TOP STORIES
Hamas Leader Killed in Beirut Was Linchpin of Relations With Iran, Hezbollah | Wall Street Journal
The killing on Tuesday night of a senior Hamas leader marked the biggest hit to the group’s top leadership in years, taking out a key player who was responsible for aligning the Palestinian militant group with Iran and Iran’s proxy Hezbollah. Saleh al-Arouri was killed in Beirut in a suspected Israeli strike, although Israel hasn’t officially claimed responsibility. The death of Arouri, a Hamas political leader known for his diplomatic abilities and who helped establish the organization’s military wing in the 1980s, represents a symbolic and operational blow to the Islamist, Palestinian nationalist group.
Who Was Saleh Al-Arouri, The Senior Hamas Leader Killed In Beirut? | New York Times
Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy Hamas leader who the group said was assassinated in a suburb of Beirut on Tuesday, was accused of masterminding attacks on Israel and had helped usher in a closer relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon. The chief of Hamas’s West Bank operations, Mr. al-Arouri was killed in an explosion that also killed two leaders of its armed wing, Hamas said, blaming a “Zionist raid.”
More Than 100 Killed In 'Terrorist Attacks' Near Tomb Of Iranian Guards' Soleimani | Reuters
Two explosions caused by 'terrorist attacks' killed more than 100 people and wounded scores at a ceremony in Iran to commemorate top commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed by a U.S. drone in 2020, Iranian officials said on Wednesday. Iranian state television reported a first and then a second blast during an anniversary event at the cemetery where Soleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman. An unnamed official told the state news agency IRNA that "Two explosive devices planted along the road leading to Kerman's Martyrs' Cemetery were detonated remotely by terrorists".
UANI IN THE NEWS
Israel At War – Day 88 | i24 News
Following the report that Deputy Head of Hamas, Saleh Al Arouri, was killed in the Beirut explosion @UANI's @JasonMBrodsky explains Al-Arouri’s significance and says: ‘This will definitely serve as a warning shot to Hezbollah’
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran Says Prospect for Talks Over Nuclear Deal ‘Still Exists’ | Bloomberg
Iran said it is open to fresh talks around its nuclear program with world powers that had been overshadowed by the deadly war in Gaza. “The diplomatic environment to hold a new round of talks still exists,” Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said in a press conference in Tehran on Monday. “We have no problem with a new round of talks within the framework of our red lines.”
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Iranian With Terrorist Ties Apprehended At Northern Border | Washington Examiner
An Iranian with terrorist ties was caught after illegally entering the U.S. near Niagara Falls, New York, as a record number of known, suspected terrorists (KSTs) were apprehended in the first three months of fiscal 2024 at the northern border. After the Iranian was apprehended, agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations-Buffalo office removed him on Dec. 21. The Iranian national first attempted to enter the U.S. on Oct. 10 by presenting himself to American immigration authorities at the Rainbow Bridge Pedestrian Walkway in Niagara Falls, New York. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers denied him entry and returned him to the Canada Border Services Agency the same day.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Spaniard Released From Year Imprisoned In Iran Says He Is Planning A Return | Reuters
A Spanish soccer fan who returned to Spain on Tuesday after spending more than a year detained by the Iranian authorities on espionage charges told reporters at the airport he was already planning his return to the Islamic Republic. Santiago Sanchez, who set out to walk to the Qatar World Cup from Spain, entered Iran on his way and was detained after visiting and photographing the burial site of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested for allegedly flouting mandatory dress code and died in custody.
Iran Reportedly Executes Kurdish Prisoner Of Conscience | Radio Free Europe
Dawood Abdullahi, a Kurdish prisoner of conscience, has been executed in Iran's Qazalhasar prison, local media reports said, after spending more than 14 years in prison. The Ha-Ngao and Kurdpa news outlets reported on January 2 that Abdullahi was executed at the prison in Karaj and that his body has been handed over to family members. News of the execution came just days after Abdullahi's family said they met with him before he was transferred to solitary confinement, often a step indicating a prisoner's death sentence is about to be carried out, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Iranian Daily Brands Russia Disloyal | Iran International
The conservative Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami has issued a warning to government officials cautioning against an over-reliance on Moscow. The newspaper criticizes Russia's recent alignment with the United Arab Emirates in denying Iran's territorial integrity over the disputed Persian Gulf islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. The hardline daily said that "despite claims of friendship" Russia's support for the UAE is "characterized as unanticipated betrayals, prioritizing their interests over diplomatic alliances".
Iran Says Killing Of Top Hamas Official Will Ignite Further Resistance Against Israel | Al Arabiya
Iran said the killing of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday in an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon will further ignite the resistance against Israel, state media reported. “The martyr’s blood will undoubtedly ignite another surge in the veins of resistance and the motivation to fight against the Zionist occupiers, not only in Palestine but also in the region and among all freedom-seekers worldwide,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Iran’s Red Sea Power Play Raises Fears of Trade Disruption | Bloomberg
Iran’s dispatch of a warship to the Red Sea is its most audacious move yet to challenge US forces in the key trade route, emboldening Houthi militants whose missiles have disrupted shipping over the past two months. Tehran is unlikely to want direct confrontation — its old frigate being no match for the US-led maritime task force patrolling the waters off Yemen — but it takes the projection of Iranian power in the region to another level. That’s raising tensions after the Houthis started attacking vessels they claimed were headed to or owned by firms in Israel in a bid to end the military assault on Gaza.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have "declared war on the West" with their terror attacks in the Red Sea, a former US ambassador has said, as he warned “self-defence” won’t be enough to deter the militia. His comments come after the first deadly clash between the US and Tehran’s terror proxy took place in Yemen early on Sunday. The US Navy scrambled attack helicopters after a Maersk container vessel sent out distress calls that it was under fire from the Houthis. The militia then focused their fire on the choppers before the birds returned fire, sinking three ships and killing 10 fighters.