The US Army Central Command has officially announced the arrival of F-15 aircraft at a base in the Middle East, presumably in Jordan, as part of the ongoing US military buildup due to tensions with Iran. Although Israel continues to say no imminent attacks are planned.
The aircraft carrier CVN 72 Abraham Lincoln has deactivated its transponder, making it difficult for the uninitiated to follow its progress. Donald Trump is awaiting responses to his invitation to join the Peace Council and has indicated he may lead the Council for life, Bloomberg reported.
US Air Force C-17 cargo flights have been underway over the past 48 hours to transport military equipment to West Asia. According to the WSJ, additional US air defenses have been sent to West Asia, including additional Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems.
“The president could still lead his proposed ‘Peace Council’ after leaving the White House. He would remain in charge until his resignation… A future US president could appoint or propose an official US representative to the council,” Bloomberg quoted an anonymous US official as saying. Meanwhile, Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canada could join Trump’s Peace Council, but under one important condition: “Many details need to be worked out, but one thing is clear: Canada will not pay [the $1 billion fee] if it joins.”
Lukashenko signed a document on Belarus’s accession to the Peace Council and the implementation of the provisions of the Peace Council Charter. He also dismissed rumors that a $1 billion donation would be required to join the “Peace Council,” BelTA reports.
Starmer plans to withdraw from the Peace Council, the Financial Times reports. The British Prime Minister doesn’t want to “pay a billion dollars in taxes for a seat on the council with Putin.”
Russia has not yet agreed to participate in the “Peace Council” that Trump is trying to create. Sergey Lavrov reported that Russia has received proposals for the Peace Council with a draft statute and that he will clarify its details. Russia also stated: “There is no stability in the Middle East without the creation of a Palestinian state, and it is necessary to implement the relevant UN resolutions.”
Meanwhile, Trump continues to undermine the United Nations Security Council, not only with the Peace Council proposal but also by criticizing its members: during the month in which Mogadishu presided over the UN Security Council, Trump declared that Somalia is not a country at all. This suggests that he will soon recognize Somaliland.
Several European countries are reviewing their participation in the US-led Gaza Coordination Center, saying it has failed to increase humanitarian aid or shape post-war policy. The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), established in southern Israel in October 2025 as part of Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, was supposed to monitor the ceasefire, facilitate aid, and plan for Gaza’s future. But diplomats say progress has been minimal, with some European officials not returning after their vacation and privately calling the center “useless.”
French Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pascal Confavreux was more forceful: “France is committed to the Middle East peace process. The Peace Council’s proposal is broader than expected and is not in line with the UN resolution. The proposed Peace Council Statute raises serious questions about its conflict with United Nations principles. No entity can replace the United Nations.”
In Israel, the noise that has worried residents has been clarified: “Officially, it is an Air Force exercise.” Minister Orit Strook: “Netanyahu should not approve the inclusion of Qatar and Turkey in the ‘morning-after plan’ in Gaza, since these countries helped Hamas on October 7th and this decision will not be passed on to the government.”
Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, and Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, met on the sidelines of the Davos Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. During this meeting, the parties discussed bilateral relations and regional issues.
Hamas complained that 100 days after the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip: “The documented facts clearly show that Israel has pursued a systematic and deliberate policy aimed at undermining the ceasefire agreement and emptying it of its substance, and reproducing a catastrophic humanitarian situation for citizens, in contradiction to the full commitment of Hamas and the resistance to fulfilling all the terms and responsibilities of the agreement.”
From Iran, Yahya Rahim Safavi, military advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Iranian media: “We are preparing for a decisive battle with Israel. We are not in a ceasefire; we are in a state of war. No protocols, rules, or agreements have been signed between us and the United States or Israel. The next war will determine the end of the conflict.”
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 3:00 PM on January 21. In Iran, there are reports of the use of rare Soviet-made bullets by armed insurgents who, according to Iranian authorities, are “foreign-backed.” “Iranian forensic tests have shown that the victims were hit by 7.63 mm Tokarev rounds, a rare Soviet-era caliber that is never used by the Iranian military. This weapon is unusually powerful and causes more serious wounds than a standard 9 mm round. An expert says he has never seen this type of bullet used, not even in criminal cases in Iran, which indicates that the terrorists enjoy strong foreign support. Iranian sources report the arrest of 10 saboteurs in the Khordad market. “Brand new firearms, knives, and daggers were seized during a raid against foreign-backed armed insurgents responsible for attacks against security forces and civilians.”
In Iranian protests, large numbers of Israeli flags have been seen at anti-Islamic Republic of Iran rallies outside the country. The Iranian Ministry of Security says the leader of a terrorist cell linked to the “Ansar al-Furqan” group has been killed in Sistan-Baluchistan province. Eleven other members were arrested during a raid, and weapons and ammunition were seized. Authorities say the cell was planning attacks in southeastern Iran.
Iranian authorities have released a list of some Of the property damage caused by the rioters in various parts of the country:
– 314 government buildings were attacked and destroyed. 155 government buildings were set on fire.
– 399 banks were destroyed and 303 were set on fire.
– 704 attacks and destruction of private property belonging to ordinary people occurred. Additionally, 384 private properties were set on fire.
– 419 chain store branches in 8 provinces were looted, destroyed, and set on fire.
– 253 bus stations were destroyed or set on fire.
– 24 gas stations belonging to ordinary people were destroyed or set on fire.
– 220 motorcycles belonging to ordinary people were destroyed and set on fire.
– 305 public vehicles, including buses and ambulances, were destroyed and 93 were set on fire.
– 749 police vehicles were destroyed and 90 were set on fire.
– 350 Mosques were damaged and 134 were set on fire.
– Regarding other religious sites such as Hosseiniehs and Imamzadehs, 36 were destroyed and 48 were set on fire.
89 seminaries across the country were destroyed or set on fire.
It is difficult to estimate the number of deaths, with sources ranging from 5,000 to 16,000.
In Yemen, a citizen was injured by Saudi fire in the border district of Shada.
Coinciding with the events in Syria, Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service forces are deploying on the Iraq-Syria border. A drone strike hits the headquarters of the Iranian opposition group “Kurdistan Freedom” in the Iraqi province of Erbil. One dead and several injured, according to Iraqi sources. The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) claims that the Iranian IRGC conducted a joint attack with drones and ballistic missiles against positions. Kurdish forces in Duhok, northern Iraq. The attack occurred at 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon. According to the IDF: “In response to Hezbollah’s repeated violations of the ceasefire agreements, the IDF struck a Hezbollah terrorist in the Sidon area of southern Lebanon. The IDF also struck a Hezbollah fighter in the Bourj el-Chamali area of southern Lebanon. On the 21st, the following were hit: Bednayel – Shamshtar – Tariya – Sar’in al-Tahta – Tamnin al-Fouqa – Tamnin al-Tahta – Falouyeh – Shleifa. Israeli drone attack on a vehicle in the town of Al-Zahrani, Barish – Beit Yahoun. Israeli drone in flight On: Khirbet Selm, Jmeijmeh, Sarifa. Lebanese military patrols in Beirut.
Reconnaissance aircraft on: Ma’rakah – Tayr Dibba – Arzi, Sahmar, in the western Bekaa. Nabatieh – Kfar Tebnit – Shahour and surrounding areas.
According to Lebanese sources, Israel continues to build fortifications, earthworks, and new positions on Hamams Hill, as part of its expansion into Lebanese territory and strengthening its military capabilities in the area. A post states: “This aims to establish a new reality on the ground and monitor the Khiam perimeter and the eastern sector. These measures come at a time when questions arise as to whether Israel will be content with these fortifications or whether it will expand and strengthen them in the next phase.”
IDF in Gaza: “Overnight (Wednesday), IDF troops identified a “terrorist” who crossed the Yellow Line and approached troops, posing an imminent threat to their security. After identification, in order to remove the threat, the troops eliminated the terrorist. IDF troops in the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”
Three bodies arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital following artillery shelling east of Deir al-Balah. A Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces near the Bani Suheila roundabout, east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. A child was killed by Israeli forces within their deployment areas east of Khan Younis.
A jeep carrying Egyptian Committee photographers was attacked while filming a camp near Netzarim, in the central Gaza Strip, killing three in the town of Zahraa.
An official statement read: “During a filming mission at the Egyptian Committee camps, the journalists’ vehicle was bombed by Israel, resulting in the deaths of our journalist colleagues Muhammad Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Samir Shaat, and Anas Ghneim, killed by Israel in the central Gaza Strip.” At least 11 Palestinians were killed by Israel on the morning of the 21st.
Clashes broke out between young Palestinians and Israeli forces in the town of Shuqba, Ramallah district. The Israeli army said it was a “friendly fire error during an arrest operation in Nablus, where a Duvdevan unit mistakenly opened fire on another unit from the same unit. No injuries were reported.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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