Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happened.
At least 10 have reportedly been killed since start of anti-regime protests in Iran
State-affiliated media and rights groups in Iran report that at least 10 people have been killed in the countrywide protests against the regime since Wednesday, including one man who authorities said was a member of the Basij paramilitary force affiliated with the elite Revolutionary Guards.
State television also reports the arrest of an unspecified number of people in another western city, Kermanshah, accused of manufacturing petrol bombs and homemade pistols.
Iranian media says two heavily armed individuals were arrested in central and western Iran before they could carry out attacks.
IDF says troops killed ‘terrorist’ who crossed ceasefire line in southern Gaza
The IDF says that its forces shot dead a “terrorist” who crossed the Yellow Line ceasefire demarcation in southern Gaza earlier today.
The statement doesn’t say whether the suspect was armed.
Leading Jewish groups blast Mamdani’s revocation of antisemitism definition
Leading Jewish groups, including the two main community organizations in New York, blast some of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first steps as mayor.
Mamdani, after taking office yesterday, revoked city agencies’ use of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which covers some forms of Israel criticism, and a measure opposing the boycott movement targeting Israel.
Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, enacted both measures by executive order. Mamdani revoked all of Adams’s executive orders issued after his indictment on corruption charges in September 2024, including the IHRA definition and the BDS order.
The corruption charges were later dismissed amid allegations of shady dealings between Adams and the Justice Department of US President Donald Trump.
“Mayor Mamdani pledged to build an inclusive New York and combat all forms of hate, including antisemitism. But when the new administration hit reset on many of Mayor Adams’ executive orders, it reversed two significant protections against antisemitism: the city’s adoption of IHRA and critical protections against the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the State of Israel,” the Jewish groups say in a joint statement.
The statement is signed by the UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Anti-Defamation League’s office covering New York and New Jersey, the American Jewish Committee’s New York office, the New York Board of Rabbis, Agudath Israel of America, and the Orthodox Union.
The groups represent the Jewish mainstream and the Orthodox community.
The statement welcomes a Mamdani executive order to have the police evaluate the handling of protests outside houses of worship, a Mamdani order that mirrors one that Adams issued last month.
The statement also backs Mamdani’s decision to keep the Office to Combat Antisemitism established by Adams.
“Our community will be looking for clear and sustained leadership that demonstrates a serious commitment to confronting antisemitism and ensures that the powers of the mayor’s office are used to promote safety and unity, not to advance divisive efforts such as BDS,” the statement says, referring to the anti-Zionist Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Yemen separatist forces say 20 dead in Saudi coalition strikes
Saudi-led coalition airstrikes killed 20 UAE-backed Yemeni separatist fighters, a military official for the group says, after it seized swathes of territory last month.
The fighters died in attacks on military bases in Al-Khasha and Seiyun, an official for the Southern Transitional Council’s forces says on condition of anonymity. Medical sources confirm the toll.
US judge refuses to order release of man charged with planting pipe bombs on eve of Jan. 6 riot
This courtroom sketch depicts Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, the man accused of planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties on January 5, 2021, in Washington, being sworn in, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 before US Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya, at Federal Court in Washington, as US Attorney Charles Jones, seated left, and Defense Attorney John Shoreman, seated center, look on. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
A Us federal magistrate refuses to order the pretrial release of a man charged with planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national parties on the eve of the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh rules that Brian J. Cole Jr. must remain jailed before trial. The magistrate concluded there are no conditions of release that can reasonably protect the public from the danger that Cole allegedly poses.
US Justice Department prosecutors say Cole confessed to placing pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters only hours before a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol. According to prosecutors, Cole said he hoped the explosives would detonate and “hoped there would be news about it.”
“Mercifully, that did not happen,” Sharbaugh wrote. “But if the plan had succeeded, the results,” he said, could have been devastating, “creating a greater sense of terror on the eve of a high-security Congressional proceeding, causing serious property damage in the heart of Washington, DC, grievously injuring DNC or RNC staff and other innocent bystanders, or worse.”
After his arrest last month, Cole told investigators that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election, which Democrat Joe Biden won, was stolen and that he wanted to target the country’s political parties because they were “in charge,” according to prosecutors.
If convicted of both charges against him, Cole faces up to 10 years of imprisonment on one charge and up to 20 years of imprisonment on a second charge that also carries a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.
UN force says Israeli army fired near observer force in south Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon says gunfire from an Israeli position hit close to its observer forces twice on Friday, reporting no casualties but decrying a “concerning trend.”
UNIFIL has repeatedly reported Israeli fire near or towards its personnel in recent months, and last week said an Israeli attack near one of its positions lightly wounded a peacekeeper.
Personnel patrolling in south Lebanon on Friday “reported 15 rounds of small arms fire that struck no more than 50 meters away from them,” a UNIFIL statement says.
Shortly afterwards, “peacekeepers in a second patrol in the same area reported approximately 100 rounds of machine-gun fire struck approximately 50 meters from them,” it adds, reporting no damage or injuries.
“Peacekeepers assessed that the fire came from an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) position south of the Blue Line in both cases,” the statement says, referring to the de facto border, and “sent a ‘stop fire’ request through its liaison channels.”
It says UNIFIL informed the Israeli army about the peacekeepers’ activities in advance.
“Incidents like these are happening on a too-regular basis, and becoming a concerning trend,” the statement says.
“We reiterate our call to the IDF to cease aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers working for peace and stability along the Blue Line.”
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
IDF said planning to operate inspection site at Rafah crossing when it reopens
Channel 12 reports that the Israeli security establishment is gearing up for a directive from the political echelon to reopen the Rafah Border Crossing in both directions in the coming days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a security consult on Sunday, where he is expected to share the concessions he agreed to during his meeting with US President Donald Trump, with reopening the crossing near the top of the list, Channel 12 says.
To satisfy Israeli security concerns, Israel is planning to operate an “inspection site” on the Palestinian side of the Rafah Border Crossing to verify what is going in and out of the Strip, the network says.
It doesn’t say whether the inspection site will be operated by soldiers on the ground or by technological means.
Iran police say they understand protest demands but won’t tolerate ‘chaos’
An Iranian police spokesman tells protesters that authorities understood their demands for economic improvements, but warns that the security services would not tolerate “chaos.”
“These protests of a purely economic and civic nature express the will of the people to improve their living conditions,” spokesman Said Montazeralmahdi says in a statement carried by ISNA news agency.
“The police clearly distinguish between the legitimate demands of the people and destructive actions… and will not permit any enemies to transform the unrest into chaos.”
Settlers said to open fire on Palestinians during raid of northern West Bank village
More than 50 settlers have raided the northern West Bank Palestinian village of Farha, according to the town’s mayor, Mustafa Hammad, who says that the Israelis opened fire on the residents.
Hammad tells Palestinian media that locals managed to fend off the attack and that there are no reports of anyone injured.
نحو ٥٠ مستوطنًا يقتحمون قرية فرخة بمحافظة سلفيت ويطلقون الرصاص الحي تجاه منازل الفلسطينيين pic.twitter.com/b9puuAoaDe
— palgraph (@palestine_graph) January 2, 2026
Iran FM denounces Trump’s threat of intervention as ‘reckless, dangerous’
Iran’s foreign minister denounces comments by Donald Trump as “reckless and dangerous” after the US president threatened to intervene on behalf of protesters taking to the streets in the Islamic Republic.
“Trump’s message today, likely influenced by those who fear diplomacy or mistakenly believe it is unnecessary, is reckless and dangerous,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi writes on X, insisting the protests were mostly peaceful and pointing to the US leader’s own deployment of the National Guard in US cities.
Conservative cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda said protests over the economy were legitimate, but warned demonstrators they “should not be used as a pretext by the enemy to incite sedition.”
A spokesperson for the US State Department says Washington would “continue to put maximum pressure on the regime” in Iran, accusing Iranian authorities of “squandering billions on terrorist proxies and nuclear weapons research.”
US says it thwarted potential ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack in North Carolina
The US Justice Department says it thwarted an alleged plan by a North Carolina man to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack using knives and hammers on New Year’s Eve.
Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, North Carolina, was charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to a Justice Department statement.
Sturdivant has not yet entered a plea on the charges.
FBI agents searching Sturdivant’s home found a handwritten document titled “New Years Attack 2026,” which allegedly discussed plans to stab up to 20 victims and attack responding police officers, according to the statement.
UAE-backed separatists in Yemen seek independence referendum in two years
Yemen’s southern separatist movement says it aims to hold a referendum on independence from the north in two years following its seizure of swathes of the country last month in a move that triggered a major feud between Gulf powers.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) is backed by the United Arab Emirates and has for years been part of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia and has led the fight against the Houthi movement.
Nearly 50 Palestinians arrested in overnight raids by IDF across West Bank
The Palestinian Prisoners’ media office says Israel carried out numerous raids across the West Bank overnight, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron. Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
Israel’s military says there were arrests made of people “involved in terrorist activity.”
Last Friday, a Palestinian attacker rammed his car into a man and then stabbed a young woman in northern Israel on Friday afternoon, killing both, police said. Raids were conducted afterward in the attacker’s West Bank hometown.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society says that Israel has arrested 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem this year, and 21,000 since the war began. The number arrested from Gaza isn’t made public by Israel.
Arab, Muslim foreign ministers say Israeli curbs on Gaza aid exacerbating humanitarian crisis
Fatima Abu al-Bayd inspects what remains of her mother's tent after her mother, Amal Abu Al-Khair, and grandchild, Saud, were killed when it caught fire overnight at the Yarmouk displacement camp in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
The foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim countries, including Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, express concern about Gaza’s humanitarian situation.
The situation has been “compounded by the continued lack of sufficient humanitarian access, acute shortages of essential life-saving supplies, and the slow pace of the entry of essential materials,” says a joint statement from the foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.
Israel has said throughout the war that Hamas was siphoning off aid supplies, an accusation that the United Nations and aid groups have denied. Last month, the World Food Program said that there have been “notable improvements” in food security in Gaza since the ceasefire.
The Foreign Ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt expressed their deepest concern… pic.twitter.com/D7hRPcHFMt
— وزارة الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين الأردنية (@ForeignMinistry) January 2, 2026
Grandmother, grandson burn to death from cooking fire in family Gaza tent
Magdi Abu Al-Khair bids farewell to his mother, Amal Abu Al-Khair, after she and her grandchild, Saud, were killed when their tent caught fire overnight at the Yarmouk displacement camp, at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A grandmother and her 5-year-old grandson burned to death in Gaza when their tent caught fire, as thousands of Palestinians battle harrowing winter conditions in flimsy makeshift housing and the humanitarian crisis persists.
The nylon tent in Yarmouk caught fire Thursday night from cooking, a neighbor says.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza. But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
Over the past weeks, cold winter rains have repeatedly lashed the sprawling tent cities, causing flooding, turning Gaza’s dirt roads into mud and causing buildings damaged in Israeli bombardment to collapse. UNICEF says at least six children have now died of weather-related causes, including a 4-year-old who died in a building collapse.
At least three children have died of hypothermia, according to Gaza’s health ministry. High temperatures in December were in the 60s Fahrenheit (15-20 Celsius), but dipped into the mid-40s F (6-8 C) on some nights.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce. Figures recently released by Israel’s military suggest it hasn’t met the ceasefire stipulation of allowing 600 trucks of aid into Gaza a day, though Israel disputes that finding. There is also concern that Israel’s recent suspension of more than three dozen international aid groups from operating in Gaza will make it even harder to get supplies like tents in.
Palestinians have long called for mobile homes and caravans to be allowed in to protect them against living in impractical and worn-out tents. In Yarmouk, people live in nylon tents near a garbage dump.
Zelensky names Ukraine’s head of military intelligence as his new chief of staff
President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence as his new chief of staff, a move that comes as the US leads a diplomatic push to end Russia’s nearly 4-year-old invasion.
In announcing the appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelensky says Ukraine needs to focus on security issues, developing its defense and security forces, and peace talks — areas that are overseen by the office of the president.
Zelenskyy had dismissed his previous chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, after anti-corruption officials began investigating alleged graft in the energy sector.
Budanov, 39, is one of the country’s most recognizable and popular wartime figures. He has led Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known by its acronym GUR, since 2020.
A career military intelligence officer, he rose through the defense establishment after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. He also took part in special operations and intelligence missions linked to the fighting with Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine before the full-scale invasion of February 2022. He reportedly was wounded during one such operation.
Since the full-scale invasion. Budanov has become a prominent face of Kyiv’s intelligence effort, regularly appearing in interviews and briefings that mix strategic signaling with psychological pressure on Moscow. He has frequently warned of Russia’s long-term intentions toward Ukraine and the region, while portraying the war as an existential struggle for the country’s statehood.
Under Budanov, the GUR expanded its operational footprint, coordinating intelligence, sabotage and special operations aimed at degrading Russian military capabilities far beyond the front lines. Ukrainian officials have credited military intelligence with operations targeting Russian command structures, logistics hubs, energy infrastructure and naval assets, including strikes deep inside Russian territory and occupied areas.
His appointment to lead the office of the president marks an unusual shift, placing an intelligence chief at the center of Ukraine’s political and diplomatic coordination. Zelenskyy has framed the move as part of a broader effort to sharpen the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy.
UAE confirms its last forces have left Yemen
The United Arab Emirates confirms its last troops had left Yemen and called for de-escalation as Abu Dhabi-backed separatists were hit by deadly airstrikes on Friday.
“The UAE concluded the presence of its counterterrorism forces,” a government official says, adding it “remains committed to dialogue, de-escalation, and internationally supported processes as the only sustainable path to peace.”
Israel Police tour crocodile farm, seeking to implement Ben Gvir’s push for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
An Israel Police delegation tours a crocodile farm in Hamat Gader on January 1, 2026. (Israel Police)
An Israel Police delegation toured a crocodile farm in Hamat Gader in northern Israel as they work to implement National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s push to establish a jail for Palestinian security prisoners that will be surrounded by alligators inspired by the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” created by US President Donald Trump’s administration in Florida.
להלן התמונות של סיור התנינים בחמת גדר לקראת כלא הבטחוני מוקף בתנינים https://t.co/d7xibhHry8 pic.twitter.com/cF70orE7UC
— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) January 1, 2026
Jordan bars imams from holding prayers in memory of slain Hamas spokesperson
The new spokesman for Hamas's military wing, known like his predecessor by the alias Abu Obeida, gives his first video statement on December 29, 2025. (Screenshot)
Jordan’s ministry of Islamic affairs issues a message to imams in the country barring them from holding prayers in memory of Hamas’s spokesperson and other leaders, who the terror group confirmed were killed by Israel earlier this week.
While the Hashemite kingdom has been bitterly critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, it also bans the Muslim Brotherhood and has cracked down on protests in support of Hamas.
‘Fountain candles’ appear to have started Crans-Montana fire, says prosecutor
Initial investigations suggest the fire that tore through a Swiss ski resort bar started when “fountain candles” attached to champagne bottles were carried aloft too close to the ceiling, the local prosecutor says.
“Everything suggests that the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights’ that had been attached to champagne bottles. These went too close to the ceiling. From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued,” prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud tells a news conference.
Foreign Ministry: Israeli citizen missing after deadly blaze at Swiss ski resort
The Foreign Ministry says it has received a report of a missing Israeli citizen following a blaze at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana yesterday.
Some 40 partygoers were killed and 115 were injured in the fire, and authorities are still working to account for everyone who was at the site.
The Foreign Ministry says it is in touch with the family of the reportedly missing Israeli national, who also holds citizenship in another country.
Angelina Jolie tours Egyptian side of Rafah Border Crossing
Footage shows American actress Angelina Jolie touring the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border Crossing with Gaza and examining humanitarian efforts.
Jolie has spoken out against the war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre of southern communities, and accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians.
🇵🇸 Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to oversee humanitarian support efforts and express solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Read more: https://t.co/fU7cxvHxuD pic.twitter.com/uEVFOXCATY
— Roya News English (@RoyaNewsEnglish) January 2, 2026
Man shot dead near southern Bedouin town
A 31-year-old man is shot to death near the southern Bedouin town of Lakiya, police and medics say.
The man was taken to Soroka Medical Center in critical condition, but was declared dead after arriving at the hospital.
According to the Walla news site, police have opened an investigation, and according to an initial assessment, the killing was part of a feud between families.
Erdogan says he will speak to Trump on Monday about war in Ukraine, Gaza
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens as Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during a joint news conference in Istanbul, Turkey, December 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he will have a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Monday to discuss peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia as well as issues surrounding Gaza.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul on Friday, Erdogan also says Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing,” a group of nations backing Ukraine, in Paris, in the coming days.
Seven killed in Saudi-led strikes on UAE-backed separatists in Yemen
Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, December 31, 2025. (AP Photo)
MUKALLA, Yemen — Airstrikes killed seven people in Yemen as a Saudi-led coalition attacked UAE-backed separatists who have seized huge swathes of territory, an official for the group says.
More than 20 people were also wounded as seven airstrikes hit a camp in Al-Khasah, says Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert.
Police rule out foul play in Haifa woman’s death
Police have ruled out foul play in the death of a woman yesterday in the Haifa suburbs.
The woman’s corpse was found by paramedics in her apartment in Kiryat Yam, just north of Haifa. She was around 60 years old at the time of her death.
Police dispatched to the scene immediately arrested two men who had been in the apartment with the deceased.
However, after her body was sent to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for examination, it was determined that she was not killed, police say. Her body has been released from the institute for burial.
IDF strikes Hezbollah Radwan Force training site, weapons depots in southern Lebanon
The IDF says it carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon a short while ago, including a training compound used by the group’s elite Radwan Force.
According to the IDF, the site was used to train operatives for planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli forces and civilians, including live-fire drills and weapons training. The military says it also struck additional Hezbollah structures used to store weapons in recent periods.
The IDF says the activity constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and vowed to continue acting against threats posed by Hezbollah.
🔴 Israeli warplanes have carried out an airstrike on the area of Wadi al-Akhdar in Iqlim al-Tuffah and the Sajed hills, according to our correspondent in the South. More than five Israeli warplanes are flying over South Lebanon at a low altitude. pic.twitter.com/DZ2cLhSLBc
— L'Orient Today (@lorienttoday) January 2, 2026
Khamenei adviser warns US intervention in Iran protests a ‘red line’
Iraq's National Security press office, Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji (R) meets with the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani (C) in Baghdad on March 19, 2023. (IRAQI SECURITY MEDIA CENTRE/AFP)
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran warns against any US intervention in the country, vowing a response after President Donald Trump said he would come to the aid of protesters in the Islamic Republic.
“Any interventionist hand that attacks Iran’s security under any pretext whatsoever will be exposed to a response,” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader, writes on X. “Iran’s security is a red line.”
Saudi airstrikes hit UAE-backed separatist camp in Yemen
A convoy of armored vehicles makes its way along a street in the port city Mukalla, southern Yemen, on January 1, 2026. (AFP)
MUKALLA, Yemen– Saudi airstrikes hit a UAE-backed separatist military camp in Yemen’s Hadramawt province on Friday, causing deaths and injuries, a senior official for the group tells AFP.
Seven air strikes hit the camp in Al-Khasah, says Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the Southern Transitional Council in Wadi Hadramaut and Hadramaut Desert, adding that a ground attack was repelled. The number of deaths and injuries is not immediately available.
Khamenei aide says US intervention in Iran’s protests would lead to regional chaos
Iran's security chief Ali Larijani (C) and Iran's ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani (R) attend a ceremony marking the first anniversary of Israel's assassination of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2025. (Anwar AMRO / AFP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Larijani, says that US interference in Iranian protests would lead to chaos across the region, after President Donald Trump warned Washington would intervene if Iran used lethal force against peaceful demonstrators.
Iran’s largest protests in three years over economic hardship have turned violent across several provinces, leaving multiple people dead.
Sirens in north were false alarm, IDF says
The IDF says that air raid sirens that were set off in the Bar’am area near the Lebanese border were the result of a false alarm.
An interceptor missile was fired at a false target, and the sirens sounded as per policy, the military says.
Interceptor fired at ‘suspicious aerial target’ after sirens sound in north, IDF says
Following sirens that sounded a short while ago in the area of Bar’am near the Lebanese border, the IDF says that an interceptor was launched toward a “suspicious aerial target.”
The results of the interception are under review.
‘Locked and loaded’: Trump threatens intervention if Iran kills peaceful protesters
US President Donald Trump smiles before he delivers remarks at a Nevada Republican volunteer recruiting event in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8, 2023 (MARIO TAMA / Getty Images via AFP)
US President Donald Trump says that if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States of America will come to their rescue.
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he says in a Truth Social post.
Warning sirens sound in northern kibbutz
Sirens have been activated in the Bar’am area in northern Israel, the IDF says.
The community is close to the border with Lebanon.
The incident is under review.
Saudi-backed Yemeni governor says ‘peaceful’ op to be launched to push back UAE-backed separatists
A Southern Yemen soldier of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) stands at a checkpoint in Aden, Yemen, December 31, 2025. (AP Photo)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Saudi-backed governor of Hadramout in Yemen says that a “peaceful operation” would be launched to reclaim military positions seized by southern separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates.
Yemen’s UAE-backed southern separatists seized large parts of the country from its internationally recognized government last month in a move viewed by Saudi Arabia as a threat.
Israel asked Qatar to boost Gaza assistance month before Oct. 7 — report
Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi leaves a press conference at the Dar al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, on February 19, 2018. (AFP/Mohammed Abed)
Israel asked Qatar to increase the assistance it was sending to Gaza one month before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre, the Yedioth Aharonoth daily reports.
At a meeting in a Jerusalem hotel in September 2023, Mohammed al-Emadi, who oversaw the deliveries of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from Qatar to Gaza between 2018 and 2021, was asked by Israeli officials to increase the purchase of fuel from Egypt for the terror group’s benefit, the report says.
Hamas demanded the extra fuel as part of an emerging deal for ending the March of Return protests at the Gaza border — a ruse to lull Israel into believing the terror group was interested in easing economic conditions in the Strip ahead of launching the brutal massacre.
Emadi said he could not approve the demand on the spot, and later that month, then-Mossad chief David Barnea visited senior Qatari officials in Doha to tell them to continue their assistance to Gaza, according to the report.
From 2018, Qatar provided dozens of millions of dollars in cash to Gaza every month. The payments were publicly encouraged by Netanyahu as a means to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the Strip.
Netanyahu reportedly was warned at least twice before the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, that the terror group’s military chief, Muhammad Deif, was appropriating funds provided by Qatar to Gaza with the premier’s approval.
Chikli offers Israeli counterterrorism training in letter to Australian minister
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli at the Knesset on December 24, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli offers Israel’s help to train Australian counterterrorism forces, in a letter to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
The offer comes after last month’s deadly antisemitic terror attack on a seaside Hanukkah festival on Bondi Beach, in which terrorists killed 15 people. The Israeli government accused the Australian government of failing to address the growing antisemitism in the country that led to the attack.
In the New Year’s letter, Chikli says Israel is “ready and willing to assist Australia at this critical juncture.”
“We bring extensive experience in combating radical Islamic terrorism and antisemitism, threats that have regrettably become increasingly common, overt and dangerous, not only in Australia but across the world,” he writes to the Australian minister.
“Accordingly, we would welcome the opportunity to host and train senior Australian police officers and security personnel in Israel, sharing our expertise and best practices in countering terrorism and antisemitism,” the letter reads.
Chikli says Australia’s acknowledgement of extremism in the aftermath of the massacre “stops short of directly identifying radical Islam as the driving ideology behind this attack.”
“Similarly, the fact that Prime Minister Albanese and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong have failed to clearly name the source of this violence – radical Islam – undermines the ability to confront it.”
MAJOR – ISRAEL'S MINISTER FOR DIASPORA AMICHAI CHIKLI WRITES TO TONY BURKE
-"Israel stands ready and willing to assist Australia at this critical juncture. We bring extensive experience in combating radical Islamic terrorism and antisemitism"
– The fact that Prime Minister… pic.twitter.com/09hdzh92pD
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) January 2, 2026
Saudis say leader of UAE-backed separatists in Yemen blocked delegation from visiting Aden
Cars drive through a street in Aden, where the internationally recognized government of Yemen is based, on December 31, 2025. (Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen says that Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen’s UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, refused landing permission the previous day for a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden.
Zubaidi issued directives to close air traffic at Aden airport, the ambassador, Mohammed Al-Jaber, adds in a post on X. Yemen’s Aden International Airport is the main gateway to regions of the country outside Houthi control.
Iran reportedly offering sale of weapons for crypto to bypass Western oversight — report
Iranians visit an exhibition showcasing missiles and drones in Tehran on November 12, 2025. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iran is offering to sell advanced arms to foreign countries in exchange for cryptocurrency in an attempt to circumvent Western financial controls, the Financial Times reports, citing documents and payment terms.
Mindex, the Iranian Defense Ministry’s export center, is preparing to reach military deals to sell ballistic missiles, drones, and warships to countries in exchange for digital currencies.
Mindex’s website has a FAQ section that answers questions about potential buyers’ concerns about Western sanctions, asking, “Given the sanctions on Iran, what is the guarantee that the contract will be executed and the product will reach the destination country?”
“It should be noted that, given the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding circumvention of sanctions, there is no problem in implementing the contract,” the response reads.
“Your purchased product will reach you as soon as possible.”
Former NYC mayor Eric Adams criticizes Mamdani for revoking order on antisemitism
New York City Mayor Eric Adams departs court, February 19, 2025, in New York. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Former New York City mayor Eric Adams criticized his successor, Zohran Mamdani, for revoking executive orders on antisemitism as part of a sweeping nullification of many of Adams’s orders on his first day in office.
Mamdani was inaugurated at the start of 2026. Following the inaugural ceremonies, he issued an executive order that revoked all executive orders Adams implemented since September 26, 2024, when Adams was indicted for corruption. The charges were later dropped.
The revoked orders included an order implementing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which includes some forms of Israel criticism.
Also revoked was an order opposing the campaign to boycott Israel.
In a post on X, Adams shares a letter by a Jewish group criticizing that action.
He writes in his post that Mamdani “promised a New Era and unity today. This isn’t new. And it isn’t unity.”
Man seriously wounded in stabbing in Rishon Lezion
A man in his 20s has been wounded in a stabbing in Rishon Lezion overnight, Magen David Adom says.
MDA paramedics attended to the man and took him to the hospital. He is in serious condition, the organization says.
‘Fight against darkness’: Foreign Ministry X account appears to back Iran protests
A social media account belonging to the Foreign Ministry appears to express support for the mass cost-of-living protests in Iran, as a minister voices hope that the demonstrations will signal the fall of the country’s theocratic regime.
A post on the Foreign Ministry’s Farsi-language account displays a cartoon featuring a lion and sun — an image that was on Iran’s flag until the 1979 Islamic Revolution — with the lion’s paw resting on an hourglass. At the bottom of the hourglass is the emblem on Iran’s current flag.
“The rise of Iranian lions and lionesses to fight against darkness,” the post says in Farsi. “Light triumphs over darkness.”
خیزش شیرمردان و شیرزنان ایرانی برای نبرد با تاریکی.
نور بر تاریکی پیروز است. pic.twitter.com/oyz4qpHdpf— اسرائیل به فارسی (@IsraelPersian) January 1, 2026
The growing demonstrations, focused on the cost of living and Iran’s ailing currency, are spreading across the country, and saw six people killed on Thursday.
Another post on the account from earlier in the day includes a cartoon of Iran’s leaders panicking in the face of protesters. The caption, in Farsi, reads, “The destruction calendar they had set for Israel has now been set for themselves.”
Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel posts a video supporting the protests, which she predicts will bring about the fall of the regime.
“Your protests, by women and men, young people and students, mothers and fathers, are justified,” she says in English. “The regime is weakening every day, and these are its final moments.”
On Monday, Gamliel had posted a selfie wearing a hat reading, in all-caps, “Make Iran great again.” She tagged the son of Iran’s deposed shah, a leading critic of the regime.
Soon 💪🏽@PahlaviReza pic.twitter.com/Q6mIvnmtY9
— גילה גמליאל – Gila Gamliel (@GilaGamliel) December 29, 2025
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli also posts in support of the protests. His post includes an apparently AI-generated image of a demonstration, with someone waving the lion-and-sun flag. The image says, “I stand with the people of Iran.”
US Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, likewise predicts that Iran’s leader will fall, and attributes that outcome to Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, which also saw the US strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Losing wars has consequences,” he writes. “Israel’s 12-day campaign against the Iranian regime & President Trump’s historic decision to destroy its nuclear program have exposed the regime’s weakness to the Iranian people & the world. The Iranian people are rising up & the Ayatollah’s days are numbered.”
Culture minister says ‘Gaza is ours,’ Palestinians are ‘guests until a certain point’
Culture Minister Miki Zohar attends an evening in memory of actor Yaacov Cohen in Tel Aviv, December 4, 2024 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Culture Minister Miki Zohar, of the ruling Likud party, says Gaza belongs to Israel, and that Palestinians in the territory are “guests” whom Israel is merely allowing to live there for now.
“Gaza is also ours. We’re just letting them be there as guests until a certain point, but Gaza is ours,” Zohar says in an interview with the Kan public broadcaster.
He has expressed similar sentiments in the past.
Zohar makes the comments while explaining why he is considering denying funds to the Israeli film industry over its giving the top Ophir award, Israel’s most prestigious film prize, to a movie about a Palestinian boy from the West Bank who is denied an entry permit to visit the beach in Israelץ
While Zohar acknowledges having not watched the film, he claims that it portrays the IDF negatively and presents Israel as an occupier.
“Judea and Samaria is ours,” he says, using the biblical term for the West Bank. “We’re not occupiers in our own land.”
He adds that filmmakers who wish to receive government funds should “produce films that Israelis like to see. Not what Europeans like to see.”
Netanyahu lands back in Israel after Florida visit
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lands back in Israel after his visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with US President Donald Trump and his top advisers.
It was Netanyahu’s fifth trip to the US and sixth meeting with Trump in 2025.
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