🇺🇸⚡- "Maybe we should have put NATO to the test: Invoked Article 5, and forced NATO to come here and protect our Southern Border from further Invasions of Illegal Immigrants, thus freeing up large numbers of Border Patrol Agents for other tasks," - President Trump.

🇨🇦⚡️- Bill to ban children from using social media is being drafted by Liberal and Conservative MP's.

🇮🇷⚡- BREAKING: Iran has carried out what is likely its first execution of a protestor.

The BBC reports Ali Rahbar, a sports coach from Mashhad, was executed yesterday morning, after he was arrested 10 days ago.

🇺🇸🇸🇾⚡- Washington is considering a complete withdrawal of American troops from Syria, as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa moved to wrest control of the northeastern part of the country from an American-backed Kurdish-led militia [SDF]," - The Wall Street Journal.

🇸🇦🇵🇸🇮🇱 - Prominent Israeli journalist Amit Segal's (of Israeli Channel 12) take on the post October 7, 2023, Middle East and whether Hamas was 'successful' in reshaping the region:

"Normalization with Saudi Arabia is dead for the foreseeable future. Qatar's plastic empire [Muslim Brotherhood affiliated groups] attacks on Israel via al-Jazeera, which were indeed harmful, has been replaced by the preacher in Mecca, which poisons the entire Sunni world against Israel–this is something else entirely.

Over the past month, al-Arabiya [Saudi outlet] has been worse than al-Jazeera, backing against normalization with Israel. Saudi influencers and podcasters, who once specialized in luxury and sports cars, are now suddenly cursing Zionism and the Abraham Accords.

The Saudi-Emirati military confrontations in the region, in particular in Yemen, should greatly worry Israel and the United States (and must delight Iran and the Houthis).

What happened?

In short, Israel fell victim to its own historic success. We severely damaged Iran's capabilities, their nuclear project, and all their proxies.

In long, in 2015 the new Saudi King [Salman bin Abdulaziz] came to power and sent Netanyahu a note, congratulating the Israeli Prime Minister on his speech in front of the US Congress against the Obama Nuclear Deal. The Saudis and Israelis saw eye-to-eye here. The seeds of cooperation were born, culminating in the Abraham Accords. The Iran file reached the peak of its interest and the Palestinian file reached its lowest power ever. From 2020, the new and current Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, embarked on a campaign to prepare hearts for peace with Israel.

The date is now late 2023. October 7 changes everything. It both reignited Arab interest in the Palestinian issue and led to an Israel–Iran war on seven fronts. Saudis received from Tehran what it didn't from Tel Aviv, and Netanyahu and [Strategic Minister] Dermer were not particularly eager to pay any price to the Saudis either. “If not, then not—no force,” Netanyahu said in one cabinet meeting.

Now the Saudis not just no longer celebrate them, but are trying to undermine the Abraham Accords foundations of support, from Morocco to the UAE.

Donald Trump should use his influence to halt the toxic campaign against his main international legacy [the Abraham Accords], and make it clear that an attack on the Accords in an attack on him."

🇯🇵⚡️- The Japanese Parliament has been dissolved.

🇺🇸 - Approximate location of the Carrier Strike Group 3, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, as of 10:00 UTC, 23 January.

🇻🇳⚡️- To Lam has been unanimously reconducted by the 180 members of the Vietnamese Communist Party as Vietnam's leader until 2030.

🇺🇸⚡- A new map shows alleged plans for an unprecedented level of reconstruction at Tinian Air Base in the Pacific.

With two possible runways and an incredible 250 keyholes for aircraft, sitting on approximately 5 square miles of land.

The island is 130 miles north of Guam and shows the serious reinforcement of the Second Island Chain.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- Trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia have begun in the United Arab Emirates. The talks will discuss a possible energy ceasefire and address the territorial point. Unconfirmed reports that the US has proposed an $800 billion reconstruction fund for Ukraine in return for the full withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk region.

🇸🇩🇦🇪🇮🇱⚡- There has been a surge of military aircraft connecting the UAE and Israel, indicating Tel Aviv has begun playing an active role in arming the Rapid Support Forces of Sudan.

Flights from the UAE have landed in Israel, then taken off towards Chad or more commonly Ethiopia. Aircraft have also departed from Israel towards Turkmenistan / Uzbekistan, such as Reg: 7Q-ASU, then to the UAE. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have long been used by the Emirati state as a logistical base, but more importantly a hub for mercenaries.

🇺🇸⚡️- Elon Musk is returning to politics for the 2026 elections. He has considered using America PAC, which funded and supported the GOP and Trump in 2024. The Wall Street Journal claims,

“For 2026, Musk is focused on converting Trump voters, some of whom have only shown up to vote for Trump in the presidential election, into midterm and down-ballot voters, according to some of the people.”

🇫🇷🇷🇺🇩🇿⚡- Sanctioned Russian shadow vessel, PROGRESS, appears in distress off the coast of Algeria, Western Mediterranean.

The tanker is loaded with 730,000 barrels of Russian Ural grade oil, and was bound for the Suez. The tanker began drifting off its shipping lane, and slowing down to speeds of 1 knot.

Just 24 hours ago, France seized another Russian tanker, GRINCH, in the same waters.

🇮🇷⚡- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

"Mayhem of the recent terrorist operation [protests] in Iran:

● 305 ambulances and buses,
● 24 gas stations,
● 700 convenience stores,
● 300 private homes,
● 750 banks,
● 414 government buildings,
● 749 police stations,
● 120 Basij centers,
● 200 schools,
● 350 mosques,
● 15 libraries,
● 2 Armenian churches,
● 253 bus stations,
● 600 ATMs,
● 800 private cars.

● Total death toll: 3,117,
● Civilians and security forces: 2,427,
● Terrorists: 690."

🇸🇩🇹🇷🇪🇬⚡- For the second consecutive day, Turkish military cargo planes have arrived at Sharq El Owainat Airport, southern Egypt, on the border of Sudan. The repeated use indicates a likely deal between Egypt and Turkey, where Cairo has granted the latter the rights to use its facilities in the south to arm the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces, RSF. The use of southern Egypt will save Ankara from its current route of transporting all the way to Port Sudan, and also the equipment can arrive at the Darfur front much faster.

Sharq El Owainat Airport is indented to serve as a domestic-only airport for the land reclamation project at Sharq El Owainat.

Despite Egypt's pressure on eastern Libya's Haftar-led Libyan National Army, the southeast of Libya continues to be used as a staging ground for the RSF. In fact, recent satellite imagery shows an increase in activity in RSF camps in the area.

🇮🇷 - Disturbing footage from the recent Iranian protests show Basij security, armed with knives and batons, attack an unarmed woman.

The footage is time-stamped to the 8th of Jan.

🇫🇷🇷🇺 - The French Navy releases footage of its operation to seize the sanctioned Russian tanker GRINCH.

🇷🇺🇮🇷⚡- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has advised Russian citizens against travelling to Iran "until the security situation has fully normalised." She also urges Russians in Iran to "follow safety precautions, avoid taking photos and videos, and comply with local law enforcement requests."

🇺🇸🇮🇶⚡- CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper met with Iraq's Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad.

🇫🇷⚡️- The Urssaf, France's social tax collecting organism, has been hacked earlier this week. At least 12 million employees' data has been partially extracted from their databanks. The Urssaf has warned French citizens of a potentially increased amount of phishing emails in the coming weeks. No culprit has been found yet.

This is the third massive hack of a French public institution or ministry in under two months.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "Today, amidst the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protestors and its complete shutdown of internet access to conceal its abuses against the Iranian people, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is increasing pressure on the regime’s shadow fleet.

OFAC is targeting nine shadow fleet vessels and their respective owners or management firms that have collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products to foreign markets," - US Department of Treasury.