News and Analysis 1/22/26

“Carriers, F-15Es and air defenses shift to Mideast as aides refine scenarios from IRGC targets to broader action; Tehran warns of retaliation while Washington debates goals and risks”:

• Trump Pushes Aides for ‘Decisive’ Military Option on Iran as Assets Approach Middle East – Report (Jerusalem Post)

Settler violence and Israeli war crimes continue:

• Israeli Minister Approves Gun Licences for 18 Illegal West Bank Settlements (Aljazeera)
• Three Journalists Among 11 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Forces in Gaza (The Guardian)
• Palestinians in Israeli Jails Face ‘Conditions Unfit for Human Beings,’ State Agency Says (Times of Israel)
• Plans Call for “New Rafah” Built in Israel’s Image — Without Palestinians (The Intercept)

“With Iran still largely under an internet blackout after weeks of unrest, eyewitness testimony is key for understanding how the events unfolded”:

• ‘Too Dangerous to Go to Hospital,’ Says Eyewitness to Iran’s Protest Crackdown (Japan Times)

“The proposed board would be chaired for life by Trump, with member countries required to pay a $1 billion fee each to earn permanent membership” …

• 8 Muslim Countries, Including Saudi Arabia, Accept Invite to Join Board of Peace (Times of Israel)

… hours later Kuwait jumped on board:

• Nine Muslim-majority Countries Accept Trump’s Offer to Join Board of Peace (UPI)

“[A]n Iranian photographer who fled the country five years ago for her and her family’s safety,” charges Turkish cooperation in the abduction of “several of its opponents from Turkey … later executed … in Iran”:

• Turkey Strikes Agreement with Iran to Arrest Protesters Who Challenge Regime: Sources (NewsNation)

Conflicting reports on the status of Israel’s attempt to deny Palestinian children a place to play:

• What It Took to Save a Soccer Field in Palestine (The Nation)
• Palestinians Deny Reports Israel Halted Refugee Football Pitch Demolition (Aljazeera)

“A cargo plane previously linked to the supply of weapons to UAE-backed fighters in Sudan and Libya has made a number of flights in recent days between military bases in Abu Dhabi, Israel, Bahrain and Ethiopia”:

• Exclusive: UAE Flights Linked to Sudan War Tracked from Israel to Ethiopia (Middle East Eye)

“The move comes as Syria’s new government asserts greater authority over parts of the country that have been controlled for years by a Kurdish-led militia that partnered with U.S. forces to battle the Islamic State”:

• U.S. Military to Move up to 7,000 ISIS Detainees from Syria to Iraq (Washington Post)

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