TODAY

We have what appears to be the first look at one of two new Gulfstream 700 (G700) VIP jets for the U.S. Coast Guard. The jet notably has a livery almost identical to that of a 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) with a luxurious VVIP interior and clear ties to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rather than a more typical Coast Guard paint scheme.

Aviation photographer Lennon Popp took a picture of the G700, seen at the top of this story, at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday. This airport is home to Gulfstream’s main headquarters and manufacturing facility. The aircraft was using the callsign Gulf Test 96 (GLF96) at the time. What the timeline might be for formal delivery of the jet, if that has not already occurred, is unclear. The Coast Guard said in the past that it hoped to have the jets in hand no later than December 31, 2025. TWZ has reached out to DHS and the Coast Guard for more information. The Coast Guard currently falls under the purview of DHS.

The G700 acquisition does look to be proceeding on a very fast schedule, but what tradeoffs this may require is unknown. DHS and the Coast Guard only confirmed the order for the jets, referred to as Long Range Command and Control Aircraft (LRCCA), last October. The Coast Guard’s present LRCCA fleet consists of a C-37A and a C-37B, which are based on older and out-of-production Gulfstream V and G550 models, respectively. Various Gulfstream models are also in service across the U.S. military and with other U.S. government agencies, but none of them currently operate 700-series types.

The existing LRCCAs are regularly used as a VIP transport for the Secretary of Homeland Security (currently Kristi Noem) and other senior departmental leaders, as well as top Coast Guard leadership. The jets also have a role in larger continuity of government planning to ensure U.S. authorities can keep functioning in the event of a host of different severe contingency scenarios, including major hostile attacks and devastating natural disasters.

What is immediately eye-catching in Popp’s picture is the G700’s paint scheme, which is white over blue with red and gold cheat lines. The DHS seal is also painted on the side of the fuselage just behind the main cabin door, and the Coast Guard seal is seen on the side of the engine nacelle. “United States of America” is written in large lettering on the side of the fuselage, and there is a large American flag, depicted blowing in the wind, on the side of the tail.

In contrast, the Coast Guard’s two existing LRCCAs have a different livery. They are overall white with orange and blue bands around the forward end of the fuselage, similar to what’s found on all of the other fixed-wing aircraft the service operates.

As noted, the G700’s livery is virtually the same as the one that appeared unexpectedly on the 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) last month. We will come back to that aircraft, which carries the U.S. civil registration number N471US, later on. The paint scheme seen on N471US and now on the G700 is also very similar to what President Donald Trump had picked for the forthcoming pair of Boeing 747-8i-based VC-25B Air Force One aircraft during his first term. President Joe Biden subsequently reversed that decision, going back to the same iconic, Kennedy-era livery worn by the current VC-25A Air Force One jets that the VC-25Bs are set to replace. Last August, the Air Force told Inside Defense it was “implementing a new livery requirement for VC-25B,” but did not offer any further details.

The Coast Guard has shared some details about how the G700 LRCCAs will otherwise be configured.

“Gulfstream (as the OEM [original equipment manufacturer]) is the only vendor capable of acquiring G700s under a secure, strict, and time-sensitive process,” according to a formal justification for the sole-source contract that the Coast Guard posted online last October. “DHS and USCG require exacting follow-on cabin refresh, next generation satellite connectivity, and open the potential for a secure command and control communications suite to replicate capabilities of the C-37B.”

The document specifically mentions “Starshield installation” as part of the communications suite for the G700s. Starshield is a more secure cousin to SpaceX’s commercial Starlink space-based internet service intended for government customers. Starshield and Starlink have become increasingly ubiquitous across the U.S. military, including in support of tactical operations, and other U.S. government agencies, in recent years. This underscores SpaceX’s preeminent position in the satellite internet and communication marketspace, as well as when it comes to other space-related services, as you can read more about here.

“The G700 provides a combination of increased range, speed, seating capacity, and enhanced avionics in comparison to a used G550,” the justification document adds. “While a G550 is capable, it is no longer in production and USCG is at the mercy of the re-sell [sic] market to grow the LRCCA fleet in the required time.”

DHS and Coast Guard officials have stressed these points repeatedly in the past year in arguing for the need to modernize the LRCCA fleet. Members of Congress have previously leveled significant criticism on DHS, and Secretary Noem more specifically, over the plans to buy new jets, the total cost of which has been said be between $170 and $200 million. The price of a base model G700 before any alterations, painting, and other work is done is generally set at around $70 to $80 million.

Disputes over the allocation of funding and the decision to order the jets during a protracted government shutdown have drawn particular ire from some legislators. DHS has seen a huge boost in its total budget in the past year.

A Joint Explanatory Statement report accompanying a draft Homeland Security spending bill making its way through Congress right now includes a new demand for monthly updates detailing the use of the Coast Guard’s LRCCA fleet. Among other things, those status reports must include “for official travel, the nexus to a statutory Department of Homeland Security mission and justification for [the] trip” and “any alcoholic beverages consumed on the flight and the source of such beverages.”

Hundreds of businesses are closing their doors in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the midwestern United States, as anti-ICE protesters continue to call for the federal agency to leave the city as part of a large-scale economic protest that has been named The Day of Truth and Freedom.

Friday’s walkout includes small businesses, unions, faith groups, and educators across the city, which has become a focal point of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s aggressive actions. The call, organised by a coalition of community groups, also urges a suspension of consumer spending.

“It is time to suspend the normal order of business to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions in MN,” the group organising the protest wrote on its website.

There are solidarity marches in cities across the US, including New York City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Seattle, among others.

At the Minneapolis protest, the group is also planning a march that begins at 2pm local time (20:00 GMT) and ends at the Target Center — an arena in downtown Minneapolis.

Eyes on Target

The big-box retailer, in particular, has been in the crosshairs of organisers because of the company’s close ties to Minneapolis, where its headquarters are located, and it is the state’s fourth-largest employer.

The group is calling for Target stores to exercise protections under the Fourth Amendment, which would mean federal agents do not have the legal authority to enter a residence or place of business without a warrant signed by a judge.

In a document shared with organisers, the group pointed to two incidents of concern. One on January 8, when Customs and Border Patrol aggressively forced two US citizens onto the ground and subsequently detained them while working at a store in Richfield, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, and another three days later in nearby St Paul, where Customs and Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino entered a store with other agents.

“Where Target leads, others follow. Our state is under occupation from federal agents, and they are attacking Minnesotans quite literally inside of Target stores. We need Target to stand with Minnesotans against these attacks,” the document said.

Target has been quiet about the protests and calls from its workers to take a stance. The company sent a memo to staff, according to Bloomberg News, warning of potential disruptions.

The pressure by anti-ICE protesters is the latest in a wave of pushback against the retail giant by progressives in the past year. There was a call for boycotts after the company rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which the company later attributed to a reason for a downturn in sales in early 2025.

The looming tensions have not made a dent on Wall Street, as the company’s stock is up 1.3 percent in midday trading.

Target did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

The political response

“The Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement operations have resulted in countless dangerous criminal illegals being removed from the streets – including rapists, murderers, burglars, drunk drivers, and more. Making American communities safer will create an environment in which all businesses can thrive in the long term and their customers can feel safe. Joe Biden and Democrat leaders should’ve never let countless dangerous criminal illegals enter our country to begin with. And now the Trump Administration is cleaning up the Democrats’ mess,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Al Jazeera in a statement.

When pressed for a response to this reasoning and asked whether ICE would commit to holding accountable agents who break the law, the White House declined to provide additional comment.

The allegations concerning the agency’s conduct have led to the protests, including claims that ICE’s actions violated First and Fourth Amendment protections and threats towards protesters.

Among them are the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a case that has drawn scrutiny from civil liberties advocates, and the Department of Justice’s decision not to investigate the agent behind the shooting, which has invoked further outrage. One of the economic blackout’s calls is to hold Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot and killed Renee Good, legally accountable.

“I understand why people are choosing to participate in the January 23 blackout, and I support those decisions. At the same time, our small businesses, especially immigrant-owned businesses, are under a lot of pressure right now, and they could really use our support. However you choose to show up, I hope we keep our neighbours and local businesses in mind,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera.

Representatives for Governor Tim Walz did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Dozens of people rescued in Lampedusa after vessel crossed from Tunisia in dangerous conditions, Save the Children says.

One-year-old twin girls are missing at sea after a boat carrying dozens of migrants and refugees reached the Italian island of Lampedusa this week, nonprofit group Save the Children has said.

The organisation said on Friday that 61 people, including the missing twins’ mother and 22 unaccompanied minors, were rescued from the vessel a day earlier after crossing to Lampedusa in “extremely difficult conditions” made worse by Cyclone Harry.

“They described having departed from Tunisia, braving stormy seas for at least three days, and arriving in a state of great physical and psychological distress,” Save the Children said in a statement.

A man died after disembarking the boat, the group added.

The Central Mediterranean is the deadliest known migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Forty-nine people, including 12 children under age five, died last October when their boat capsized after leaving the Tunisian coastal village of Salakta.

“Nearly 1,000 deaths and disappearances have been recorded in the Central Mediterranean this year [2025], with the death toll since 2014 reaching more than 25,000,” the IOM said at the time.

“At least 30 children have lost their lives off the coast of Tunisia already this year [2025], compared to 22 in all of 2024.”

Tunisia has seen an increase in departures in recent years, according to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, which tracks crossings.

And in 2020, Tunisian nationals made up more than 60 percent of the Central Mediterranean crossings, the IOM said, as the country faced high unemployment rates as well as deepening socioeconomic and political hardships.

On Friday, Save the Children said people continued to risk their lives “on dangerous and often deadly journeys” due to an absence of safe migration routes.

Giorgia D’Errico, the group’s director of institutional relations, said the European Union has responsibility for every decision that puts those fleeing poverty, violence and persecution at risk.

“We cannot silently watch the loss of human lives, including so many children, that has continued for years, making the sea, once again, a deadly border: this unacceptable massacre must end,” she said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deployed a military radar in the Somali region of Puntland as part of a secret deal, amid Abu Dhabi’s ongoing entrenchment of its influence over the region’s security affairs.

According to the London-based news outlet Middle East Eye, sources familiar with the matter told it that the UAE had installed a military radar near Bosaso airport in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this year, with one unnamed source saying that the “radar’s purpose is to detect and provide early warning against drone or missile threats, particularly those potentially launched by the Houthis, targeting Bosaso from outside”.

The radar’s presence was reportedly confirmed by satellite imagery from early March, which found that an Israeli-made ELM-2084 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array Multi-Mission Radar had indeed been installed near Bosaso airport.

READ: UAE: The scramble for the Horn of Africa

Not only does the radar have the purpose of defending Puntland and its airport from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, but air traffic data reportedly indicates it also serves to facilitate the transport of weapons, ammunition, and supplies to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), further fuelling the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

“The UAE installed the radar shortly after the RSF lost control of most of Khartoum in early March”, one source said. Another source was cited as claiming that the radar was deployed at the airport late last year and that Abu Dhabi has used it on a daily basis to supply the RSF, particularly through large cargo planes that frequently carry weapons and ammunition, and which sometimes amount to up to five major shipments at a time.

According to two other Somali sources cited by the report, Puntland’s president Said Abdullahi Deni did not seek approval from Somalia’s federal government nor even the Puntland parliament for the installation of the radar, with one of those sources stressing that it was “a secret deal, and even the highest levels of Puntland’s government, including the cabinet, are unaware of it”.

READ: UAE under scrutiny over alleged arms shipments to Sudan

A new defense spending bill making its way through Congress would add $240 million to the U.S. Army’s budget for the purchase of more MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones. This is despite top Army leaders having declared last year that they would stop buying “obsolete” MQ-1Cs amid continued questions about the uncrewed aircraft’s relevance, especially in future high-end fights.

The Senate Appropriations Committee released details about the latest draft Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 Fiscal Year, which it had negotiated with its counterparts in the House of Representatives, earlier this week. The funding boost for MQ-1C contained therein is more specifically said to be for the procurement of Gray Eagle 25M variants for the Army National Guard. Prime contractor General Atomics has already been under contract to deliver examples of this version of the MQ-1C to National Guard units since 2024.

As noted, the Army had moved to halt any future purchases of MQ-1Cs last year. The service did not request any funding to buy more Gray Eagles in its proposed budget for the 2026 Fiscal Year, though it did ask for $3.444 million for continued upgrades for its existing fleet of the drones.

“We will cancel procurement of outdated crewed attack aircraft such as the AH-64D [Apache attack helicopter], excess ground vehicles like the HMMWV [the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle, or Humvee] and JLTV [Joint Light Tactical Vehicle], and obsolete UAVs [uncrewed aerial vehicles] like the Gray Eagle,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George had written in a joint letter outlining a major shakeup in modernization priorities last May. “We will also continue to cancel programs that deliver dated, late-to-need, overpriced, or difficult-to-maintain capabilities. Yesterday’s weapons will not win tomorrow’s wars.”

“Our Army must transform now to a leaner, more lethal force by infusing technology, cutting obsolete systems, and reducing overhead to defeat any adversary on an ever-changing battlefield,” that letter added.

Originally known as the Warrior, versions of the MQ-1C have been in Army service since the late 2000s. The drones are very much a product of the Global War on Terror era. The design is derived from General Atomics’ iconic MQ-1 Predator, but with features more tailored to the Army’s operational and logistical needs. It notably still has a heavy-fuel piston engine, like the Predator, despite General Atomics having separately moved to a turboprop on the MQ-9 Reaper. The Gray Eagle is also designed to operate with a smaller logistical footprint and have lower crew training requirements than the MQ-1 or MQ-9.

Army units today use Gray Eagles to perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and attack missions, both independently and as part of crewed-uncrewed teams with AH-64 Apaches. The drones each have a sensor turret under the nose with electro-optical and infrared cameras, and can carry munitions and other stores on up to four underwing pylons.

Over the years, General Atomics has worked to improve the endurance and other capabilities of the MQ-1C. The aforementioned Gray Eagle 25M is the most recent iteration of the design, and was unveiled in 2022. This latest version has an improved engine, increased onboard power, and a new flight computer offering a significant boost in processing power. General Atomics has said that the Gray Eagle 25M also brings an open-architecture systems backend to the MQ-1C family, opening new opportunities for the rapid integration of additional capabilities.

General Atomics Aeronautical – Gray Eagle 25M

Questions have been building for years now about the future relevance of MQ-1C, as well as its MQ-1 and MQ-9 cousins, especially in support of large-scale conflicts against adversaries with robust integrated air defense networks. The service careers of the Gray Eagle, as well as the Predator and Reaper, have been almost exclusively defined by operations in permissive or semi-permissive airspace. U.S. operations targeting Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen in recent years underscored the vulnerability of the MQ-9, in particular, even to opponents with relatively limited air defense capabilities.

The Army and General Atomics are not unaware of these realities, and there have been significant investments made over the past decade or so to try to ensure the relevance of the MQ-1 and MQ-9 families. Heavy emphasis has been put on air-launched loitering munitions and other uncrewed aerial systems – capabilities the U.S. military now refers collectively to as “launched effects” – as a way to both increase the capability of the Gray Eagle (and the Reaper) and help keep those drones further away from threats.

General Atomics also disclosed last year that the MQ-1C had demonstrated its ability to shoot down other drones using millimeter-wave radar-guided AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles, highlighting another potential role for the drones going forward.

General Atomics has also developed a self-protection pod that features threat warning sensors and a launcher for decoy flares that the MQ-1C and MQ-9 can carry. The Army had been working on a more capable podded electronic warfare system for the Gray Eagle called Multi-Function Electronic Warfare-Air Large (MFEW-AL), but indicated last year that it was backing away from that program.

Launched effects and new podded capabilities do still look key to the future of the MQ-1C in Army service.

“So, when we train on the West Coast, we’ll use an MQ-1 to lead the half [a group of helicopters] into the objective,” Col. Stephen Smith, head of the Army’s elite160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the Night Stalkers, said last year during a talk about how his unit is preparing for future operations in more contested airspace.

“We can hang different capabilities on that platform [the MQ-1C]. So that platform could look like a Black Hawk. It could look like a [MH-]47. It could look like a Little Bird,” Smith added. “So we’re using that as a decoy, [and there are] potentially other capabilities on [the] side of that aircraft.”

Night Stalker UAS Operations

Overall, the more central question has increasingly been how long the MQ-1C’s career with the Army will continue. Discussions in Ukraine about buying Gray Eagles in the months following Russia’s all-out invasion in 2022 highlight that there is still debate about the utility of armed drones in this general category in higher-end conflicts. At that time, Ukrainian forces were making heavy use of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones, which offer a broadly similar array of capabilities to the MQ-1C. Growing air defense threats had largely pushed Ukraine’s TB2s out of the equation as the conflict dragged on, but they notably returned to use on a limited level last year.

The Army does still have a need for assets that can loiter for long periods of time and operate from austere areas, and ones that are not exquisite, particularly when operating across the broad expanses of the Pacific. Drones like the Gray Eagle could play useful supporting roles in areas further away from the front lines, such as providing more localized defense and situational awareness around island outposts.

Much about the Army’s vision for its future aviation capabilities, crewed and uncrewed, is still in flux. Even before the broader shakeup in modernization priorities last year, the service had moved to make major changes to its future aviation plans, heavily influenced by an ever-expanding threat ecosystem. The Army notably cancelled its Future Attack Recon Aircraft (FARA) high-speed helicopter program in 2024. The service also halted plans for a direct replacement for the now-retired RQ-7 Shadow drone last year.

Just last month, the Army issued a new contracting “challenge” to industry, calling for prospective short or vertical takeoff and landing (STOL/VTOL) capable drones to take over at least a portion of the roles currently being performed by Gray Eagles. TWZ regularly highlights the benefits of reduced runway dependence or complete runway independence in the context of expeditionary and distributed operations across an array of far-flung locales in a future major conflict. Not having to rely on established traditional runways opens the door to new operational possibilities and helps create targeting dilemmas for opponents that reduce vulnerability to friendly forces.

General Atomics has been working on a short-takeoff and landing-capable drone based in part on the MQ-1C, now referred to as Gray Eagle STOL, in recent years. There has already been extensive flight testing of a demonstrator, dubbed Mojave, from sites on land and ships at sea. Other companies in the United States are also working on STOL/VTOL-capable uncrewed aircraft designs that could be relevant to the Army’s future needs.

GA-ASI Mojave STOL UAS Completes First Dirt Operations

In the meantime, Congress looks set to keep the Army ordering more MQ-1Cs for at least a little while longer.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Drone footage shows ice building along the shores of Lake Michigan as a powerful winter storm driven by a stretched polar vortex threatens more than 160 million people across the US, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain and dangerous Arctic cold.

Everton manager David Moyes says it is a “big blow” that on-loan midfielder Jack Grealish has a stress fracture in his foot.

Moyes said he could not give a timescale for Grealish’s recovery.

The 30-year-old, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester City, has made 22 appearances in all competitions for Everton this season.

He has scored two goals and provided six assists.

Grealish played the full 90 minutes as Everton beat former club Aston Villa 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.

More to follow.

UK politicians have accused Trump of avoiding military service during the Vietnam War.

United States President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from British politicians after claiming that NATO forces stayed away from the front line during the war in Afghanistan.

The US president made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, a US broadcaster, where he again questioned the value of the military alliance and suggested that NATO allies would not come to Washington’s aid if requested.

Speaking on Thursday, Trump said the US had “never needed” NATO and claimed allied forces remained “a little off the front lines” during the Afghanistan conflict.

The comments prompted a backlash across the UK political spectrum, with critics pointing to the scale of NATO casualties during the 20-year war and raising questions about Trump’s own military record.

Allies’ losses

The United Kingdom lost 457 service personnel in Afghanistan. More than 150 Canadian soldiers were killed, along with 90 French soldiers. Denmark lost 44 soldiers – one of the highest per-capita death rates among NATO members – despite the country recently facing continued pressure from Trump to sell its semi-autonomous territory of Greenland to the US.

Stephen Kinnock, a junior British minister, described Trump’s remarks as “deeply disappointing” and said European forces had paid a heavy price while backing US-led operations.

“Many, many British soldiers and many soldiers from other European NATO allies gave their lives in support of American-led missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq,” Kinnock told the UK’s Sky News broadcaster on Friday.

“I think anybody who seeks to criticise what [our armed forces] have done and the sacrifices that they make is plainly wrong,” he added.

‘How dare he’

Kinnock also noted that the US remains the only NATO member to have invoked Article 5, the alliance’s collective-defence clause, following the September 11, 2001 attacks, prompting allies to rally behind Washington.

He said NATO was the most successful international security alliance “in the history of the world”, with the US and its European partners, including the UK, playing a central role.

Other UK politicians highlighted Trump’s history of avoiding military service during the Vietnam War. Trump received multiple draft deferments, including one based on a diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels – a medical claim that has previously been questioned.

“Trump avoided military service 5 times,” Ed Davey, leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrats, wrote on X. “How dare he question their sacrifice.”

Exhausted by war, Damascus longs for unity as ceasefire sparks hope. But questions of integration and stability remain.

Damascus, Syria – Damascus had breathed a sigh of relief when a ceasefire between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was announced on the night of January 18. Fireworks lit up the sky, car horns blared and Syrians gathered in Umayyad Square to dance in jubilation.

The hope was that the conflict that flared up in the past few weeks in northern Syria was now over, and that the country had resolved one of the major issues still dividing it in the year since the overthrow of longtime leader President Bashar al-Assad.

“It’s a beautiful feeling, and I am sure it exists in every Syrian … we wish for all of Syria to be united,” said one Damascus resident, Saria Shammiri.

Yet the celebration was short-lived.

Fighting resumed the next morning as the government’s lightning push forced SDF leader Mazloum Abdi to accept less favourable terms: a withdrawal from Raqqa and Deir Az Zor, in northeastern Syria, further east towards Hasakah, a new ceasefire, and a four-day ultimatum for the SDF to fully integrate into state structures.

Anger towards the SDF

As the clock ticks down on that deadline, in Damascus and other areas outside SDF control, frustration towards the Kurdish-led forces has hardened after 15 years of division.

“The terrorist SDF doesn’t belong to this land … they are not Kurdish. They are occupiers,” said Maamoun Ramadan, a 75-year-old Syrian Kurd living in Damascus.

For many here, the SDF is no longer seen primarily as a force that fought ISIL (ISIS) at the height of Syria’s war, but as an actor that entrenched a parallel authority backed by foreign powers, such as the United States, keeping large parts of the country beyond the central government’s reach.

In cafes, taxis and government offices, the language is increasingly blunt. The SDF is accused of delaying reunification, monopolising oil and agricultural resources in the northeast, and shielding itself behind US support while the rest of the country endured sanctions, collapse and war. The renewed fighting has reinforced a belief among many Syrians that the standoff could only ever end through force or submission. But, still, many want a peaceful resolution.

“Dialogue is the foundation of peace,” said Sheikhmos Ramzi, a butcher, “the solution lies at the negotiation table. Violence only brings more violence.”

Anxious wait

There is also an undercurrent of anxiety. While the prospect of reunifying territory is popular, few in Damascus are blind to the risks. A prolonged confrontation could draw in regional actors, unsettle fragile border areas, or reignite communal tensions in the northeast, where Arab tribal communities, Kurds, and others coexist uneasily after years of shifting alliances.

Some residents privately express concern about what integration will actually mean on the ground. Will SDF fighters be absorbed into national forces, sidelined, or prosecuted? Will local administrations be dismantled overnight? And can a central state, stretched thin after years of war and economic crisis, realistically govern and stabilise territory it has not controlled for more than a decade?

For now, however, those questions are largely drowned out by a dominant mood: impatience. The ceasefire was welcomed not as an endpoint, but as a step towards what many here see as an overdue resolution. The government’s advances are framed as restoring sovereignty, not opening a new chapter of conflict.

In Damascus, unity is the word repeated most often. But it is a unity shaped by exhaustion, resentment and the desire to finally close one of the last unresolved fronts of Syria’s long war.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deployed a military radar in the Somali region of Puntland as part of a secret deal, amid Abu Dhabi’s ongoing entrenchment of its influence over the region’s security affairs.

According to the London-based news outlet Middle East Eye, sources familiar with the matter told it that the UAE had installed a military radar near Bosaso airport in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this year, with one unnamed source saying that the “radar’s purpose is to detect and provide early warning against drone or missile threats, particularly those potentially launched by the Houthis, targeting Bosaso from outside”.

The radar’s presence was reportedly confirmed by satellite imagery from early March, which found that an Israeli-made ELM-2084 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array Multi-Mission Radar had indeed been installed near Bosaso airport.

READ: UAE: The scramble for the Horn of Africa

Not only does the radar have the purpose of defending Puntland and its airport from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, but air traffic data reportedly indicates it also serves to facilitate the transport of weapons, ammunition, and supplies to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), further fuelling the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

“The UAE installed the radar shortly after the RSF lost control of most of Khartoum in early March”, one source said. Another source was cited as claiming that the radar was deployed at the airport late last year and that Abu Dhabi has used it on a daily basis to supply the RSF, particularly through large cargo planes that frequently carry weapons and ammunition, and which sometimes amount to up to five major shipments at a time.

According to two other Somali sources cited by the report, Puntland’s president Said Abdullahi Deni did not seek approval from Somalia’s federal government nor even the Puntland parliament for the installation of the radar, with one of those sources stressing that it was “a secret deal, and even the highest levels of Puntland’s government, including the cabinet, are unaware of it”.

READ: UAE under scrutiny over alleged arms shipments to Sudan

Former United States Special Counsel Jack Smith has defended his prosecution of President Donald Trump, rejecting Republican claims that the cases were politically motivated.

Testifying before lawmakers at the House Judiciary Committee, Smith said the two federal cases, one over Trump’s handling of classified documents and the other over efforts to overturn the 2020 election, were based on evidence, not politics.

Both cases were dropped after Trump was re-elected in November 2024, in line with longstanding Department of Justice policy barring the investigation or prosecution of a sitting president. Smith resigned shortly before Trump’s inauguration in January 2025.

The hearing marked the first time the US public heard at length from Smith since his resignation. He told the panel that he expected Trump’s Justice Department to try to bring criminal charges against him.

These are the key takeaways:

What specifics do we know about the cases?

Smith, a public corruption prosecutor, was appointed in November 2022 to oversee the investigations into Trump.

These are the two cases he investigated:

Classified documents

Smith investigated Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left office at the end of his first term.

The criminal case included 31 counts under the US Espionage Act for the willful retention of national defence information, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Separate charges accused Trump of conspiring to obstruct justice and making false statements to investigators.

Prosecutors alleged that Trump removed highly sensitive documents from the White House when he left office in 2021 and later stored them at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

2020 election results

The second case focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden. Prosecutors argued that Trump sought to block the lawful transfer of power after the vote, rather than accept the outcome.

The charges followed a wide-ranging investigation into the events leading up to the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Trump was indicted on four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy against the rights of voters.

Smith did not accuse Trump of directly inciting the Capitol riot. Instead, the case centred on Trump’s actions in the weeks between his election defeat and the violence in Washington, examining efforts to pressure officials, advance false claims of fraud and interfere with the certification of the election results.

What were the main takeaways from Thursday’s testimony?

‘No one should be above the law’

Smith said his investigation into Trump was driven by evidence and the law.

“We followed the facts and we followed the law. Where that led us was to an indictment of an unprecedented criminal scheme to block the peaceful transfer of power,” Smith said.

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity. If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat,” Smith said in his opening remarks.

“No one should be above the law in this country, and the law required that he be held to account. So that is what I did,” Smith added.

Still, the special counsel said he stopped short of filing a charge of insurrection against Trump. That was pursued in the House impeachment of Trump in the aftermath of January 6, though the president was acquitted of the sole count of incitement of an insurrection by the Senate.

Cassidy Hutchinson

Republicans have long focused on challenging the testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, which was a key moment in the congressional investigation into the January 6 attack.

Hutchinson told the committee she had been informed that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle as he demanded to go to the US Capitol. Other witnesses later disputed that account.

During the hearing, Republican Representative Jim Jordan, the committee’s chair, pressed Jack Smith on the episode. “Mr Smith, is Cassidy Hutchinson a liar?” Jordan asked.

Smith said Hutchinson’s account was second-hand and that investigators were unable to confirm it. He said the Secret Service agent in the vehicle at the time did not back up the claim.

Jordan pressed whether Smith would have brought Hutchinson forward to testify anyway, and Smith said he had not made “any final determinations”.

Jordan seized on that response, arguing it showed prosecutors were determined to go after Trump.

In fact, Smith said, one of the “central challenges” of the case was to present it in a concise way, “because we did have so many witnesses” – state officials, Trump campaign workers and advisers – to testify.

“Some of the most powerful witnesses were witnesses who, in fact, were fellow Republicans who had voted for Donald Trump, who had campaigned for him and who wanted him to win the election,” Smith added.

‘Threats to democracy’

One Democrat, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, asked how he would describe the consequences – for US democracy – of not holding Trump accountable for alleged violations of the law and his oath.

“If we do not hold the most powerful people in our society to the same standards of the rule of law, then it can be catastrophic,” Smith said.

“Because if they don’t have to follow the law, it’s very easy to understand why people would think they don’t have to follow the law as well.”

Smith continued, “If we don’t hold people to account when they commit crimes, that it sends a message that those crimes are OK, that our society accepts that… It can endanger our election process, it can endanger election workers, and ultimately our democracy.”

‘I don’t get it’

Smith sharply criticised Trump’s decision to issue mass pardons for people convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

On his first day back in office, Trump granted clemency to all those charged over the riot, including hundreds who had been accused or convicted of assaulting police officers.

When asked about the move, Smith said: “The people who assaulted police officers and were convicted after trial, in my view and I think in the view of the judges who sentenced them to prison, are dangerous to their communities. As you mentioned, some of these people have already committed crimes against their communities again, and I think all of us – if we are reasonable – know that there is going to be more crimes committed by these people in the future.

“I do not understand why you would mass pardon people who assaulted police officers,” Smith said on Thursday. “I don’t get it. I never will.”

According to reports, at least 140 police officers were injured during the Capitol attack.

Smith defends his work

Republican lawmakers sought to portray Smith as an overly aggressive prosecutor who needed to be restrained by senior Justice Department officials as he pursued cases against Trump before the former president’s potential return to office.

They focused, in particular, on Smith’s decision to obtain phone records for members of Congress, including then–House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, arguing the move amounted to overreach.

In a heated exchange, Republican Representative Brandon Gill of Texas accused Smith of using nondisclosure orders to “hide” subpoenas from both their targets and the public.

Smith rejected those claims, saying the collection of phone records was a routine investigative step aimed at understanding the “scope of the conspiracy” to overturn the 2020 election.

“My office didn’t spy on anyone,” Smith said.

He added that nondisclosure orders were sought because of concerns about witness intimidation, pointing to Trump’s public warnings that he would be “coming after” people who crossed him.

“I had grave concerns about obstruction of justice in this investigation, specifically with regards to Donald Trump,” Smith said.

Smith said prosecutors are not required “to wait until someone gets killed before they move for an order to protect the proceedings”.

Trump responds

Trump appeared to be following Smith’s testimony live, posting on Truth Social as the hearing unfolded and praising Republicans for their attacks on the former special counsel.

“Deranged Jack Smith is being DECIMATED before Congress. It was over when they discussed his past failures and unfair prosecutions,” Trump wrote. “He destroyed many lives under the guise of legitimacy. Jack Smith is a deranged animal, who shouldn’t be allowed to practice Law.”

Trump framed the investigations as a “Democrat SCAM” and said those involved should “pay a big price”.

Trump has deployed similar tactics in the past, using his social media account in September to direct the Justice Department to indict other critics of his actions, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.

As key buildings, including the Parliament, suffer from blackouts, finding light, in the figurative and literal sense, becomes a challenge.

Kyiv, Ukraine – The rattle of multiple petrol generators sounded out across the historic neighbourhood of Podil as people attempted to traverse the icy streets in near darkness.

About half the capital’s homes are without heating or power after large Russian aerial strikes on Ukraine targeted the country’s infrastructure in recent weeks.

Temperatures sit well below freezing.

Yet as an air raid siren blares, young people in Kyiv gathered in a row of cafes and bars. Generators are able to provide heating, light and music.

“It’s really important for the youth to meet up and do stuff together so we don’t break down mentally,” Karina Sema, a 24-year-old journalist, told Al Jazeera.

She pulled out her phone and showed a video filmed the day before. About 100 people can be seen gathering in torchlight around a speaker, singing along to a track called All I Need Is Your Love Tonight.

The latest large-scale attack was on Tuesday night, when Russia fired drones and ballistic missiles across the country, plunging the city, including the Ukrainian Parliament, into darkness just as repair crews had begun to restore parts of the grid after an assault earlier in January.

State of emergency

Repeated attacks have pushed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to issue a state of emergency in the energy sector. He has accused Russia of deliberately exploiting the bitter cold snap as a weapon of war.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk denounced the strikes as a “cruel” and clear violation of international law.

The lack of heating has caused water pipes to burst in some buildings, leading to flooding as the water in them freezes.

Residents of an area on the capital’s left bank, which has been hit by repeated drone strikes and has no electricity supply, told Al Jazeera of a number of creative solutions to the crisis.

One popular method is to heat a brick on a portable petrol-powered stove, which helps warm the apartment and retains heat long after the stove is switched off.

Assiya Melnyk, a single mother in her 30s, showed Al Jazeera around her apartment, which had had no electricity for the whole day.

“My eyesight is going because I squint in the dark for so long,” she said, holding a small torch.

“It is hard to stay warm, we use jumpers and blankets; I just think of my daughter and keeping her well mentally and physically,” she said.

Economic impact

The attacks on infrastructure also hurt business owners who have struggled for almost four years under a wartime economy.

Enes Lutfia, a 24-year-old originally from Turkiye, told Al Jazeera that he is now considering closing his restaurants and bars.

It costs him almost $500 a week to fuel his generator.

“I have no customers”, he said. “Young people hang out together on the street or at home, many adult men are fighting, many women have left the country,” he said with a resigned shrug.

Defending the country’s energy sector is also costing Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said the air defence missiles used after Tuesday’s attack cost about $90 million.

‘You stay with your own mind’

It is not just Kyiv that has been affected. Cities such as Kharkiv in the east and Odesa in the south have also suffered near darkness.

In central Ukraine’s Poltava, Anatoli, a 54-year-old car mechanic, told Al Jazeera he now gets electricity only for a few hours at night. He works in his garage in the early morning hours when the lights are on.

He is considering leaving Ukraine.

“I will leave as soon as they open the borders,” he said.

In a restaurant in the city’s centre, 23-year-old Maxim Senschuk told Al Jazeera that staying at home with no electricity can affect a person’s mental state: “You stay with your own mind”.

He bemoaned a “psychological war on society”, but added, “All my family, friends, we are not scared, it has been four years [of war]. Now we are just bored with this”.

Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished multiple structures inside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) compound in East Jerusalem, a site Israel seized last year. Bulldozers entered the compound under heavy security and razed large buildings that previously housed dozens of UNRWA staff and were reportedly used to store humanitarian aid for the West Bank and Gaza. UNRWA had vacated the premises in early 2025 after Israel ordered the agency to halt operations and leave all its facilities.

UN response and legal claims:
UNRWA strongly condemned the demolitions, calling them an “unprecedented attack” on a UN agency. The organisation said Israeli forces forced out security guards before carrying out the demolition, arguing the action violated international law and the privileges and immunities afforded to United Nations property. UNRWA maintains that the compound remained UN premises despite Israel’s ban on its operations.

Israel’s justification:
Israel rejects UNRWA’s claims of immunity. The Israeli foreign ministry said the compound did not enjoy special legal protection and that its seizure and demolition were conducted in line with Israeli and international law. Israeli authorities have also cited unpaid municipal property taxes of 11 million shekels, arguing the Jerusalem municipality acted only after issuing repeated warnings and following due process.

Political and security context:
The demolition follows Israel’s October 2024 law banning UNRWA from operating in the country and prohibiting Israeli officials from engaging with the agency. Israel accuses UNRWA of systemic bias and alleges that some of its staff were members of Hamas and participated in the October 7, 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis. While UNRWA has dismissed or disciplined some staff, it says Israel has not provided evidence for all accusations.

Status of East Jerusalem:
East Jerusalem is considered occupied territory under international law by the United Nations and most countries, while Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its sovereign capital. This legal divergence lies at the heart of the dispute, particularly over whether Israeli authorities have jurisdiction to demolish UN-linked facilities in the area.

Humanitarian implications:
UNRWA operates across Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the wider Middle East, providing education, healthcare, and social services to millions of Palestinian refugees. Former staff say the demolished buildings were part of the agency’s logistical infrastructure, raising concerns that the action could further disrupt humanitarian operations amid an already severe regional crisis.

Analysis:
The demolition of UNRWA facilities marks a significant escalation in Israel’s confrontation with the UN agency and reflects a broader effort to delegitimise its role in Palestinian affairs. Legally, the move deepens a long-running dispute over the status of UN property in occupied territory and tests the limits of international protections for humanitarian agencies. Politically, it reinforces Israel’s narrative that UNRWA is compromised, while strengthening UN and international criticism that Israel is undermining humanitarian access and international norms. In practical terms, the destruction of aid-related infrastructure risks further weakening relief efforts for Palestinians at a time when humanitarian needs are at historic highs, making the episode as consequential on the ground as it is symbolically charged.

With information from Reuters.

South Africa has launched an inquiry into Iran’s participation in joint naval drills with BRICS nations last week, apparently against the orders of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

BRICS is a group of 10 countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The acronym BRICS represents the initial letters of the founding members, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The group, formed in 2006, initially focused on trade, but has since expanded its mandate to include security and cultural exchanges.

It concluded a week of joint naval drills in South African waters on January 16. The drills have caused controversy in the country and drawn the ire of the United States.

Although South Africa regularly holds drills with Russia and China, the latest maritime training comes amid heightened tensions between the US and many of the group’s members, particularly Iran, which until last week was grappling with mass protests at home that turned deadly.

Pretoria said the exercise, named Will for Peace 2026, was essential for ensuring maritime safety and international cooperation. The training “brings together navies from BRICS Plus countries for … joint maritime safety operations [and] interoperability drills”, a statement from the South African military noted before the exercises.

However, US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has previously accused BRICS of being “anti-American” and has threatened its members with tariffs, has strongly criticised the naval exercises.

Here’s what we know about the exercises and why they were controversial:

What were the drills for?

South Africa hosted the BRICS naval exercise, which included warships from participating countries, on January 9-16.

China led the training, which took place near the southwestern coastal city of Simon’s Town, which is home to a major South African naval base.

Exercises in rescue and maritime strike operations as well as technical exchanges were planned, according to China’s Ministry of National Defense. All BRICS countries were invited.

Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint task force commander, said at the opening ceremony that the operation was not just a military exercise but a statement of intent by BRICS countries to forge closer alliances with each other.

“It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,” Thamaha said. “In an increasingly complex maritime environment, cooperation such as this is not an option. It is essential.”

The purpose, he said, was to “ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities”.

South African Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa told journalists that the drills had been planned before the current tensions between some BRICS members and the US.

While some BRICS countries may face issues with Washington, Holomisa clarified that they “are not our enemies”.

Who participated and how?

China and Iran deployed destroyer warships to South Africa, while Russia and the United Arab Emirates sent corvettes, traditionally the smallest warships.

South Africa, the host country, dispatched a frigate.

Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil joined the exercises as observers.

India, the current chair of the group, chose not to participate and distanced itself from the war games.

“We clarify that the exercise in question was entirely a South African initiative in which some BRICS members took part,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. “It was not a regular or institutionalised BRICS activity, nor did all BRICS members take part in it. India has not participated in previous such activities.”

Why is South Africa facing US backlash over the drills?

The US is angry that South Africa allowed Iran to participate in the drills at a time when Tehran was accused of launching a violent crackdown on antigovernment protests that had spread across the country.

The protests broke out in late December, when shopkeepers in Tehran closed up their businesses and demonstrated against inflation and the falling value of the rial. These protests swelled into a broader challenge to Iran’s rulers, as thousands of people took to the streets nationwide to demonstrate over a few weeks.

Security forces in some areas cracked down on the crowds, resulting in the deaths of “several thousands”, according to a statement on Saturday by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While activists said thousands of protesters were killed, the Iranian government said this was an exaggeration and claimed police officers and security service members formed a significant chunk of those who were killed.

The Iranian authorities also claimed the US and Israel had armed and funded “terrorists” to inflame the protests. They said agents affiliated with foreign powers, and not state forces, were responsible for the deaths of civilians, including protesters.

The mass uprising is one of the most disruptive the country has witnessed since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Tens of thousands of people are believed to have been arrested.

Before the BRICS drills, the US warned South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that Iran’s participation would reflect badly on his country, according to a report by the Daily Maverick, a South African newspaper.

Ramaphosa subsequently ordered Iran to withdraw from the exercises on January 9, the paper reported.

However, three Iranian vessels that had already been deployed to South Africa continued to participate.

In a statement on January 15, the US embassy in South Africa accused the South African military of defying orders from its own government and said it was “cozying up to Iran”.

“It is particularly unconscionable that South Africa welcomed Iranian security forces as they were shooting, jailing, and torturing Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity South Africans fought so hard to gain for themselves,” the statement read.

“South Africa can’t lecture the world on ‘justice’ while cozying up to Iran.”

South African political analyst Reneva Fourie said Washington was merely fishing for reasons to criticise South Africa for bringing a genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice for its war in Gaza.

“The US is looking for an entry point,” she said.

The US “is facing increased infringement on freedom of expression and association, democracy and human rights as well as increased militarisation. The US should focus on its own dire state instead of meddling in the affairs of others.”

Tensions over the military drills are only the latest point of contention between the US and Iran.

During the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in 2025, Washington sided with Israel, and on June 22, the US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran. Initial assessments from US officials noted that all three were severely damaged. Iran retaliated by bombing a military base in Qatar where US troops are positioned, in what was largely seen as a face-saving exercise.

Which other BRICS members have tensions with the US?

Nearly all members of BRICS have problems with the current US government.

Besides the dispute over Iran joining the naval drills, South Africa is also caught up in a battle of narratives with the Trump administration, which alleges, without any evidence, that the country’s minority white population is being subjected to a “genocide“. In 2025, Trump established a refugee programme for white Afrikaners wishing to “flee” to the US.

The US has also condemned South Africa’s decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice in December 2023.

The US currently levies tariffs on South African exports of up to 40 percent as a result.

China has been locked in a tense trade war with the US for more than a year. After slapping each other with tariffs exceeding 100 percent early last year, these were suspended pending trade talks. But China then restricted exports of its rare earth metals, which are required for technology crucial for defence, and Trump again threatened more tariffs before the two sides reached an agreement in late October, under which China agreed to “pause” restrictions on the export of some metals.

Russia is also on Washington’s radar because of its war in Ukraine.

Just three days before the drills began, the US seized a Venezuela-linked Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic due to its sanctions on both countries.

On January 3, the US military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from the capital, Caracas. Both now face drugs and weapons charges in a New York federal court. In September, the US had begun a campaign of air strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean, claiming they were trafficking drugs to the US, but providing no evidence.

India has been hit with 50 percent tariffs on its exports to the US, partly as punishment for continuing to buy Russian oil.

This month, the US withdrew from the India-led International Solar Alliance, although this withdrawal was part of a broader move to pull the US out of several international bodies.

Harsh V Pant, a geopolitical analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think tank, told Al Jazeera that, for India, keeping out of the naval drills was “about balancing ties with the US”.

Pant added that in India’s opinion, “war games” were never part of the BRICS mandate.

While BRICS was founded as an economic bloc, it has widened its mandate to include security.

What has the response been in South Africa?

Ramaphosa’s government has also faced some backlash over the drills at home.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), a former opposition party that is now part of the governing coalition and largely represents the interests of the white minority, blamed Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola for failing to hold the Department of Defence to account.

Lamola is from the African National Congress (ANC) party, which, until 2024, governed South Africa alone.

“By allowing the Department of Defence to proceed unchecked in these military exercises, Minister Lamola has effectively outsourced South Africa’s foreign policy to the whims of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), exposing the country to serious diplomatic and economic risk,” the DA said in a statement two days after the exercises started.

“South Africa is now perceived not as a principled non-aligned state, but as a willing host for military cooperation with authoritarian regimes.”

What is the South African government saying now?

South African officials have shifted from initially justifying the drills to distancing themselves from the Iran debacle.

Despite initial statements from officials that the drills would go ahead as planned, Ramaphosa eventually appeared to bow to US pressure and, on January 9, ordered that Iran be excluded, local media reported.

Those instructions do not seem to have been followed by the South African Defence Department or the military, however.

In a statement on January 16, Defence Minister Angie Motshekga’s office said Ramaphosa’s instructions had been “clearly communicated to all parties concerned, agreed upon and adhered to as such”.

The statement went on to say that the minister had established an inquiry board “to look into the circumstances surrounding the allegations and establish whether the instruction of the President may have been misrepresented and/or ignored as issued to all”.

A report on the investigation is expected on Friday.

This is not the first time South Africa has been criticised for its military relations with Iran.

In August, its military chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, prompted anger from the DA when he embarked on a trip to Tehran and affirmed that South Africa and Iran had “common goals”.

His statement came just weeks after the Iran-Israel war. He was also reportedly critical of Israel while in Tehran.

Some ANC critics called for Maphwanya’s firing, but he has remained in office.

Israel is no longer concealing its intention to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homeland, as it now announces this plan more openly than ever before through official rhetoric at the highest levels, said Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor in a report issued today.

Through actions on the ground and institutional measures designed to reframe the crime as “voluntary migration”, explained Euro-Med Monitor, Israel has attempted to implement its displacement campaign by exploiting the international community’s near-total silence, which has enabled the continuation of the crime and Israeli impunity despite the unprecedented nature of humanity’s first livestreamed genocide.

“Israel is now attempting to carry out the final phase of its crime, and its original goal: the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Palestine, specifically from the Gaza Strip. For a year and a half, Israel has carried out acts of genocide, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of people, erasing entire cities, dismantling the Strip’s infrastructure, and systematically displacing its population within the enclave. These actions aim to eliminate the Palestinian people as a community and as a collective presence.”

The current plans for forced displacement, said the Geneva-based rights group, are a direct extension of Israel’s long-standing, settler-colonial project, aimed at erasing Palestinian existence and seizing land. What distinguishes this stage, it added, is its unprecedented scale and brutality.

“Israel is targeting over two million people who have endured a full-scale genocide and have been stripped of even the most basic human rights, under coercive, inhumane conditions that make living any sort of a normal life impossible. Israel’s deliberate objective is to pressure Palestinians into leaving by making it their only means of survival.”

Having succeeded in revealing the weak principles of international law, such as protections for civilians based on their perceived racial superiority or lack thereof, Israel is now reshaping the narrative once again.

READ: Gaza reaches WHO’s most critical malnutrition level amid Israeli blockade

“Armed with overwhelming force and emboldened by the international community’s abandonment of legal and moral responsibilities, Israel seeks to portray the mass expulsion of Palestinians as ‘voluntary migration’,” said the group. “This is a blatant attempt to rebrand ethnic cleansing and forced displacement using dishonest language — like ‘humanitarian considerations’ and ‘individual choice’ — and is a direct contradiction of legal facts and the reality on the ground.”

Euro-Med Monitor emphasised that forced displacement is a standalone crime under international law, because it involves the removal of individuals from areas where they legally reside, using force, threats, or other forms of coercion, without valid legal justification.

“Coercion, in the context of Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip, goes beyond military force. It includes the creation of unbearable conditions that render remaining in one’s home practically impossible or life-threatening.” A coercive environment includes fear of violence, persecution, arrest, intimidation, starvation or other forms of hardship that strip individuals of free will and force them to flee.

“Israel has already committed the crime of forced displacement against Gaza’s population, having driven them into internal displacement without legal grounds and in conditions that violate international legal exceptions, which only permit evacuation temporarily and under imperative military necessity, while ensuring safe areas with minimum standards of human dignity,” said Lima Bustami, Director of Euro-Med Monitor’s Legal Department.

“None of these standards have been met. In fact, Israel has used this widespread and repeated pattern of displacement as a tool of genocide, aimed at destroying and subjecting the population to deadly living conditions.”

Bustami added that although the legal elements of the crime are already fulfilled, Israel is further escalating it to a more lethal level against the Palestinian people, manifesting its settler-colonial vision of expulsion and replacement. “Now it is attempting to market the second phase of forced displacement — beyond Gaza’s borders — as ‘voluntary migration’: a transparent deception that only a complicit international community — one that chooses silence over accountability — would accept.”

Today, the people of the Gaza Strip endure catastrophic conditions that are unprecedented in recent history, said Euro-Med Monitor. “Israel has obliterated all forms of normal life; there is no electricity or infrastructure, and there are no homes, no essential services, no functioning healthcare or education systems, and no clean water services.”

Indeed, the group’s report notes that around 2.3 million Palestinians are confined to less than 34 per cent of the Strip’s 365 square kilometres. Approximately 66 per cent of the territory has been turned into so-called “buffer zones”, or areas that are completely off-limits to Palestinians and/or that have been forcibly depopulated through Israeli bombings and displacement orders. “Most of the population is now living in tattered tents amid the spread of famine, disease and epidemics and an accumulation of waste, conditions symptomatic of the near-complete collapse of the humanitarian system.”

Moreover, Israel continues to systematically block the entry of food, medicine and fuel; destroy all remaining means of survival; and obstruct any efforts aimed at reconstruction or restoring even the minimum conditions for a healthy life.

“These conditions in place are not the result of a natural disaster,” the Euro-Med report says pointedly. “They have been deliberately engineered by Israel as a coercive tool to pressure the population into leaving the Gaza Strip. The absence of any genuine, voluntary alternative for Palestinians in the enclave renders this situation a textbook case of forcible transfer, as defined under international law and affirmed by relevant jurisprudence.”

READ: Israel advocate says, ‘I’m OK with as many dead kids as it takes’

According to Bustami, “While population transfers may be permitted in certain humanitarian contexts under international law, any such justification collapses if the humanitarian crisis is the direct consequence of unlawful acts committed by the same party enforcing the transfer. It is impermissible to use forced displacement as a response to a disaster one has created, a principle clearly upheld by international tribunals, particularly the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.”

Framing this imposed reality as a “voluntary” migration and an option not only constitutes a gross distortion of truth, said Euro-Med Monitor, but also undermines the legal foundations of the international system, erodes the principle of accountability, and transforms impunity from a failure of justice into a deliberate mechanism for perpetuating grave crimes and entrenching the outcomes of such crimes.

“Repeated public statements from the highest levels of Israel’s political and security leadership have escalated in intensity over the past year and a half, and expose a clear, coordinated intent to displace the population of the Gaza Strip. In a blatant bid to enforce a demographic transformation serving Israel’s colonial-settler agenda, senior Israeli officials — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — have publicly called for the expulsion of Palestinians from the Strip and for the settlement of Jewish Israelis in their place.”

Netanyahu expressed full support in February 2025 for US President Donald Trump’s plan to resettle Palestinians outside of the Gaza Strip, describing it as “the only viable solution for enabling a different future” for the region. Likewise, Smotrich announced in March that the Israeli government would back the establishment of a new “migration authority” to coordinate what he termed a “massive logistical operation” to remove Palestinians from the Strip.

Ben-Gvir, meanwhile, has openly advocated for the encouragement of “voluntary migration” coupled with calls to resettle Jewish Israelis in the territory.

The human rights organisation referred to the 23 March decision of the Israeli Security Cabinet to establish a dedicated directorate within the Ministry of Defence, to manage what it calls the “voluntary relocation” of the Gaza Strip’s residents to third countries. “This is evidence that this displacement is not a by-product of destruction or political rhetoric, but an official policy,” it noted. “This policy is being implemented through institutional mechanisms, directed from within Israel’s own security apparatus, with full operational powers, executive structures, and strategic goals.”

READ: Israel bombing kills 4-year-old twin girls as they slept in Gaza

Furthermore, current Defence Minister Israel Katz’s statement on the new directorate confirmed that it would “prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries, including securing movement, establishing movement routes, checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, as well as coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.”

The true danger of establishing such a directorate, said Euro-Med Monitor, lies not only in its institutionalisation of forced transfer, but in the new legal and political reality it seeks to impose. “It rebrands displacement as an ‘optional’ administrative service while stripping civilians of their ability to make free, informed decisions, therefore cloaking a war crime in a veneer of bureaucratic legitimacy.”

Any departure from the Gaza Strip under current circumstances cannot be considered “voluntary”, it added, but rather constitutes, in legal terms, forcible transfer, which is strictly prohibited under international law. “All individuals compelled to leave the Strip retain their inalienable right to return to their land and property immediately and unconditionally. They also have the full right to seek compensation for all damages and losses incurred as a result of Israeli crimes and rights violations, including the destruction of homes and property, physical and psychological harm, the assault on human dignity, and the denial of livelihood and basic rights.”

Under its obligations as an occupying power responsible for the protection of the civilian population, Israel is prohibited from forcibly transferring Palestinians and bears full legal responsibility to ensure their protection from this crime.

The rules of international law, particularly customary international law and the Geneva Conventions, require all states not to recognise any situation arising from the crime of forcible transfer and to treat it as null and void. States are also obligated to withhold all material, political and diplomatic support that would contribute to the entrenchment of such a situation.

“International responsibility goes beyond mere non-recognition,” said the rights group. “It includes a legal duty for states to take urgent effective steps to halt the crime, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide redress to victims. This includes ensuring the safe, voluntary return of all displaced persons from the Gaza Strip, and providing full reparations for the harm and violations they have suffered. Any failure to act in this regard constitutes a direct breach of international law and complicity that could subject states to legal accountability.”

READ: Israeli air strike hits Gaza children’s hospital

Euro-Med Monitor said that the international community must move beyond deafening silence and abandon paltry rhetorical condemnations, which have come to represent the maximum response it dares to make in the face of the livestreamed genocide unfolding before its eyes. “It must act swiftly and effectively to halt Israel’s ongoing project of mass displacement in the Gaza Strip and prevent it from becoming an entrenched reality. This action must be based on international legal norms, a commitment to justice and accountability, and an honest reckoning with the root structural cause of the crimes: Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1967.”

Endorsing or remaining silent about Israeli plans to forcibly transfer Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip not only exonerates Israel but rewards it for its illegal conduct by granting it gains secured through mass killing, destruction, blockade, and starvation, said the organisation. “This is not just a series of war crimes or crimes against humanity, it embodies the legal definition of genocide, as established by the 1948 Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

All states, individually and collectively, must uphold their legal obligations and take all necessary measures to halt Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip.

This includes taking immediate, effective steps to protect Palestinian civilians and to prevent the implementation of the US-Israeli crime of forcible transfer that is openly threatening the Strip’s population.

“The international community must impose economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions on Israel for its systematic and grave violations of international law. This includes halting arms imports and exports; ending all forms of political, financial and military support; freezing the financial assets of officials involved in crimes against Palestinians; imposing travel bans; and suspending trade privileges and bilateral agreements that offer Israel economic advantages that sustain its capacity to commit further crimes.”

The rights group insisted that states must also hold complicit governments accountable — chief among them the United States — for their role in enabling Israeli crimes through various forms of support, including military and intelligence cooperation, financial aid and political or legal backing.

“The ethnic cleansing and genocide taking place right now in the Gaza Strip would not be possible without Israel’s decades-long unlawful colonial presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This is the root structural cause of the violence, oppression, and destruction in the besieged enclave,” concluded Euro-Med Monitor. “Any meaningful response to the escalating crisis in the Strip must begin with dismantling this colonial reality, recognising the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and securing their freedom and sovereignty over their national territory.

“As Israel and its allies must be compelled to abide by the law, international intervention is the only path to ending the genocide, halting all forms of individual and collective forcible transfer, dismantling the apartheid regime, and establishing a credible framework for justice, accountability, and the preservation of human dignity.”

OPINION: Palestinian voices are throttled by the promotion of foreign agendas

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

The U.S. is continuing to build up its military presence in the Middle East ahead of a possible attack on Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is now in the Indian Ocean, a U.S. Navy official told The War Zone on Thursday. The CSG was in the South China Sea until U.S. President Donald Trump ordered it moved west. In addition, more cargo jets and aerial refueling tankers have arrived in the region. Trump on Thursday said a large naval presence is heading to the region.

These movements come as Trump has threatened to strike Iran over its brutal treatment of anti-government protesters, which has resulted in thousands of deaths.

“We have a big flotilla going in that direction, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters Thursday afternoon. “We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”

“We have an armada,” Trump added after claiming he “stopped 837 hangings on Thursday…We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see.”

Aside from threatening to strike Iran, Trump on Jan. 13 also promised those taking to the streets that help was on its way.

However, he relented after being told the killings would stop and reportedly called off a strike against Iran last week. According to some accounts, Trump does not want to become involved in a protracted battle with Iran while still contemplating regime change. There are lingering concerns in Washington and Jerusalem about not having enough assets in the region to defend against an expected Iranian response, which in part led Israel to urge Trump to hold off any attack. This was also our analysis at the time.

Underlying theme: the admin is seriously thinking about regime change in Iran.

Issue they’re running into is how to make it happen without a protracted campaign. https://t.co/oEqVUq0aUd

— Gregory Brew (@gbrew24) January 22, 2026

The influx of additional assets to the region will give Trump a greater range of potential action, and allow for the ability to defend against an Iranian attack, whether in response to U.S. military actions or not.

“If Iranian leadership perceives that regime collapse is imminent, the expectation within this assessment is that Iran would escalate aggressively across multiple vectors,” the Times of Israel recently suggested in an opinion piece. “This would include attacks on American assets throughout the region, coordinated pressure against allies such as Israel, and actions designed to disrupt global energy flows. In particular, the Strait of Hormuz represents one of Iran’s most consequential pressure points. Energy agencies estimate that roughly 20 million barrels per day—about one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption—transit the strait.”

All this depends on the state of Iran’s command and control at the time of such an operation, as well as many other factors. While the specter of major retaliations in the Strait of Hormuz have persisted for years, it did not come to fruition during the war with Israel in June. Still, operations that seek regime change could change this calculus.

As for U.S. force posture in the region, there remains a large number of unknowns, including the exact composition of U.S. forces that are already there and what role, if any, will be played by Israel and other U.S. allies if Trump moves forward with an attack. We do know that the U.S. already had a limited number of fighter aircraft at several bases throughout the Middle East, as well as three Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers and perhaps a submarine plying its waters, among other capabilities, prior to the protests.

Many additional assets have poured in since then, but it remains unclear at the moment whether the current force can support in terms of a sustained conflict and what will be added in the coming days or even weeks leading up to an operation. At the same time, an operation could begin any time, so the current picture is quite murky. Even a limited decapitation operation aimed at the regime would require a huge number of contingencies.

The Lincoln CSG, which appears to be several days away from arriving in the Arabian Sea, would boost U.S. striking power in the region. Its embarked CVW-9 Carrier Air Wing consists of eight squadrons flying F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, CMV-22B Ospreys and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks. Its escorts, Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay and the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21 bring a large number of missile tubes that could be used to strike Iran. These vessels could also be used in the defense of U.S. targets and those of its allies during a reprisal.

So far, there does not appear to have been a major influx of U.S. airpower. Low-resolution satellite imagery observed by The War Zone shows no large deployments to Diego Garcia, the Indian Ocean island where U.S. bombers have previously been staged amid rising tensions with Iran. However, online flight trackers are reporting that there have been flights of C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets to the region. These would be needed to move materiel and personnel. As we projected, the U.S. is sending additional Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems to the Middle East for increased protection from any Iranian attack, The Wall Street Journal reported.

As we previously mentioned, online flight trackers also noted that F-15E Strike Eagles, accompanied by KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jets, headed east from RAF Lakenheath in England to the Middle East earlier this week.

The presence of Strike Eagles in the region, especially those coming from RAF Lakenheath, is in itself not new. These jets have maintained a steady presence at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan for nearly a decade, and their recent arrival in the Middle East was largely expected due to the current instability and saber-rattling. F-15Es played a key role in defending against multiple Iranian drone and cruise missile barrages on Israel and they are now more capable of that mission than ever. Beyond its offensive capabilities, if Iran were to launch a major attack on Israel and/or U.S. assets in the region, preemptive or in retaliation, the F-15Es would play a key part in defending against those attacks.

While these are significant additions to the standing force posture in the region, more fighter aircraft would be expected for a major operation against Iran. We have not seen evidence of those kinds of movements just yet, although some movements are not identified via open sources.

Beyond tactical combat aircraft in the region, the U.S. can fly bombers there from the continental United States, as was the case when B-2 Spirits attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer last June.

The U.K. is also sending tactical combat jets to the region.

“The Royal Air Force’s joint Typhoon squadron with Qatar, 12 Squadron, has deployed to the Gulf for defensive purposes, noting regional tensions as part of the UK-Qatar Defence Assurance Agreement, demonstrating the strong and enduring defence relationship between the U.K. and Qatar,” the U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD) announced on Thursday.

“12 Squadron has regularly deployed to Qatar to conduct joint training and share experiences which enhance national and regional security,” MoD added. “Recently, the RAF deployed on exercises such as EPIC SKIES and SOARING FALCON – further reinforcing the operational capability between our two nations.”

RAF Typhoon jets have deployed to Qatar in a defensive capacity.

The UK and Qatar have been close defence partners for decades. This deployment builds on that relationship, supporting regional stability and keeping us secure at home and strong abroad. pic.twitter.com/83FkaBPJng

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) January 22, 2026

Israel too remains at a high state of alert for an attack on or from its arch-enemy.

“It is my assessment that a strike will take place,” a high-ranking Israeli Defense Force (IDF) official told The War Zone. “The key variables – timing, method of execution, and the identity of participating forces, whether U.S. assets, the IDF, or additional coalition elements should they be involved, will be subject to strict and aggressive compartmentalization.”

“Likewise, the final decision to proceed with execution rests with a single individual alone,” the official added, referring to Trump.

As the U.S. and allies flow assets into the region and Israel stands at a heightened state of readiness, Iranian officials are ratcheting up their rhetoric.

On Thursday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander General Mohammad Pakpour warned Israel and the United States “to avoid any miscalculations, by learning from historical experiences and what they learned in the 12-day imposed war, so that they do not face a more painful and regrettable fate.”

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders and measures of the supreme commander-in-chief — a leader dearer than their own lives,” he added, referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The IRGC also released a video showing the location of U.S. bases in the region. 

Iranian Revolutionary Guard media released a video warning the United States, showing the locations of U.S. military bases across the Middle East that are within range of Iranian missiles

🇺🇸🇮🇷‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/t2O2dAPWTO

— WW3 Monitor (@WW3_Monitor) January 22, 2026

Khamenei’s government is also claiming it has suppressed the nationwide unrest that began Dec. 28 over rising prices, devalued currency that saw the rial crater now to basically nothing, a devastating drought, and brutal government crackdowns.

“The sedition is over now,” said Mohammad Movahedi, Iran’s prosecutor general, according to the judiciary’s Mizan News agency. “And we must be grateful, as always, to the people who extinguished this sedition by being in the field in a timely manner.”

However, getting verifiable information out of Iran remains incredibly challenging as the regime has cut off internet and phone service, and it is possible that at least some protests are ongoing.

While there is no indication of any imminent fighting, the regional players are increasingly preparing for conflict. This remains a volatile situation we will continue to monitor it closely.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

All That’s Left of You is a film missing from American screens until now. A moving production directed by Cherien Dabis, with Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo as executive producers, leaving the viewers in a state of trance long after the final credit has faded into darkness.

My first introduction to this movie came quietly, through a community post by someone who had watched it at San Diego’s Digital Gym Cinema. The message was simple: bring a box of tissues. Then came a text from a fellow writer in Florida, insistent and unmistakably shaken. “The theater was packed,” she told me. She didn’t say how much she cried, but she added something far more telling: her husband cried too, and he never cries.

“I’ve never seen anything this powerful,” she texted. “You have to write a review.” She even sent me the screening link in San Diego, as if daring me not to.

I hesitated. I have never written a film review before, and I knew watching this story in a theater, in public, would not be easy. I told her that KARAMA, an organization I’m associated with, would be screening the film during the San Diego Arab Film Festival in March. She wouldn’t let it go. “Write a review now,” she insisted. “People need to see this movie.”

There is always a first time, I thought. I relented and agreed to watch the film and write my first movie review. Thankfully, through KARAMA’s screening access, I watched it alone, in the stillness of my home office, where tears were free to drift, unpoliced.

All That’s Left of You is the cinema America has been missing, a film that turns away from spectacle and toward remembrance. The large screen becomes a space for lived experience, where memory lingers, mourns, and refuses to die.

What a movie? But it wasn’t a movie. It was the art of using a large screen to bear witness to a life lived. What made it unbearable, and unforgettable, was how intimately it reached into my own life. I was born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp. I was no longer watching a film. I was remembering. I saw my mother’s tears. I saw my father’s weathered face, scanning the rain-soaked ground, trying to pitch a tent to shelter his wife, his seven-month-old baby, and his aging parents.

I saw displacement, not as an abstract political word, but as I lived it. My parents ethnically cleansed from home, from country, so someone who was oppressed in Europe could find safety and refuge in their home, claiming that a god had given them a deed of confiscation some 3000 years ago.

It became even more poignant as the saga unfolded scene by scene, my eyes flooded with tears. I had to hit the pause button several times, breathe deeply, and steady myself. The grief on the screen was not distant or symbolic. It was intimate, lived, and overwhelmingly familiar. I was taken back to the camp, to its alleys and schools, from flirting with classmates to resistance and political awareness. The camp was a repository of contradictions: a life of destitution, yet rich in love and community. Each scene felt like a reopening of wounds I had spent a lifetime trying to bury, memories layered with loss, fear, and an unrelenting sense of injustice.

What made it cut even deeper was the realisation that I had written extensively on untold stories of Palestinian displacement. I had co-authored two books with the fellow writer who texted me from Florida, a Jewish American author, where we chronicled a multi-generational family saga from Jafa, uprooted from their orange grove and reduced to existence in a tent. As I watched the film, the lines between fiction, memory, and history collapsed. The faces on the screen merged with the characters we had created, and the families we lived with in the pages of our two novels.

The tears were not only for what was lost, but for what keeps being lost again and again. Palestinians didn’t just mourn the homes, trees, and childhoods erased, but also the quiet human truths that survive despite everything. The ache of parents trying to shield their children from despair, the dignity of people stripped of almost everything except their will. At that moment, the film stopped being something I was watching. It became something I was reliving.

“Your humanity is also resistance.” The line from the movie is more than poetic, but rather a lived truth and a personal indictment. I have spent a lifetime watching how our humanity as Palestinians must first be erased before our suffering can be justified. Demonisation is a prerequisite. Only by denying our humanity can they rationalise starving our children, and when the erasure of a nation can be defended as policy rather than crime.

That line affirms what I have known instinctively and painfully, to remain human, to insist on grief, memory, and dignity, is itself an act of resistance against a system that survives on our dehumanisation. Strip our humanity away, then anything becomes permissible. Recognise it, even for a moment, and the entire moral and legal structure used to justify Israeli inhumanity begins to collapse.

All That’s Left of You is not a movie that comforts. It is a testament to humanity’s stubborn endurance under a malevolent Zionist occupation. It reminds us that what remains of a people is not only found in history books, but in the unspoken bonds between parents and children, in the traditions that outlast catastrophe, and in the Palestinian refusal to forget.

Watching this film will leave you with more questions than answers. What stays with you, however, is not confusion, but a sharpened awareness, an understanding passed into the world beyond the screen. All That’s Left of You is essential cinema, not as escapist entertainment, but as a work of rare scope and moral clarity, one that restores humanity to its rightful place and demands the viewer to carry it forward.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

The French Navy, aided by British intelligence, boarded the Comoros-flagged tanker Grinch today. The vessel had originated its voyage from Russia. The move comes amid a growing U.S. and allied effort to use military force for interdictions of the so-called ‘shadow fleet,’ a network of ships with links to Russia that transport its oil, in breach of sanctions and price caps. In response to that effort, Russia sent a warship to escort one of these vessels, following its warning against boardings.

“We will not tolerate any violation,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on X. “This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag. The operation was conducted on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies. It was carried out in strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

Macron said the ship has been “diverted” and that a judicial investigation has been opened.

“We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions,” the French leader explained. “The activities of the ‘shadow fleet’ contribute to financing the war of aggression against Ukraine.”

The French military posted additional photos of the operation on X. One shows a helicopter hovering near the Grinch.

The French mission was conducted in conjunction with the U.K, which gathered and shared intelligence that enabled the ship to be intercepted, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press. It was not the first such mission and won’t be the last, a French official told us.

“Last September, French naval forces boarded another oil tanker off the French Atlantic coast that Macron also linked to the shadow fleet,” the Independent noted. “That tanker traveled from the Russian oil terminal in Primorsk near Saint Petersburg. Known as ‘Pushpa‘ or ‘Boracay‘ — its name was changed several times — the ship was sailing under the flag of Benin.”

However, the Grinch boarding came as European nations are vowing to increase efforts to stop shadow fleet vessels, and amid growing tensions with Russia over interdiction efforts. On Monday, the Russian Project 20380 corvette Boikiy entered the English Channel, accompanying an oil tanker on its way back to the Baltic Sea, according to the Times. This military escort was the first “since Britain threatened to seize Moscow’s shadow fleet ships,” the Times added. 

Last week, U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Politico that London was willing to consider joint enforcement efforts. 

“We stand ready to work with allies on stronger enforcement around the shadow fleet,” she said.

While declining to offer specifics, Cooper did not rule out the prospect of British forces boarding vessels.

“It means looking at whatever is appropriate, depending on the circumstances that we face,” she told the publication.

She also “did not rule out using oil from seized vessels to fund the Ukrainian war effort — but cautioned that the prospect was of a different order to using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine,” according to Politico. “That idea hit a wall in discussions between EU countries in December.”

Cooper’s statements sparked a warning from Russia that these ships “will be escorted by security ships,” Russian Ambassador to the U.K. Andrey Kelin told the official Russian news outlet Izvestia earlier this week. “Areas closed to navigation may arise and attempts may be made to block critical straits and channels.”

“This is a deliberate escalation of instability, the consequences of which for international law and order and global trade will be extremely serious,” Kelin added. “What politicians in London are talking about is essentially a return to the era of the pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard. What they forget is that Britain has long ceased to be the ‘ruler of the seas,’ and its actions will not go unpunished.”

These are the key developments from day 1,429 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is where things stand on Friday, January 23:

Fighting

• Two volunteers delivering bread were killed in a Russian drone attack on their car in the border community of Derhachi in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, the head of the regional military administration, Vyacheslav Zadorenko, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
• Russian forces launched a drone attack on a high-rise residential building in Ukraine’s Dnipro, injuring at least seven people, the city’s Mayor Borys Filatov said.
• One person was killed, and four were wounded in Russian glide bomb attacks on Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
• A Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih city, in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, injured 12 people, including four children, head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Hanzha, said.
• Russian forces shot down 31 Ukrainian drones overnight and into the early hours of Thursday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said, according to a report by Russia’s TASS state news agency.

Sanctions

• The French navy intercepted an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that officials said belongs to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, designed to evade international sanctions.
• French President Emmanuel Macron said the oil tanker was “coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag”. He added that the operation was “carried out in strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” and together with allies.

Energy crisis

• Ukraine’s energy system on Thursday endured its most difficult day since a widespread blackout hit the network in November 2022, and the situation remains “extremely difficult”, the country’s Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
• Conditions were most difficult in the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region and in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Shmyhal said, as nighttime temperatures fell to -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 2,600 apartment buildings were still without heat two days after the latest overnight Russian attacks, while 600 buildings have had their heating restored.

Politics and diplomacy

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian negotiators are on their way to the United Arab Emirates for talks with Russian and United States negotiating teams.

• “Our team is now heading to the Emirates for meetings with both the American and Russian sides,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram after a day of talks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. “We are waiting to see how it goes and will decide on the next steps.”

• Russian President Vladimir Putin began a meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum late on Thursday to discuss a plan to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

• US President Donald Trump again said that both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy would like to make a deal to end the nearly four-year-old war, after meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos.

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday he “obviously” had concerns about Putin being on Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” in an interview with Channel 4 News. “He is waging war on a European country. They’re raining down bombs on Ukraine,” Starmer said.

• The relationship between the US and the European Union has “taken a big blow” in the past week, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in advance of an emergency meeting of the bloc’s leaders on Thursday.

• “Disagreements that allies have between them, like Europe and America, are just benefitting our adversaries who are looking and enjoying the view,” Kallas told reporters.

• Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova told reporters that two Russian soldiers whose bodies were returned as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine late last year had been alive, without injuries, at the time of their capture in May 2025. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the report.

Military aid

• Norway’s Defence Minister Tore O Sandvik said that his country has “quickly delivered air defence missiles to Ukraine at a critical stage so that the NASAMS system can continue to protect Ukrainian citizens from deadly air strikes” in “cooperation with the United States and others”.

The United States has issued a warning to Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, writing that it would consider action should the temporary governing body compromise the Caribbean nation’s security.

In a sternly worded social media post on Thursday, the US embassy in Haiti maintained that its goal was the “establishment of baseline security and stability”.

“The US would regard any effort to change the composition of the government by the non-elected Transitional Presidential Council at this late stage in its tenure (set to expire on February 7) to be an effort to undermine that objective,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote.

He added that the US would respond if such changes to the council were to occur. His statement, however, failed to identify the precise circumstances that prompted the warning.

“The US would consider anyone supporting such a disruptive step favoring the gangs to be acting contrary to the interests of the United States, the region, and the Haitian people and will act accordingly,” Landau said.

Haiti continues to struggle with the ravages of widespread gang violence, instability and corruption in its government.

But the US threat is likely to send shudders throughout the region, particularly in the aftermath of the January 3 attack on Venezuela.

The administration of President Donald Trump has repeatedly advanced the notion that the entire Western Hemisphere falls under its sphere of influence, as part of a policy it dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine”, a riff on the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine.

Trump has referenced that premise to justify the use of US military force to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as well as to claim the US needs to control Greenland.

A political crisis

Located some 11,000 kilometres (800 miles) southeast of the US, Haiti has long struggled with instability. It is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, as it continues to suffer from the legacy of foreign intervention, dictatorship and natural disasters.

But in 2021, the country faced a new crisis when President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Federal elections have not been held since, leading to a crisis of confidence in the government. The last federally elected officials saw their terms expire in 2023.

Experts say the lack of leadership has allowed Haiti’s gangs to flourish, and since the Moise assassination, they have taken control of vast stretches of the territory, including up to 90 percent of the capital.

The resulting violence has forced more than 1.4 million Haitians from their homes. Millions more suffer from food insecurity, as thoroughfares are often restricted by gang-led roadblocks.

This week, a United Nations report found that, between January and November of last year, an estimated 8,100 people were killed in the violence. That marks an escalation from 2024, when the yearly total was 5,600.

But efforts have been made to restore the country’s stability. The Transitional Presidential Council was designed as a temporary governing structure to set the framework for new federal elections. Established in 2024, it has nine members who rotate to serve as chair.

Very quickly, however, the council faced criticism for its membership – largely selected from the country’s business and political elite – and allegations of corruption swirled. Infighting has also broken out among the members.

The US too has added to the tensions on the council. In November, it announced visa restrictions against an unnamed government official, later identified in the media as one of the council’s members, economist Fritz Alphonse Jean.

While the council had been slated to hold tiered elections starting last November, it failed to meet that benchmark, and the first vote has been postponed to August.

In the meantime, the council’s mandate is set to dissolve on February 7, and the panel’s future remains unclear.

UN calls for action

In this week’s report on Haiti, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres linked Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis to the vacuum in its government.

“Violence has intensified and expanded geographically, exacerbating food insecurity and instability, as transitional governance arrangements near expiry and overdue elections remain urgent,” Guterres said.

Another UN representative – Carlos Ruiz-Massieu, who leads the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) – was also emphatic about the immediate need for transparent democratic processes and unified governance.

“Let us be clear: the country no longer has time to waste on prolonged internal struggles,” he said.

Still, in a speech on Wednesday to the UN Security Council, Ruiz-Massieu added that there have been “encouraging” signs ahead of this year’s scheduled elections. He applauded efforts to increase voter registration, including in Haiti’s diaspora, and encourage political participation among women.

But Ruiz-Massieu underscored that security concerns, including gang violence, could impede the democratic process, and that there was more work to be done before elections could be held.

“Achieving this goal will require sustained coordination among relevant institutions, predictable financing of the electoral process and security conditions that allow all voters and candidates to participate without fear,” he said.

The UN also signalled it would bolster its multinational security support mission in Haiti with more troops later this year.