🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡️- "The C.I.A. director, John Ratcliffe, met with Delcy Rodríguez, the interim president of Venezuela, in Caracas on Thursday, reinforcing the Trump administration’s message that it sees the interim government as the best path to stability in the country in the short term.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive meeting, added that the two discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and the need to ensure that the country was no longer a “safe haven for America’s adversaries, especially narco-traffickers.”" - The New York Times.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- "The Trump administration is preparing to use private military contractors to protect oil & energy assets in Venezuela rather than deploying US troops," - CNN.

🇺🇸🇵🇪⚡- Washington has approved a $1.5 billion foreign military sale to upgrade Peru's main naval base. The upgrade will help improve Peru's infrastructure to support future US naval and logistical operations.

🇸🇦🇦🇪🇾🇪⚡- Despite the fact that the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council has taken over Aden, a massive pro UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council march is ongoing in the city right now.

People chant for the return of the STC and its former President Aidarus al-Zoubaidi.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!" - President Trump.

🇺🇸🇻🇪🇮🇷⚡️- U.S. Southern Command has released another video pertaining to the seizure of the Iranian shadow tanker, VERONICA, illegally carrying stolen American oil.

🇸🇾⚡- Syrian army has begun its military operation in the Dayr Hafr direction, SDF-controlled northern Syria. Government troops are heavy shelling SDF positions in the area.

🇺🇬⚡- BREAKING: Uganda's opposition leader, Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform, was arrested by the Ugandan authorities.

His party claims he was taken away by security forces on a helicopter to an unknown location.

Ugandans await the results of their general elections that were held over the past 48 hours.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- "The American attack plans for Iran did not leave a good impression on the Israeli officials after it was presented to them," - Israeli Channel 12.

🇱🇧🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- "Israel is preparing a major preemptive attack against Hezbollah if the Lebanese group prepares to intervene in the event of a US-Israeli attack on Iran," - Israeli Channel 15.

🇸🇾⚡- BREAKING: Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the SDF, announces a full withdrawal from the Aleppo region west of the Euphrates (marked as red on the map).

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- Iran executed four people on January 14, the same day President Trump said all executions had been stopped – HRANA.

🇮🇷 - HRANA writes that since the start of the Iranian protests:

- 2,677 confirmed total deaths (could rise to 4,370, as 1,693 cases are under review),
- 163 security officers killed,
- 2,677 severe injuries,
- and 19,097 people detained.

🇪🇺🇮🇷⚡- The European Union advises all European airlines to avoid using Iranian airspace.

🇺🇸🇵🇸⚡- The White House has announced the members of the Board of Peace:
Donald Trump (chairman), Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Tony Blair, Marc Rowan, Ajay Banga, and Robert Gabriel.

A separate Gaza Executive Board has been established with the following members:
Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Hakan Fidan, Ali al-Thawadi, Hassan Rashad, Tony Blair, Marc Rowan, Reem Al-Hashimy, Nickolay Mladenov, Yakir Gabay, and Sigrid Kaag.

The purpose of the Gaza Executive Board is to help assist the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, NCAG, which will oversee the Gaza Strip. NCAG is a 15-member Palestinian committee chaired by Ali Sha'ath.