Video recorded on Thursday, January 8, shows security forces opening fire on a crowd of protesters in Tehran, Iran.

The Syrian Army has taken full control of Syria’s largest oil field, the Al-Omar Oil Field, along with surrounding oil and gas facilities in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate of northeastern Syria, following the overnight withdrawal of U.S. forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

European Union capitals are considering imposing up to €93 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods or restricting American companies’ access to the bloc’s market in response to President Trump’s threats, according to the Financial Times.

The U.S. Justice Department has not released any new documents from the Epstein files for more than three weeks, with the last disclosure occurring on December 23. This comes despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandating that all files be released by December 19, and no action has been taken by Congress to enforce the requirement.

Over 3,000 homes threatened by wildfire in Penco, Chile.

Two battalions from the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division have been placed on alert for a possible deployment to Minnesota, according to two defense officials. One official added that President Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether the units will be sent.

The Sunday Times has obtained a new report from doctors on the ground in Iran which claims that at least 16,500 protesters have been killed and 330,000 others injured in the protests.

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) said Denmark is taking President Trump’s threats very seriously, noting that Danish political leaders are preparing for the possibility that the United States could shift from being a close and trusted ally to a potential adversary, a prospect he said is causing grave concern.

European Union leaders on Saturday warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to impose escalating tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to purchase Greenland, according to Reuters.

At the Pentagon on Wednesday, aides to senior officials were preparing to work late in anticipation of possible U.S. strikes against Iran. However, around 3:30 p.m., they were informed they could leave as normal. Officials told The Washington Post that the president will have another opportunity to authorize strikes in the next two to three weeks, once U.S. military assets moving toward the region are in place, easing Israeli concerns about its own defense. Meanwhile, the threat level in the Middle East is not expected to ease soon. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has been instructed to plan for 24/7 high-level staffing “for the next month,” according to a person monitoring the situation cited by The Washington Post.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf states, Israel was also not prepared for strikes against Iran, particularly without a substantial U.S. naval presence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched a major military and intelligence campaign against Iran’s nuclear and long-range missile facilities last June, called President Donald J. Trump twice on Wednesday to urge him not to proceed with strikes, citing Israel’s lack of full defensive readiness, according to a source close to the White House cited by The Washington Post.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader, spoke by phone with President Donald J. Trump early last week to convey the concerns of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and other Arab allies, who warned that strikes against Iran could destabilize regional security and harm the economy, with potential repercussions for the United States, according to a Saudi diplomat and a U.S. official cited by The Washington Post.

U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year reign. "It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran."

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson responded to President Donald J. Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland by stating, “We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed. Only Denmark and Greenland can decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland. I will always stand up for my country and our allied neighbors. This is an EU issue that affects far more countries than those currently being singled out.” He added that Sweden is holding intensive discussions with other EU states, as well as Norway and the United Kingdom, to coordinate a response.

U.S. military forces have withdrawn from Iraq’s Ain al-Assad Air Base and transferred control to the Iraqi army, following a 2024 agreement to wind down Operation Inherent Resolve in the country, a U.S. official told Al Arabiya.

U.S. forces were seen withdrawing from Dayr Hafir in northern Syria earlier tonight, shortly before the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced their withdrawal from all positions near Aleppo, east of the Euphrates River.

🚨The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, over allegations that they obstructed federal immigration enforcement, sources told CBS News.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an advisory on Friday recommending that airlines avoid flying through Iranian airspace, warning that the potential for U.S. military action has placed Iran’s air-defense forces on heightened alert, increasing the risk of misidentification within the Tehran Flight Information Region (OIIX).

A European aviation regulator has warned airlines against operating in Iranian airspace, according to Reuters.

When asked whether Arab and Israeli officials had persuaded him not to strike Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump responded, “Nobody convinced me—I convinced myself. Yesterday, there were more than 800 hangings scheduled. They didn’t hang anyone. They cancelled the hangings. That had a big impact.” View quoted note →