Touching Moment:
Ron Gilboa, father of lookout soldier Daniella Gilboa,with heartfelt prayer of gratitude following his daughter's release from captivity.
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei forced to wear flak jacket as fears of existential threat grow
Iran has ordered its proxy forces across the Middle East to exercise caution as the Islamic Republic fears an existential threat following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, The Telegraph has learned.
Officials have told commanders of Iran-backed militias to avoid provocative actions that could escalate regional tensions.
Commanders have also been instructed to maintain defensive positions while avoiding any actions that could be interpreted as aggressive by US forces or regional allies.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader, even appeared to be wearing a flak jacket at the funeral of two judges who were gunned down in Tehran last weekend – reportedly over fear of attacks.
With his robes bulging at unusual angles, Khamenei was pictured this week standing over the coffins of the men said to have been assassinated inside the supreme court by an “infiltrator”.
Iran Funneling Funds to Hezbollah via Turkey
Iran is using Turkish commercial airlines and diplomatic channels to bypass surveillance and transfer cash to Hezbollah, according to Sky News Arabia citing Western intelligence sources.
Funds are moved through third countries before reaching Lebanon, allowing Iran to sustain its financial support despite existing restrictions.
Trump floats plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza, move Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan
President Donald Trump indicated Saturday that he would like to “just clean out” Gaza and send the bombed-out Palestinian refugees from there to neighboring Middle Eastern nations.
During an extended question-and-answer on Air Force One, President Trump floated the idea of moving Palestinians to create a clean slate.
“I’d like Egypt to take people,” the president said, the AP reports, adding, “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”
“I’d love for [Jordan] to take on more ’cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”
Trump added that this type of relocation of Palestinians “could be temporary or long term.”
“Something has to happen. But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there,” he emphasized.
“So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
On Saturday, the Trump administration agreed to send thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
That shipment of bombs – 1,800 MK-84s — was previously halted back in May by the Biden administration out of concerns Israel would use the weapons on civilians.
Trump Predicts the end of Rachel Maddow ‘MSNBC IS CLOSE TO DEATH’
President Trump bashed MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and described her network and CNN as the “enemy of the people.”
“Wow! Rachel Maddow has horrible ratings. She’ll be off the air very soon. MSNBC IS CLOSE TO DEATH. CNN HAS REACHED THE BOTTOM. This is a good thing. They are the Enemy of the people!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The 1:05 a.m. post came hours after Trump held court at a contentious roundtable in California with Democrats, where he slammed their response to the catastrophic wildfires.
“You have emergency powers, just like I do, and I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also,” Trump scolded embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Trump, 78, urged Bass to let residents complaining of red tape and long delays begin the rebuilding process after the disaster, which is expected to cost $250 billion.
“I just think you have to allow the people to go on their site and start the process tonight,” Trump said during the roundtable.
Neither network responded to a request for comment.
Mahmoud Abbas congratulated terrorist Yasser Abu Bakr, convicted of three murders including that of a 9-month-old baby.
Still Think Abbas Should Control Gaza?
In the video:
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas congratulates freed terrorist Yasser Abu Bakr, responsible for the 2002 Netanya attack that killed two Israelis, including a 9-month-old baby. He also planned a suicide attack at Tel Hashomer Hospital.
Tonight, he returned home to the West Bank.
Still trust Abbas with Gaza?
Denmark charges two over desecration of Quran
Denmark has charged two individuals under its law prohibiting the desecration of the Quran, authorities announced on Friday, according to the AFP news agency.
The charges mark the first use of the legislation introduced in the country following a series of high-profile holy burnings of the Quran.
The individuals, whose identities remain undisclosed, are accused of engaging in "inappropriate treatment of a Quran" during a June festival that brought together people from political, economic, and social spheres.
Details of their alleged actions have not been disclosed by Copenhagen's prosecution authority or local media.
"The actions took place publicly, were followed by a number of people, and were also broadcast to a wider circle by being filmed and streamed live on Facebook," prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas stated, as quoted by AFP.
The legislation, enacted on December 7, 2023, came into effect shortly after, amid international outrage in Muslim-majority countries over Quran desecrations in Denmark and neighboring Sweden.
Under the new law, public burning, tearing, or defilement of holy texts, including through widely shared videos, is prohibited. Violators face fines or prison sentences of up to two years.
Denmark and Sweden experienced a series of public protests in 2023, where anti-Islam activists burned or otherwise damaged copies of the Quran, triggering demands that the Nordic governments ban the practice.
In late July of that year, Denmark’s Foreign Minister said the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the country.
UNWRA Has Five Days to Leave Jerusalem
Israel notified the U.N. on Saturday that it must evacuate its personal from all U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) premises in Jerusalem no later than Jan. 30, as Knesset legislation banning the agency’s operations within the Jewish state will take effect on Thursday.
“Israel expects that UNRWA take all the necessary steps to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city within the stated time frame,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in a letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
Outlawing UNRWA in Israel “came as a direct response to the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, and the agency’s persistent refusal to address the very grave and material concerns raised by Israel, and to remedy this intolerable situation,” the letter notes.
Danon stressed that months of talks with the U.N. to address the situation have been met with “blatant disregard,” to a point “beyond repair.”
The ambassador specified two properties in Jerusalem to be evacuated, one in the Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood and the other in the Kafr Aqab neighborhood, both in the capital’s northeast. He accused UNRWA of flouting Israeli rules in these premises and creating “safety hazards to its staff and local communities.”
The letter continues, “This conduct reflects a clear abuse of UNRWA’s immunities and disregard for local laws and regulations, contrary to its obligations under Article 21 of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.”
Danon emphasized that Israel’s demand fully aligns with its commitment to its obligations under international law and its readiness to cooperate with the U.N. and its agencies—as long as these are not infiltrated by terrorists.
On Nov. 4, the Israeli parliament terminated the 1967 agreement outlining the terms of its relations with UNRWA.
The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry sent a letter to U.N. General Assembly President Philémon Yang of Cameroon, explaining that Jerusalem “withdraws its request issued to UNRWA,” and instead “will continue to work with international partners, including other United Nations agencies, to ensure the facilitation of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not undermine Israel’s security.”
Then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, “UNRWA, whose employees took part in the Oct. 7 massacre and many of whose workers are Hamas operatives, is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip, not part of the solution.
“The U.N. was provided with countless pieces of evidence regarding Hamas operatives who work at UNRWA and about the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorism, and nothing was done,” he added.
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