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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-21 at 11:06
Published 1 month ago
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HEADLINES
Iran crackdown kills thousands, Pahlavi urges mourning
Netanyahu okays Gaza framework, no foreign troops
Iran launches cross-border attack on Iraqi Kurds
The time is now 6:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
Good morning. International attention remains focused on the Middle East as protests, security actions, and political maneuvers unfold on multiple fronts.
In Tehran, a nationwide crackdown on protests continues to draw international concern. Farah Pahlavi, the former empress of Iran, issued a rare public appeal calling for a National Day of Mourning on January 23, 2026, to honor those killed in the ongoing demonstrations. She urged Iranians inside the country and in the diaspora to observe a minute of silence at 12:00 noon local time. Pahlavi described the recent violence as crimes against humanity and said the blood shed by Iranians cannot be ignored. HRANA, the human rights monitoring group, has updated its figures to show thousands killed, thousands more under review, and hundreds of thousands arrested, while the regime has sustained a prolonged internet blackout at well over 300 hours.
In Iraq, a Kurdish opposition group said Iran conducted a ballistic missile and drone attack targeting its forces across the border. The Kurdistan Freedom Party said the attack hit a base of the Kurdistan National Army in Iraq and that at least one member was killed. Kurdish parties aligned against Tehran have coordinated in backing Iran’s protests, illustrating the wider regional dimension of Tehran’s response to dissent. Iran has previously used missiles and drones against Kurdish dissident groups in neighboring states, and the exact nature of this latest strike was not immediately verifiable from public footage.
Meanwhile in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to join the United States’ Gaza peace framework but insists Israel will operate on its own terms. Official briefings indicate Israel will not permit foreign ground troops and will not compromise its security posture as the framework moves forward under US leadership. The arrangement signals a potential realignment of regional diplomacy centered on Gaza, with Israel seeking to preserve security gains and its own strategic calculus while engaging with partners in Washington.
In the broader security picture, Israel’s military said it carried out strikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets after a series of ceasefire violations. The Israeli Defense Forces described the operation as a response to ongoing threats, with the strikes taking place in the Sidon region. In Gaza, the IDF released Arabic, Hebrew, and English warnings over loudspeaker leaflets instructing residents in areas near Khan Younis and the Al-Reqeb neighborhood to evacuate, saying the area remains under Israeli control. The army stressed that its aim is to deter cross-border threats and to prevent confrontations along the ceasefire line. Separately, the military reported a drone crossing from the West Bank into Israeli airspace, subsequently neutralized after posing an immediate risk, with the weapon recovered for further analysis.
In domestic Israeli news, the trial of Prime Minister Netanyahu continues in Tel Aviv on charges relating to regulatory favors and media coverage alleged to have occurred during his time in office. Cross-examination of witnesses focused on the connections between the prime minister’s wife and a major media executive, with Netanyahu stressing his limited involvement in the matters under review. The proceedings are proceeding under the supervision of a three-judge panel, with rapid developments often shaping political discourse inside and outside of Israel.
Internationally, the Trump administration’s posture toward Gaza diplomacy and the design of a new peace framework continues to generate discussion.
Iran crackdown kills thousands, Pahlavi urges mourning
Netanyahu okays Gaza framework, no foreign troops
Iran launches cross-border attack on Iraqi Kurds
The time is now 6:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
Good morning. International attention remains focused on the Middle East as protests, security actions, and political maneuvers unfold on multiple fronts.
In Tehran, a nationwide crackdown on protests continues to draw international concern. Farah Pahlavi, the former empress of Iran, issued a rare public appeal calling for a National Day of Mourning on January 23, 2026, to honor those killed in the ongoing demonstrations. She urged Iranians inside the country and in the diaspora to observe a minute of silence at 12:00 noon local time. Pahlavi described the recent violence as crimes against humanity and said the blood shed by Iranians cannot be ignored. HRANA, the human rights monitoring group, has updated its figures to show thousands killed, thousands more under review, and hundreds of thousands arrested, while the regime has sustained a prolonged internet blackout at well over 300 hours.
In Iraq, a Kurdish opposition group said Iran conducted a ballistic missile and drone attack targeting its forces across the border. The Kurdistan Freedom Party said the attack hit a base of the Kurdistan National Army in Iraq and that at least one member was killed. Kurdish parties aligned against Tehran have coordinated in backing Iran’s protests, illustrating the wider regional dimension of Tehran’s response to dissent. Iran has previously used missiles and drones against Kurdish dissident groups in neighboring states, and the exact nature of this latest strike was not immediately verifiable from public footage.
Meanwhile in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to join the United States’ Gaza peace framework but insists Israel will operate on its own terms. Official briefings indicate Israel will not permit foreign ground troops and will not compromise its security posture as the framework moves forward under US leadership. The arrangement signals a potential realignment of regional diplomacy centered on Gaza, with Israel seeking to preserve security gains and its own strategic calculus while engaging with partners in Washington.
In the broader security picture, Israel’s military said it carried out strikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets after a series of ceasefire violations. The Israeli Defense Forces described the operation as a response to ongoing threats, with the strikes taking place in the Sidon region. In Gaza, the IDF released Arabic, Hebrew, and English warnings over loudspeaker leaflets instructing residents in areas near Khan Younis and the Al-Reqeb neighborhood to evacuate, saying the area remains under Israeli control. The army stressed that its aim is to deter cross-border threats and to prevent confrontations along the ceasefire line. Separately, the military reported a drone crossing from the West Bank into Israeli airspace, subsequently neutralized after posing an immediate risk, with the weapon recovered for further analysis.
In domestic Israeli news, the trial of Prime Minister Netanyahu continues in Tel Aviv on charges relating to regulatory favors and media coverage alleged to have occurred during his time in office. Cross-examination of witnesses focused on the connections between the prime minister’s wife and a major media executive, with Netanyahu stressing his limited involvement in the matters under review. The proceedings are proceeding under the supervision of a three-judge panel, with rapid developments often shaping political discourse inside and outside of Israel.
Internationally, the Trump administration’s posture toward Gaza diplomacy and the design of a new peace framework continues to generate discussion.