instability could escalate further if external involvement is driven by what he describes as “Israeli provocations.”

Yair Golan says he and his son received death threats: ‘This incitement is organized from the top’

Democrats party chair Yair Golan shares with reporters at the Knesset a screenshot of death threats he received yesterday, directed at him and his son from a “right-wing activist.”

“Tell your son that Yigal Amir’s biggest fan has his eye on him,” reads the message sent to Golan, referring to the Jewish extremist who assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

“He should start looking over his shoulder, and so should you. Traitors must die. You and your son first,” the message continues.

Golan took the helm of the Labor party in 2024 before merging it with the left-wing party Meretz to form the Democrats.

“This incitement is organized from the top — from Netanyahu’s people and his mouthpieces. It trickles down,” says Golan, speaking to the press ahead of his party’s faction meeting at the Knesset.

“I want to say from here to all the inciters and those who issue threats: you won’t frighten us, and you won’t stop us. We will continue to struggle and to fight for the country,” he adds.

Liberman says Haredi extremists who disrupted IDF event ‘must be treated like terrorists’

Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman says that the extremist Haredi protestors who violently disrupted an IDF conference last night in Bnei Brak for the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade should be treated like terrorists.

“How can it be that in the State of Israel, a soldier in uniform cannot set foot in Bnei Brak or Mea Shearim without being attacked?” he says, speaking at a press conference before a faction meeting at the Knesset.

“One can only imagine what would have happened if soldiers had been attacked in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank.] It would have been treated as a terrorist act — and that is how those who attacked yesterday must be treated. They must be treated like terrorists,” Liberman adds.

Liberman says that not a single ultra-Orthodox lawmaker or rabbi condemned the attack.

Months of Haredi protests against military conscription have escalated in recent weeks, as the coalition faces heavy pressure to pass legislation regulating the issue, while the IDF continues to arrest ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers.

“This is not the fringe — this is the mainstream of the ultra-Orthodox leadership,” he says, adding that the Haredi Shas and United Torah Judaism parties must be “kept out” of the coalition.

“If we do not do this, the state will not endure — quite literally,” Liberman says.

IDF has demolished over 2,500 buildings in Gaza since start of ceasefire — NYT

Israel has razed over 2,500 buildings in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire with Hamas took effect in October, according to a report in the New York Times.

The report says most of the demolitions have been on the Israeli side of the so-called Yellow Line demarcating the areas of control in Gaza, with the Israel Defense Forces telling the US newspaper that it is dismantling tunnels and buildings that have been booby-trapped.

Video purports to show dozens of bodies at morgue on Tehran’s outskirts

Video circulating online purports to show dozens of bodies in a morgue on the outskirts of Iran’s capital.

People with knowledge of the facility and the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency say that the video shows the Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Center.

People are seen walking by bodies in body bags laid out in a large room, attempting to identify them. Another video, widely shared by activists, purportedly shows people gathered around a television monitor at the morgue, looking at images of corpses’ faces. Outside, people can be heard wailing in grief. The footage matches other images of the facility online.

Two Gazans reported killed and several wounded by IDF strikes in the past day

Gaza hospitals have over the past 24 hours received the bodies of two people killed by the IDF during that period and of five people killed before then, the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry says in an afternoon report.

The report does not identify the dead or say where they were killed.

Arabic media reported earlier today that Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis had received the bodies of at least two people said to have been killed by IDF drone strikes on the Hamas-controlled side of the ceasefire line south of Khan Younis. They were identified as Mahmoud Burayka, 40, and Atef al-Bayouk, who was described as a young man but whose age was not reported. The IDF has not commented on the reports that it struck near Khan Younis.

Gaza hospitals also received four people wounded by the IDF in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry. The statement does not specify where the people were injured or the severity of their wounds.

Palestinian media reports that a woman arrived at Nasser Hospital today after being wounded by IDF gunfire west of Khan Younis. Medics cited by Palestinian media also reported three people wounded by IDF gunfire last night in the Strip’s north, where the IDF said it carried out an airstrike on two suspects who had crossed the ceasefire line and approached Israeli troops near the Jabalia refugee camp.

Additionally, the Hamas-run health ministry reports a 7-day-old girl and a 4-year-old boy died over the past day as a result of cold exposure, raising the number of such cases this winter season to six. The ministry does not give their names or say where they died.

Iran’s parliament speaker threatens Trump with ‘unforgettable lesson’ if US carries out strikes

Iran’s parliament speaker vows the Iranian military will teach US President Donald Trump “an unforgettable lesson” if he makes good on threats to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown targeting demonstrators.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf describes the regime’s violent response to the widespread protests as a “war against terrorists.”

Iran is fighting a “four-front war,” Qalibaf tells a pro-government rally in Tehran, listing economic war, psychological war, “military war” with the United States and Israel and “today a war against terrorists.”

“The great Iranian nation has never allowed the enemy to achieve its goals,” he says, flanked by the slogans “Death to Israel, Death to America” in Persian.

Activists say over 540 people have been killed in the protests in what they call a “massacre” carried out under the cover of an internet blackout.

Iran has said that if the US carries out strikes, it will respond by targeting Israel as well as American military interests in the Middle East.

Owner of Swiss bar where 40 died in New Year’s blaze is detained for three months

The co-owner of a Swiss bar which went up in flames during New Year celebrations has been placed in preventive detention for three months, a source close to the case says.

Jacques Moretti was taken into custody after he and his wife Jessica, who co-owned Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, were interviewed by prosecutors in Switzerland’s southwestern Wallis canton on Friday.

A cantonal court today ordered him to be held in preventive detention for three months, the source tells AFP.

The fire broke out early on New Year’s Day when the bar was filled with partygoers, killing 40 people and injuring 116 — most of them teenagers.

The Morettis are under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

In Switzerland, the presumption of innocence applies until a final conviction is pronounced.

Initial findings suggest that the fire was caused by sparklers igniting soundproofing foam installed on the ceiling of the establishment’s basement.

Questions are also being raised regarding the presence and accessibility of fire extinguishers, and whether the bar’s exits were in compliance with regulations.

EU says bloc eyeing sanctions on Iran over violent protest crackdown

The European Union is “looking into” imposing additional sanctions on Iran over the repression of protests convulsing the country, the bloc says.

“We stand ready to propose new, more severe sanctions following the violent crackdown on protesters,” EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni says.

Iranian regime holds rallies for supporters in Tehran, other cities

Thousands of Iranians fill a major square in central Tehran to support the regime and mourn security forces killed during protests and the subsequent crackdown, state television pictures show.

People holding the Islamic Republic’s flag rally in the capital’s Enghelab (Revolution) Square as prayers are read for victims of what the government has termed “riots.”

Similar rallies were also underway in other cities after a call by President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the images.

Rights groups based abroad say that while dozens of security force members have been killed, hundreds or even thousands of protesters have been shot dead in a government crackdown.

Coastal land handed over for nature reserve, housing after ordnance cleared at military test site

The Defense Ministry announces it has completed the first phase of the unexploded ordnance clearance of “Firing Range 24,” a site long used as a military testing ground along the coast of Rishon LeZion, handing over more than 300 dunams (74 acres) of land to the city as part of a landmark redevelopment and environmental restoration project.

The central Israel site has been used for military exercises since 1953. Under the agreement signed in late 2022 between the Defense Ministry and the Rishon LeZion municipality, most of the area will be converted into a coastal nature reserve, while the remaining land will be used for housing and commercial zones.

The handover follows months of work by the Defense Ministry’s Mine and Unexploded Ordnance Clearance Authority.

Once the full clearance is completed, the city is expected to gain at least two additional kilometers of accessible beachfront, effectively tripling its coastal strip, while a new residential district with nearly 2,000 housing units is planned for part of the site.

“This is a historic moment for Rishon LeZion, its residents and the public at large,” says Rishon LeZion Mayor Raz Kinstlich. “Returning the land to the public, expanding the coastline and establishing a nature reserve, alongside responsible urban development, reflects our vision for a progressive city that puts residents’ quality of life at its center.”

Head of Gaza militia claims responsibility for killing of senior Hamas cop

Hossam al-Astal, a former Palestinian Authority security officer who leads an anti-Hamas militia group that he says has Israel’s backing, claims responsibility for the killing of senior Hamas police officer Mahmoud al-Astal in nearby Mawasi this morning.

“We announce today the assassination of the head of investigations in Khan Younis,” the head of the group based near southern Gaza’s Khan Younis says in a video message posted to his Facebook page.

He threatens to to keep targeting Hamas officials and points to guns and ammunitions that he says are spoils of his militia’s battles. Pointing to a faint red stain on a semi-automatic rifle, he says, “this is blood of the Hamas dogs and pigs.”

أعلن حسام الأسطل، الضابط السابق في قوات الأمن التابعة للسلطة الفلسطينية، والذي يقود مجموعة مسلحة تنشط ضد حركة "حماس" في قطاع غزة، مسؤوليته عن اغتيال مدير مباحث شرطة خان يونس، وهو ضابط برتبة مقدّم يُدعى محمود أحمد الأسطل (40 عاما)، ويعد من أبرز قيادات الحركة في القطاع، وذلك قرب… pic.twitter.com/3GfEzEP3Ri

— Asharq News الشرق للأخبار (@AsharqNews) January 12, 2026

Hamas’s interior ministry announced this morning that the police officer was killed in a drive-by shooting from a car occupied by “agents of the Israeli occupation.”

‘Mafia-like’: Opposition leaders denounce coalition bill to scrap charge Netanyahu is on trial for

Opposition leaders denounce coalition lawmakers’ proposed bill to repeal the crime of fraud and breach of trust, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on trial for, calling it a “coup” and a “mafia-like” attempt to evade justice.

“The coalition has declared war on a democratic, developed Israel,” says Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid in a post on X. “This is not a reform; it is a full-fledged coup that will turn Israel into a failed, backward third-world country.”

He adds that his party will “fight attempts to turn Israel into a corrupt non-democracy.”

“We will fight this madness in the Knesset, in the streets, and in the courts — and we will stop it,” Lapid continues.

Democrats chair Yair Golan says that the bill is a “truly mafia-like move by a government whose senior figures are evading justice and the rule of law.”

“The message to the public is clear: it is permissible to deceive and to betray the public’s trust, as long as the seat of power remains secure,” the left-wing party leader continues.

“This is a government waging war on the rule of law. We must not allow corruption to become the norm. This government must be replaced,” Golan says.

3 sentenced for looting Nova compound on Oct. 8: ‘Complete betrayal of social solidarity’

Three people are sentenced for looting the Nova festival site on October 8, 2023, the day after the devastating Hamas-led onslaught.

Liran Yakubov, Netanel Aviv and Oz Ruham are fined and sentenced to prison terms of between 36 and 40 months, Hebrew media reports.

More than 370 people were slaughtered when Palestinian terrorists attacked the music festival, amid acts of kidnapping, extreme brutality and sexual violence.

According to the indictment, the three Beersheba residents lied so that they could reach the compound — a closed military zone — and entered abandoned vehicles and attempted to open their trunks.

They stole a laptop, credit cards, ID cards and other property of people who were murdered at the party, as well as those who fled the Hamas onslaught.

“The immense joy of life that was abruptly cut short at the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023, became a tragic symbol of national loss. Alongside the unimaginable horror of murder, abuse and kidnapping, another unimaginable phenomenon was discovered: looting by the citizens of the country,” says Beersheba Magistrate Court’s Judge Shosh Sheetrit, according to Channel 12 news.

“The defendants’ behavior reflects a shallow and inexcusable extreme opportunism, which operated under the cover of the chaos of a murderous terrorist attack, and demonstrates how a national crisis can serve as a platform for normative disintegration,” she writes.

“The looting in the circumstances described in the indictment is not just a criminal property offense, it is a complete betrayal of human dignity and basic social solidarity,” Sheetrit says.

Coalition advances bill to repeal criminal charge that Netanyahu is on trial for

Coalition lawmakers are advancing a bill to repeal the crime of fraud and breach of trust – one of the charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on trial for.

In a statement, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee head Simcha Rothman, coalition whip Ofir Katz, and New Hope MK Mishel Buskila say that the offense “severely harms the principle of legality and the foundations of criminal law,” and is redundant since Israel already has other laws that address corruption, including bribery and money laundering.

They claim that breach of trust is a “vague offense” which has been “sharply criticized by legal experts from across the political spectrum,” and allege, without evidence, that the charge has been used by law enforcement agencies to “police elected officials and public servants for conduct that is not defined as a crime under the Penal Code, and can retroactively determine what is considered criminal at their discretion.”

The proposed legislation would also establish “clear offenses that currently have no adequate definition in law,” including conflict of interest regarding close relatives and governmental insider trading.

The bill is expected to be discussed during the Ministerial Committee for Legislation next week before advancing to the Knesset.

The premier is on trial for fraud and breach of trust in three cases and bribery in one of them. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and claims all three cases were fabricated by the police and state prosecution in an attempted political coup.

The coalition has previously tried to advance bills regarding Netanyahu’s trial, including a proposed bill in October to delay the trial, which Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called “unconstitutional.”

Zamir says violent disruption of ultra-Orthodox brigade conference crosses ‘red line’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir voices support for the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade following the violent disruption of its conference in Bnei Brak last night.

According to the military, Zamir spoke earlier today with the brigade’s commander, Col. Avinoam Emunah, and expressed his backing for the unit’s commanders and soldiers after Haredi protesters broke into an event for the parents of recruits and clashed with troops.

Zamir stressed that violence against IDF commanders and soldiers crosses a “red line” and “has no place in Israeli society.”

The military says he also highlighted the Hasmonean Brigade’s role in carrying out an “important, values-based and meaningful mission,” saying it was particularly troubling that the incident occurred at a time when the IDF is engaged in fighting and the burden on both regular and reserve forces is especially heavy.

Community mourns death of US-born lone soldier Joshua Boone, pushes for military burial

Loved ones mourn the sudden death of American-born lone soldier Joshua Boone as tributes pour in from friends and fellow soldiers.

The circumstances of Boone’s death have not been made public.

However, some are calling for him to be buried at the Mount Herzl military cemetery, a request that is typically made when a soldier was not on active duty at the time of death.

Under Israeli policy, any soldier who dies while on active duty is automatically recognized as a fallen soldier and receives a military burial, while those who die off duty – even if their death is directly linked to their military service – are not automatically granted that status and must instead be approved through a special recognition process.

The IDF says in a statement that it “appears that the circumstances [of Boone’s death] may be connected” to his military service, though adds that the investigation hasn’t been completed and an official cause of death hasn’t been determined. It says that it’s in touch with his family members and working to support them.

His friend Shlomo Isaacs describes Boone as “one of the bravest and strongest IDF soldiers I have ever met.” According to Isaacs, Boone served 748 days in reserve duty since the war against Hamas in Gaza began more than two years ago.

“Whenever the unit he was in went on break, he went to find a different unit,” Isaacs writes. “After October 7, his resolve was ironclad – he was going to protect his people.”

Isaacs describes Boone as a “sheepdog” who was taught by his father to “protect the flock.”

“Through all the pain, through everything he saw and endured, he always had that smile,” he adds. “He was the living embodiment of selfless service and loving our nation (ahavas yisroel), a lone soldier from Idaho who gave everything for a people and a land he chose to defend.”

An Instagram page has since been created in Boone’s honor.

Police declare Netanyahu’s ex-campaign adviser Einhorn a ‘fugitive’ with arrest warrant against him

Police declare Yisrael Einhorn to be a “fugitive criminal,” making the declaration about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ex-campaign adviser for the first time.

“Einhorn is a suspect in this affair and is being investigated for offenses of passing on confidential information, and an arrest warrant was issued against him,” police tell the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court, according to Hebrew media reports. “Despite this, the above-mentioned person has avoided arriving in Israel and is a fugitive criminal.”

Einhorn lives in Serbia.

The comment came during the hearing over the alleged leak of classified documents, police also ask for a two-month extension on the release conditions placed on Jonatan Urich, prohibiting him from speaking to anyone connected to the scandal, including Netanyahu — who is not a suspect — and from working in the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Bild affair was triggered by the execution of six Israeli hostages at the hands of their Hamas captors, when Israeli troops approached the tunnel where they were located in the southern Gaza city of Rafah at the end of August 2024.

The execution sparked massive public uproar against the government, which critics saw as the obstacle in ceasefire negotiations due to Netanyahu’s perceived prioritization of an amorphous “total victory” over Hamas at the expense of hostages’ lives.

Einhorn, Urich and Netanyahu’s former spokesman Eli Feldstein are also accused of taking money to spearhead a public relations campaign to cast Qatar in a positive light for over a year after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, despite the Gulf state’s strong ties to the terror group, and doing so while working in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Hamas operative arrested over Nablus shooting that wounded IDF soldier

Security forces have arrested a suspect in yesterday’s shooting that moderately wounded a soldier in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the IDF and Shin Bet say.

According to a joint statement, troops from the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion detained Zaid Haraz, who security forces identify as a Hamas operative, earlier today. The suspect is accused of opening fire on IDF troops during operations in the city.

Additional suspects who allegedly helped Haraz escape were also arrested and transferred to the Shin Bet for interrogation.

Iran ‘not seeking war but fully prepared for war,’ is ready for ‘fair’ negotiations

Iran is fully prepared for conflict but also ready for negotiations, its foreign minister says, as US President Donald Trump said the Iranian leadership was seeking talks after he threatened to intervene militarily over a crackdown on protests.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran broadcast by state TV.

“We are also ready for negotiations but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect,” he says.

Iran has said it will strike Israel and US military interests in the Middle East if Trump were to carry out military action. Israel is said to be on high alert.

Hamas claims high-ranking Khan Younis police officer shot dead by ‘Israeli agents’

Hamas’s interior ministry says Khan Younis police investigations chief Lt. Col. Muhammad al-Astal, 40, was killed in a drive-by shooting this morning in Mawasi, near Khan Younis in south Gaza.

The ministry says an initial investigations indicates his killers, who have not been caught, worked for Israel. It does not provide any evidence.

“According to an initial investigation, the shooting came from a car that was occupied by several agents of the Israeli occupation,” the ministry says in a statement. “The security apparatus has launched an investigation into the incident and is working to apprehend the perpetrators.”

The killing comes a month after Hamas claimed Israeli-backed assassins shot dead Lt. Col. Ahmed Zamzam in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza.

China says it opposes foreign ‘interference’ in Iran

China says it opposes foreign “interference” in other countries after US President Donald Trump threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters.

“We always oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning tells a regular news conference when asked about Trump’s comments.

“We call on all parties to do more things conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East,” she adds.

Report: Hamas delays leadership elections; sources cite internal disagreements, ceasefire focus

Hamas has pushed off the leadership elections, Saudi-owned UK newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reports, citing unnamed senior Hamas sources.

One source cited by the outlet says the reason for the delay is Hamas’s “preoccupation with negotiations to transition to the second phase of the ceasefire” in Gaza.

A second source says the delay is also due to internal disagreements within the terror group in the Gaza Strip, “which have increased in recent days.”

The elections were to be held within the first ten days of 2026.

Saudi outlet Asharq reported last month that Hamas was set to hold leadership elections that had been scheduled for early 2025 but were delayed due to the war in Gaza. According to that report, pro-Iranian candidate Khalil al-Hayya was the favorite to win.

Katz condemns violent ultra-Orthodox disruption of Haredi IDF brigade conference

Defense Minister Israel Katz condemns the violent disruption of an IDF conference on the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade in Bnei Brak last night, calling the incident a “red line.”

In a statement, Katz denounces what he describes as an “extremist fringe” of Haredi protesters that broke into the event and acted violently toward IDF soldiers and commanders.

“Harming security forces and IDF soldiers is an absolute red line – and we will not tolerate violence of any kind,” Katz says.

He adds that the rioters have “much to learn” from the soldiers of the Hasmonean Brigade, who he says “represent a values-based integration of Torah study, contribution to the state and civility,” vowing that the brigade – and other units that integrate Haredi recruits – will continue to grow despite opposition from extremist groups.

הפרגוד: בני ברק: העימות האלים בערב אבות של החיילים החרדים. pic.twitter.com/JOLtCjelNb

— הפרגוד (@moshepargod) January 11, 2026

Germany’s Merz: Iran’s ‘disproportionate and brutal’ violence against protesters ‘a sign of weakness’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that Iran’s use of “disproportionate and brutal violence” against protesters is “a sign of weakness.”

“We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms,” he says during a visit to India. “This violence is not an expression of strength, but rather a sign of weakness. This violence must end.”

Braverman claims police probe is ‘delusional, political’ as he appeals terms of release from custody

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, files an appeal against the terms of his release from police custody, decrying what he claims is a “delusional, political investigation.”

Braverman was released last night after he was interrogated at length about his alleged attempt to obstruct a probe into the leak of classified documents from the Prime Minister’s Office to German tabloid Bild.

“The bail conditions are extreme, unusual and clearly disproportionate,” Braverman’s lawyers tell the Rishon Lezion District Court.

The top official is under restrictive conditions, including a 15-day ban on entering the Prime Minister’s Office and a 30-day ban on leaving the country, which risks delaying his entry into the post of ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The Bild affair was triggered by the execution of six Israeli hostages at the hands of their Hamas captors, when Israeli troops approached the tunnel where they were located in the southern Gaza city of Rafah at the end of August 2024.

The execution sparked massive public uproar against the government, which critics saw as the obstacle in ceasefire negotiations due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s perceived prioritization of an amorphous “total victory” over Hamas at the expense of hostages’ lives.

Iran claims protests ‘under total control,’ says they turned violent as ‘excuse’ for Trump to intervene

Iran’s foreign minister says that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.

Abbas Araghchi also says that the protests “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for US President Donald Trump to intervene.

Araghchi offers no evidence for his claim, which comes after activists reported more than 500 have been killed in the crackdown — the vast majority of them demonstrators.

Araghchi is speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carries his remarks.

Trump said earlier that the US military is examining “very strong options” on Iran.

IDF suspends grenade-throwing exercises at urban warfare training sites after cadet injured

The IDF says it has frozen all drills that involve the throwing of grenades in urban warfare training facilities, following a grenade explosion during an officers’ course exercise last week that injured a cadet.

According to the military, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered the suspension over the past week, pending the completion of a full investigation into the incident.

Last week, the IDF said that a cadet in the Gefen Battalion at the Bahad 1 officers’ school was seriously injured during a training exercise in the north.

Iran internet blackout has now lasted over 84 hours, monitor says

The Iranian regime’s nationwide shutdown of the internet during protests remains in place and has now lasted more than 84 hours, monitor Netblocks says.

The monitor suggests that activists try to find a way to use shortwave radio, cell towers at borders, Starlink terminals or direct-to-cell satellite.

Activists have warned that the Iranian regime is using the communications blackout as cover for the mass killing of protesters.

Iran summons British ambassador over protesters removing flag at London embassy

Iran summons the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.

Iranian state television also says that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.”

The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both of which have long have been targeted by Iran.

Ministers instructed not to speak publicly about potential external intervention in Iran – report

Government ministers have been instructed not to speak publicly about potential external intervention in the Iranian protests, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Israel is said to be on high alert after Tehran warned it would hit Israel and US military interests in the Middle East if US President Donald Trump were to strike Iran.

There are no indications that Israel is considering involvement.

The Kan report notes that Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel has posted in support of the protests and has ties with Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Earlier, Trump said the the US military is “looking at some very strong options” of actions to take against Iran against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters.

Activists say that at least 538 people had been killed since December 28.

Australia recalls parliament early to pass hate speech laws after Bondi Hanukkah terror attack

Australia’s parliament will reopen two weeks early to crack down on hate crimes and gun ownership following the terror attack targeting a Jewish event at Bondi Beach, the government says.

Australia has flagged a suite of reforms to hate crime and gun laws since the December 14 attack that killed 15 people — the country’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will recall both houses of parliament for a sitting from January 19-20 to pass the new legislation and offer condolences to the victims.

Members of parliament had been scheduled to return from their summer break on February 3.

“The terrorists at Bondi Beach had hatred in their minds but guns in their hands — this law will deal with both,” Albanese tells a news conference.

The legislation will create new offenses for “hate preachers,” stiffen hate crime penalties, expand a ban on prohibited symbols, and set the framework for a new list of banned hate groups.

It will allow the home affairs minister to reject or cancel visas for people intending to spread hatred, the prime minister says.

The laws will enable the launch of a national guns buyback scheme, the largest since Australia last targeted firearms following a mass shooting in 1996 that killed 35 people at Port Arthur, Tasmania.

Stricter checks would also be imposed for gun licenses, the government says.

Details of the draft laws are to be released publicly tomorrow.

Last week, the government announced a royal commission inquiry into the Bondi Beach terror attack. The federal royal commission — the highest level of government inquiry — will probe everything from intelligence failures to the prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.

‘We don’t need them. We don’t like them’: Trump says MAGA has no room for antisemites

US President Donald Trump says there is no room in his MAGA movement or the Republican Party for antisemites.

“I think we don’t need them. I think we don’t like them,” Trump tells The New York Times in an interview last week, whose full transcript was published on Sunday.

Asked if he condemns those in the conservative movement who have been espousing antisemitic views, Trump says, “certainly.”

“If you talk about the antisemitic views, there’s been nobody better for us. As an example, I just got the Israel award, which is the biggest award they give. It was just given to me. First time it was ever given to anybody outside of Israel,” he says.

Asked if he’ll condemn the far-right shock-jock and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, Trump says he doesn’t know who he is. One of the interviewers reminds him that he dined with Fuentes along with Kanye West in 2022.

“I had dinner with him, one time, where he came as a guest of Kanye West. I didn’t know who he was bringing. He said, ‘Do you mind if I bring a friend?’ I said, ‘I don’t care.’ And it was Nick Fuentes? I don’t know Nick Fuentes.”

Trump is then pressed on Paul Ingrassia, who he appointed deputy general counsel of the General Services Administration, even after a series of his offensive text messages, including one expressing sympathy for Nazism, were made public.

“I don’t know that. It’s possible. I have thousands of people working here,” Trump says.

“I have a daughter who’s married to a Jewish person. My daughter happens to be Jewish, beautiful, three grandchildren are Jewish. I’m very proud of them. I’m very proud of that whole family. I am the least antisemitic person probably there is anywhere in the world,” he adds.

Timothee Chalamet wins best comedy actor Golden Globe for ‘Marty Supreme’

Timothee Chalamet on Sunday won the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy film for his portrayal of an ambitious 1950s table tennis player in “Marty Supreme.”

The Jewish-American Chalamet won in a tough category that included Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle After Another”), George Clooney (“Jay Kelly”), Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”), Lee Byung-hun (“No Other Choice”) and Jesse Plemons (“Bugonia”).

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a Jewish kid working at a shoe store who aspires to be the best table tennis pro in the world. The character is loosely based on a real-life player, Marty Reisman, but the movie is just as much a reflection of Chalamet and Safdie’s own whatever-it-takes ambitions.

Powell says Federal Reserve subpoenaed by Trump Justice Department

Fed chair Jerome Powell reveals that the Justice Department has subpoenaed the US central bank, blasting the move as part of President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign.

“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” Powell says in a statement late Sunday.

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: https://t.co/5dfrkByGyX pic.twitter.com/O4ecNaYaGH

— Federal Reserve (@federalreserve) January 12, 2026

Trump: US military ‘looking at very strong options’ on Iran amid protester deaths

US President Donald Trump says the US military is “looking at some very strong options” of actions to take against Iran against the backdrop of the regime’s killing of protesters.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump is asked whether the regime has crossed his red line, given that he has pledged to target the Islamic Republic if it kills protesters.

“They’re starting to [cross it]. It looks like [it]. There seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed… They rule through violence,” he responds.

“We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he says, adding that he is receiving hourly updates on developments at the protests.

Trump says he will soon speak to Elon Musk about potentially getting his Starlink satellite internet service fully operational in Iran to assist the protesters who have been dealing with a government-ordered blackout since late last week.

Some protesters have managed to gain access to the internet via Starlink terminals smuggled into the country, but the service is not officially operational in Iran.

While Iran has indicated it could target US military and commercial bases if Washington attacks, Trump says, “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before… I have options that are so strong.”

Later during the gaggle, Trump claims that Iran reached out to the US yesterday and proposed holding another round of nuclear talks.

“A meeting is being set up… They want to negotiate,” he says before adding, “we may have to act before a meeting.”

Asked for an update on the Gaza Board of Peace, given reported plans to unveil the panel this week, Trump avoids offering a timeline. His administration had initially planned to unveil the Board of Peace last month but has several times pushed off the announcement.

Truck plows into Los Angeles rally in support of Iran demonstrators

A truck plowed into a crowd gathered in Los Angeles to show support for Iranian protesters, the KNBC news outlet reports.

The outlet reports that hundreds of people marched in Westwood, a Los Angeles suburb.

It is not immediately clear if there were any injuries.

Reports that a U-Haul truck rammed its way through an anti-Iranian regime protest in Los Angeles this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/QrOjCIJyXO

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 12, 2026

Exiled crown prince says those cracking down on Iran protests are ‘legitimate targets’

Reza Pahlavi, an Iranian opposition figure and son of the deposed shah, announces a new stage in the effort “to overthrow the Islamic Republic and reclaim our dear Iran.”

“In addition to seizing and holding the central streets of cities, all institutions and apparatuses responsible for the regime’s false propaganda and cutting off communications are considered legitimate targets,” he says in a video statement.

“Government employees, and the armed and security forces, have the opportunity to join the people… or choose complicity with the murderers of the nation,” he says.

Pahlavi says all Iranian diplomatic missions abroad should wave the flag that was used before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A protester managed to briefly replace the Islamic Republic flag at its London embassy with that older version, and Pahlavi appears to back similar actions elsewhere, arguing that those offices belong to the people of Iran, not the regime.

ملت عزیز ایران، هم‌وطنان شجاعم،

شما در دو هفته گذشته بویژه در چهار روز اخیر با تظاهرات میلیونی، پایه‌های رژیم نامشروع جمهوری اسلامی را به لرزه در آورده‌اید. اینک، با اتکا به پاسخ میلیونی شما به فراخوان‌های روزهای گذشته، و با مشروعیت و مقبولیتی که از شما دریافت کرده‌ام، مرحله… pic.twitter.com/mZNo2wLlSg

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 11, 2026

“We are on the verge of reclaiming our dear Iran from the Islamic Republic. Khamenei and his regime have suffered several heavy blows from you, and we must not give them a chance to catch their breath again,” the son of the former shah says.

“The regime is facing a serious shortage of repressive forces, and the increased shooting at [protesters] is not out of strength, but due to a lack of mercenaries and fear of accelerating their downfall. We will not allow these criminals to shed more of our youth’s blood on the ground.”

“The freedom of Iran is near. The blood spilled of Iran’s immortal children guides us toward victory. We are not alone. Global assistance will arrive soon as well,” Pahlavi adds.

Pahlavi is seen as a figure uniting many of the protesters, but not all support his family’s return to power.

Meta urges Australia to change world-first teen social media ban

Tech giant Meta urges Australia to rethink its world-first social media ban for under-16s, while reporting that it has blocked more than 544,000 accounts under the new law.

Australia has required big platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube to stop underage users from holding accounts since the legislation came into force on December 10 last year.

Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$33 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply.

Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta says it had removed 331,000 underage accounts from Instagram, 173,000 from Facebook, and 40,000 from Threads in the week to December 11.

The company says it was committed to complying with the law.

“That said, we call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans,” it says in statement.

Meta renewed an earlier call for app stores to be required to verify people’s ages and get parental approval before under-16s can download an app.

This was the only way to avoid a “whack-a-mole” race to stop teens migrating to new apps to avoid the ban, the company claims.

Meta says parents and experts are worried about the ban isolating young people from online communities, and driving some to less regulated apps and darker corners of the internet.

Ultra-Orthodox protesters storm conference of Haredi IDF brigade in Bnei Brak

Extremist Haredi protesters broke into an IDF conference on its ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade in the city of Bnei Brak.

The IDF says that the event was held for the parents of recruits to the brigade, and “some of the protesters acted violently toward the brigade’s soldiers and commanders.”

The military says that police were called to the scene and managed to restore order.

“The IDF strongly condemns any act of violence against its commanders and soldiers,” it adds.

News outlets say that two soldiers were lightly hurt in the clashes and that the brigade’s commander, Col. Avinoam Emunah, was escorted out to safety by police amid the scuffle.

הפרגוד: בני ברק: העימות האלים בערב אבות של החיילים החרדים. pic.twitter.com/JOLtCjelNb

— הפרגוד (@moshepargod) January 11, 2026