News Digest — 1/14/26

US orders senior personnel out of Mideast base as Iran doubles down on threats

A number of senior officers stationed at an American air base in the Middle East have been instructed to leave, multiple diplomats claimed in a report Wednesday, as Iran doubles down on threats to strike American bases in the region if the US intervenes militarily to aid the protest movement in the Islamic Republic.

On Wednesday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran has warned countries across the Middle East which host American military forces that bases in their territory which are used by the US could be struck if President Donald Trump orders attacks on regime forces in Iran.

“Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkey, that US bases in those countries will be attacked if the US targets Iran… asking these countries to prevent Washington from attacking Iran,” the official said.

In a separate report by Reuters, three diplomats were cited saying that a number of officers at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar – the largest American military facility in the Middle East, which also serves as the forward headquarters for US Central Command’s air operations – have been ordered to depart.

(read more at worldisraelnews.com)

 

Tehran doctors say security forces intentionally firing at protesters’ eyes, heads

Iranian security forces are deliberately firing at protesters’ heads to cause them debilitating injuries, local doctors have claimed, citing wounds inflicted on hundreds of patients they have treated.

Over 400 eye wounds from gunshots have been documented at a Tehran hospital by an ophthalmologist working there, according to the Guardian.

The British newspaper reported Tuesday that it received three messages from doctors about conditions in hospitals, which they say have been overwhelmed by demonstrators with gunshot wounds — most of them to the eyes and head.

Security forces have been seen using shotguns to fire metal pellets at protesters, as well as rifles with more lethal ammunition, according to the report.

“[Security forces] are deliberately shooting at the head and the eyes. They want to damage the head and the eyes so they can no longer see, the same thing they did in [2022],” one of the doctors was quoted as saying, referring to anti-government protests at the time.

According to the doctor, many of the injured had to have their eyes removed and were blinded as a result.

“Eyes were hit by birdshot pellets, and it was deliberate; they are shooting to kill,” he said.

The demonstrations across Iran began in late December over an economic crisis, but have come to include mass calls for the fall of the regime.

(read more at timesofisrael.com)

 

Knesset shoots down ‘Who is a Jew’ bill

The Knesset on Wednesday rejected the “Who is a Jew” bill proposed by MK Avi Maoz (Noam).

The bill sought to determine that registration as a Jew in the population records would be based only on conversion recognized by the Israeli rabbinic courts.

In the preliminary vote, 60 Knesset members voted against the bill, compared to 15 who voted in support of it, including members of the United Torah Judaism and Shas factions.

Moaz noted that the vote contradicted National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s public declaration last month at an event in Kfar Chabad, when he stated: “We need to pass the ‘Who is a Jew’ bill.” In practice, the Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionist parties did not support the vote in the plenary.

Sources in the coalition accused MK Maoz of harming the bill’s chances of advancing: “Maoz proposed the bill from the opposition without a majority. This move harms the bill since it’s now automatically postponed by half a year. He is trying to make political gains, but in fact, he delayed the bill.”

(read more at israelnationalnews.com)

 

From war to renewal: The Jewish Agency responds to crisis and builds the future

From the darkest day of Oct. 7 to the antisemitic massacre on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, The Jewish Agency for Israel has found itself confronting an unbroken chain of crisis – one that spans continents and underscores the shared vulnerability and responsibility of the Jewish people.

As 2025 comes to a close, what began as an unprecedented mobilization inside Israel has expanded into a global effort: caring for victims of terror, strengthening Israeli society, and reinforcing Jewish communities worldwide in the face of rising antisemitism.

“The events of the past year made one thing unmistakably clear,” said Mark Wilf, Chair of The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors. “The Jewish people face shared threats – and we must respond with shared responsibility, across borders and oceans.”

The horrific antisemitic attack in Sydney – where innocent members of the Jewish community were murdered and wounded during a communal gathering – sent shockwaves through world Jewry. Coming amid a surge in antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, the massacre marked one of the darkest days for the Jewish people in recent years.

“The attack in Australia was not an isolated incident – it was a warning sign,” said Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive. “Antisemitism today is violent, organized, and global. Our response must be determined and unified.”

In the aftermath of the Sydney massacre, Jewish Agency emissaries on the ground worked alongside local leadership to support bereaved families, assist young people coping with trauma, and help communities regain a sense of security and continuity.

(read more at jpost.com)

 

Iranian exiles march across Europe with dream of return

As protests in Iran have continued, more than 300,000 Iranians living in Germany have been closely following events in their homeland. Since the demonstrations erupted, Iranian exiles have taken to the streets worldwide – from the US to Australia and throughout Europe – to amplify the voices of those risking their lives, with some protests even replacing the Islamic Republic’s flag at embassies.

Most exiles in Germany arrived in the years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution – some fled as children with their parents, others as young students, and still others left as adults. Even young people born in Germany grew up hearing their parents’ stories, and some have visited relatives who remained in Iran.

Many exiles prefer to remain anonymous when speaking to Israeli media. “If I’m interviewed under my name, not only will I never be able to return to the country, I’m also endangering my relatives who still live there,” explained Sh., 55, from Berlin. He was forced to leave Iran as a child because his father supported the Shah, and despite growing up in Germany, he still hopes to return. “I really hope the regime will finally fall and we can go back home. Many will want to return to rebuild Iran. This terrible regime simply must fall.”

(read more at israelhayom.com)