Turkish President Erdogan warns that the peacekeeping mission in Gaza will fail without Turkish participation. In an interview with Bloomberg, Erdogan stated that an international stabilization mission in Gaza would have difficulty gaining legitimacy and trust among the Palestinians without Turkey’s participation: “We are in a key position for such a mission thanks to our historical ties with the Palestinians, the diplomatic and security channels we have. We had relations with Israel in the past, and our regional influence as a NATO member was considerable.”
The President of Azerbaijan, on the other hand, stated: “We will not send troops to the International Security Forces (ISF), which will operate in Gaza. From my point of view, we do not consider the possibility of participating in wars outside of Azerbaijan. We do not intend to risk the lives and health of Azerbaijani citizens for the sake of others.”
The Jerusalem Post has received several reports that the United States is considering intervention in the ongoing protests in Iran, and Israel is also trying to determine whether the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will allow it to act against the Iranian government.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, commenting on the words of Israel not to attack Iran, said: “What drives the enemy, while confronting the Iranian people in the Twelve-Day War, to first call for a ceasefire, and then return and send a message that he ‘does not want to fight,’ despite our awareness of his malign, deceitful, and mendacious nature, and our lack of faith in his claims?” The demonstrations in Iran continue for the 11th day.
Tensions are also high on the Lebanese border: “The Israeli army is currently awaiting a decision from “The political leadership has expressed concern about action against Hezbollah and says it is fully prepared for any large-scale operation.” Source: Israeli media.
IDF Reserve Colonel Jacques Neriah warns that Hezbollah has regained its strength and updated its weapons arsenal, and that a future conflict in the north is inevitable: “A solution to the Lebanese question is inevitable. Hezbollah has received weapons from Syria, has developed drones, and has long-range missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv.” According to him, although part of the threat comes from Iran, the main mistake was Israel’s: “There are weapons coming from Iran, but we were focused on our own victories and failed to prevent Hezbollah from gaining ground. While we were looking ahead, they were recovering and preparing the ground for the next conflict.”
The Iranian Ministry of Economy spokesperson condemned Israel’s attacks in Lebanon: “Tehran condemns Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and calls on the guarantor parties to cease attacks and assume their responsibilities. The Israeli attack on residential, industrial, and infrastructure areas in Lebanon constitutes a violation of international laws and resolutions, and the Israeli government must be held accountable for committing war crimes.”
CNN: “Saudi Arabia is concerned about the United Arab Emirates’ policy in Syria and the Horn of Africa. Riyadh believes that Abu Dhabi has established contact with representatives of the Druze community in Syria, some of whose leaders are openly discussing the issue of secession. A Syrian government source reported that President Ahmed al-Sharaa will soon travel to Germany. Sharaa is expected to meet with Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the expulsion of Syrian refugees with criminal records, as proposed by the German leader.
The IDF has informed Syria of an alleged plot by Iran, along with other “hostile elements,” to assassinate Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Walla reports. On January 7, Israel, Syria, and the United States agreed to form a joint intelligence mechanism in a neutral country to share information and ease tensions. Civilian talks on medicine, energy, and agriculture will also begin under US supervision to strengthen regional stability.
On January 6, a government-owned Tu-214SR flew to Israel. Large-scale anti-government protests continue in Israel. The situation in the Palestinian territories is far from calm. Protests and internal tensions continue to escalate. A bus struck ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) protesters. Several people were seriously injured. A Kan News crew was violently attacked during a Haredi demonstration in Jerusalem: the Border Police rescued the crew.
In Israel, Yosef Eisental, grandson of Rabbi Uriel Eisental, dies in a car bombing.
On January 7th, news broke that Judge Beni Sagi, the Beer Sheva court prosecutor responsible for investigating the Tzahi Livor case, directly linked to the Bibi Netanyahu corruption case, died in a brutal car accident three days ago. According to other sources: “The judge presiding over Netanyahu’s corruption case was found dead in a suspicious car ‘accident.'”
And now a look at the military scenario, updated at 3:00 PM on January 7th. The National Shield Forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, have begun entering the Shabwah Governorate in southeastern Yemen, under the control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. Saudi helicopters are conducting operations off the southern coast of Yemen. Initial reports indicate they are heading toward Aden, the capital controlled by the Southern Transitional Council. Three Saudi helicopters, Apache and CH-47 Chinook models, have flown over southern Yemen.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Sana’a government: “Any Israeli presence in the ‘Somaliland’ region is considered a military target for the Yemeni Armed Forces.” According to local sources, the Yemeni Armed Forces (Ansar Allah) fired five ballistic missiles today as part of a maneuver in the Red Sea.
Israeli targeted strikes continue in southern Lebanon. Kfardounine rocket attack hit. The Lebanese army will soon carry out a bombing raid on Ain al-Kabira in Bint Jbeil. An Israeli aircraft will strike the Khallat Wardeh area in Aita al-Shaab with a sound bomb. Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes on a building in Sidon, southern Lebanon, causing casualties. Emergency services are working on the scene to recover the victims of the attack.
The IDF released footage of Monday’s airstrikes against buildings allegedly used by Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon. A second missile targeted an excavator in Mays al-Jabal, but failed to explode.
Overnight, the Israelis advanced 3 km into Lebanese territory and demolished a civilian villa that survived the two-year war. Israel attacked several engineering vehicles between Aita and Mays al-Jabal on January 7.
IDF observation posts and the air traffic control system detected a drone on Sunday evening that crossed Israel’s western border in an attempt to transport weapons. Following the discovery, IDF forces from the Parran Brigade destroyed a drone carrying three M16 automatic rifles and their magazines. The recovered weapon was handed over to security forces for further investigation.
A bus plowed into ultra-Orthodox protesters on Jeremiah Street in Jerusalem. According to Israel Today: “According to the driver’s initial interrogation at the police station, he called the station 100 minutes before the incident. He stated that he was attacked by protesters and felt threatened. The suspect is a resident of East Jerusalem.”
An Israeli air strike targeted Sharq Makhim al-Brij, in the central Gaza Strip. Heavy artillery shelling reported east of Gaza City.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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