According to the British newspaper The Times, British Prime Minister Starmer is expected to receive an invitation to attend the Peace Council, which will preside over the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Axios reports that the Trump administration is expected to announce on Wednesday the transition to the second phase of the agreement to end the war in Gaza. The Egyptian Foreign Minister: “We have reached an agreement for a 15-member technical committee to manage the Gaza Strip.” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry also said: “There is absolutely no room for a separation between the West Bank and Gaza or for a division of the Gaza Strip. We will not accept any imaginary line to divide the Gaza Strip.”
Despite Egyptian claims, Homesh has received city-settlement status, along with four other settlements. A total of 20 new settlements have been recognized, thus completing the process we had legitimized. Settlement in the West Bank continues to grow.
Meanwhile, nonessential personnel have been evacuated from bases in the Middle East, including officials at the Udeid US Air Base in Qatar, who were instructed to leave the base by the evening of January 14. The last time US bases in the Middle East were evacuated, the attack on Iran began 14 hours later.
The IDF is increasing its preparations for possible escalation scenarios with Iran: several IDF units have increased combat readiness. A local radar station has become active in Cyprus. The Israeli presidential plane, the “Zion Wing,” has returned from Heraklion and is believed to be en route to Cyprus. The flight is part of routine test operations, usually conducted a few days before Prime Minister Netanyahu or President Herzog’s official trips abroad. The aircraft is a Boeing 767-300, call sign IAF002 and registration 4X-ISR. On June 13, 2025, however, the plane took off several hours after the start of the Israeli attack on Iran, bound for Greece. This was done to avoid damaging the aircraft.
Israeli Army Radio: “Israeli sources say the reason the ‘Zionist Wing’ plane took off from ‘Israel’ was for a maintenance and training flight, which is normal.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu headed to Kirya. Meanwhile, the municipality of Dimona decided to open shelters in the city in light of the security alert.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reports: “In light of escalating security tensions between the United States and Iran and American preparations for a potential attack on Iranian soil, coupled with fears of a regional response, the municipality of Dimona today took the exceptional decision to open all public shelters throughout the city. This measure is part of preparedness measures in light of regional developments and the possibility of a broader escalation that could draw Israel into the conflict. The municipality emphasizes that this is a precautionary measure as part of emergency preparedness and has not issued any special instructions to residents beyond the opening of the shelters.”
According to Israeli sources: “The Israel Defense Forces have deployed an Iron Dome battery in Jerusalem.”
On the morning of the 13th, senior Trump administration officials met to discuss options for dealing with Iran. Trump did not attend. Regional developments were discussed during the talks between Qatar and Iran. The Qatari side emphasized its support for all efforts to reduce and ease tensions in the region.
Iran has said the internet will remain offline for the next two weeks, according to Fars news agency. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi: “Israel has always tried to drag the United States into wars on its behalf. But surprisingly, this time they are speaking their silent part out loud.” He also said: “Now that our streets are bloodied, Israel openly and proudly claims that it has armed protesters with military weapons and that this is the cause of hundreds of deaths. The President of the United States must now know where to go to stop the bleeding.”
Meanwhile, the death toll in Iran is rising, with official figures now at 3,000, while opposition groups cited by CBS News say the death toll is at least 12,000 and up to 20,000.
The Israeli channel Kan: “Hezbollah issued a long statement expressing its support for Iran, without threatening to attack Israel if Iran is attacked.”
And now, a look at the military scenarios Updated at 4:00 PM on January 14. An Israeli military aircraft has landed in Greece.
Channel 14: “Foreign actors are arming protesters in Iran with live firearms, which is why hundreds of regime personnel have been killed.” Turkey has warned Iran that Kurdish extremists would cross the border into Iran to violently participate in the demonstrations.
Jordan authorities have released Lebanese detainees Tariq Faraj and his son after holding them for approximately 10 days. They are currently in Syria and are on their way to Lebanon. In Syria, local sources from Daraa say a young man was injured by Israeli fire in Wadi Al-Raqad, in the Yarmouk Basin area, in the western Daraa countryside.
A senior Lebanese military source told Al Jazeera: “The army is assessing the situation between the Awali and Litani rivers from a logistical perspective.” “Based on the assessment, the army will develop a plan for the second phase of the arms control process.”
“Military engagement in Phase 2 must be synchronized with political, social, and economic efforts.” “Israeli attacks and the lack of cooperation from Hezbollah’s support base could hinder the implementation of the second phase.” “The second phase of the arms control process requires national consensus and the provision of aid to the army.” “If an alternative to UNIFIL is not found, we could see clashes between the Lebanese and Israeli armies.”
He also stated: “The army must recruit 4,000 troops after the withdrawal of UNIFIL forces.” “We have strengthened our checkpoints in all areas to prevent the transfer of weapons north of the Litani River, and we are confiscating all weapons we find.” “There are former Syrian regime officials in Lebanon, but they have no organized structure or operations room.” “We have arrested former Syrian regime officials, and investigations have not shown that they were planning any actions.” “Since the beginning of the year, we have arrested 160 individuals belonging to ISIS and other terrorist organizations.”
The army is conducting raids in Al-Hisha – Wadi Khaled in search of those involved in a firefight that left three citizens injured. The explosion heard in the south was caused by army shelling in Zibqin.
Yoav Zitun in Yedioth: “For the third time in less than a week, on January 13, the IDF found rocket launchers in the Yellow Line area. Military estimates indicate that this area, which constitutes about half the Gaza Strip, is still far from being free of armed infrastructure. The army estimates that it will take years to uncover all of Hamas’s tunnels in this area. This is despite the possible scenario in which Qatar exerts pressure for an Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line as well, as part of the second phase of a possible agreement with Hamas.”
A security incident was recorded in the southern Gaza Strip on January 14. The IDF arrested two young men in the As-Salam neighborhood, northeast of Jerusalem.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
