This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Report: Khamenei halts nuclear weapons program in olive branch to Trump
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly has prohibited the development of nuclear weapons, in a move that some are perceiving as an attempt to initiate talks with the Trump administration about easing sanctions.
The head of Iran's "Armed Forces Judiciary" made the announcement on Jan. 21, according to Iran International. That was just one day after Trump's inauguration, but the possible olive branch does not necessarily mean nuclear activity will stop.
Newsweek reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations and the Trump transition team for comment via email outside of normal business hours.
Iran's halting of its development of nuclear weapons indicates its economic issues as a result of Western sanctions have become a priority, and the regime may be willing to negotiate with the U.S. and other nations to help it recover financially.
It also suggests that the Islamic regime may be adopting a new approach with the new Trump administration.
Report: Saudi Arabia's crown prince plans to invest $600 billion in U.S. over next four years
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Donald Trump the kingdom plans to sink $600 billion into new investments and trade with the U.S. over the next four years, according to Fox Business.
The Saudi state news agency reported that, during a phone call between the two leaders, bin Salman said the expected reforms from the Trump administration could create "unprecedented economic prosperity."
The agency also said Saudi Arabia would like to capitalize on these conditions, though it did not say where the $600 billion would come from, how it would be deployed and if it would be public or private spending.
Bin Salman told Trump the investment "could increase further if additional opportunities arise," the report noted.
During his inauguration Monday, Trump said he would consider making Saudi Arabia his first destination for a foreign visit if the capital city of Riyadh agreed to purchase $500 billion in American products.
U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated the Yemen Houthi group, known formally as Ansar Allah, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the White House announced on Wednesday.
The White House said the decision was a reversal of the Biden administration's previous removal of the Houthis from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Trump had initially designated the Houthi group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization back in January 2021, during his first presidency.
A statement pointed out the effects of the Biden White House's decision after one month to reverse the designation, saying that "As a result of the Biden administration's weak policy, the Houthis have fired at U.S. Navy warships dozens of times, launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure in partner nations, and attacked commercial vessels transiting Bab al-Mandeb more than 100 times."
Newly elected GOP lawmaker to chair influential Senate Middle East subcommittee.
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., will chair the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, two sources familiar with the matter told Jewish Insider.
McCormick, a vocal pro-Israel stalwart who was sworn in as Pennsylvania's junior senator earlier this month, will take over the gavel from Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., who is leaving the Senate Foreign Relations Committee entirely to join the Senate Intelligence Committee.
"I am honored to chair a subcommittee on such critical issues. I see this as a great opportunity to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance, expand the Abraham Accords, grow U.S.-India cooperation, and delve deeply into regional energy, economic, and security issues," McCormick told JI in a statement.
New info reveals further evidence of IDF's shocking failure to respond on Oct. 7
In the IDF's internal operational investigation conducted in recent months, jaw-droppingly dramatic intelligence information was revealed. According to JFeed on the night of the Oct. 7 massacre, intelligence sources from inside Gaza provided disturbing information about the Hamas organization's preparations for an attack and even warned of the possibility of a raid on the surrounding communities.
However, senior IDF officials refrained from acting because they chose to believe signs of deception intended to calm Israel's security forces. Yedioth Ahronoth's Ronen Bergman broke the story there and on Ynet.
The worrying signs which should have raised a huge red flag for decision makers included reports of special preparations for rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, and there were other worrying signs of emergency preparedness in the Gaza Strip, but Israeli security officials chose to remain impassive, and did not take any action.
Qatari PM pushes for expedited second phase of hostage-ceasefire shakedown
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he is ready to start talks as soon as possible on the second stage of the Gaza hostage-ceasefire "deal," even ahead of the deadline date for the discussions to begin.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Qatari prime minister announced he plans to speak to Mossad head David Barnea this week to begin discussing negotiations on the second phase of the agreement: "We are pushing for this," reported the Times of Israel.
An unnamed senior Israeli official said they have "no problem" beginning the talks before day 16.
"Negotiations on the first phase have lasted months, and reaching an agreement on the second phase may also take a long time," the official said. Previously, Israeli officials have intimated the discussions will begin on day 16.
IDF says Palestinian gunmen behind deadly Samaria ambush killed in Iron Wall operation
Security forces late on Wednesday killed two terrorists who carried out a fatal attack in Jenin in Samaria earlier this month, murdering three people in an ambush. A third terrorist is still at large, Ynet reported.
The two men, Mohamad Nazzal and Katiba Shalabi, residents of Qabatiya who were affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, were killed during the Shin Bet and IDF counter terrorism operation in Jenin after troops surrounded the building where they had barricaded themselves, in the nearby village of Burqin and a gunfight ensued.
One soldier was moderately hurt in the four-hour long gun battle. Others who were involved in the fatal attack were arrested and were in the custody of Shin Bet.
Aliza Reiss and Rachel Cohen – both in their 70s – and police officer Elad Winkelstein were killed in the terrorist attack in the village of Al-Funduq when the terrorists, traveling in a car, opened fire on passing vehicles and buses along Highway 55 before fleeing toward Shechem.
Trump fires head of terrorist-linked World Central Kitchen from president's council on sports, fitness nutrition
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the firing of celebrity chef Jose Andres, founder of the controversial World Central Kitchen (WCK), from the president's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, claiming the restaurateur and humanitarian is "not aligned" with the current White House's mission.
Trump shared the news of Andres' departure in an "Official Notice of Dismissal" on social media, according to the Algemeiner. The statement explained his administration is currently in the process of "identifying and removing over a thousand presidential appointees from the previous administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again."
WCK, a U.S.-based NGO founded by Andres to help feed needy people caught in disasters or conflict zones, has been operating with roughly 500 employees in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
In April 2024, the IDF came under fire after it conducted airstrikes on a WCK vehicle convoy, killing seven employees of the charity. Israel acknowledged responsibility for the incident and insisted that the airstrikes violated internal protocol, subsequently dismissing two senior officers over the botched military operation.
Israel has accused WCK of insufficiently vetting its workforce and employing terrorist members within its ranks.
Last month, WCK fired at least 62 of its staff members in Gaza after Israel said they had "affiliations and direct connections" with terrorist groups.
Andres responded to Trump's statement on X/Twitter, claiming he had already resigned.
"I submitted my resignation last week … my 2 year term was already up," he wrote.
Survey: 20% of adults in France unsure if they've heard of the Holocaust
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany is releasing its first-ever, eight-country Index on Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness, exposing a global trend in fading knowledge of basic facts about the Holocaust. The countries surveyed include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary and Romania.
The majority of respondents in each country, except Romania, believe something like the Holocaust could happen again today, reported Israel National News. Concern is highest in the United States, where some 76% of all adults surveyed believe something like the Holocaust could happen again today, followed by the U.K. at 69%, France at 63%, Austria at 62%, Germany at 61%, Poland at 54%, Hungary at 52%, and Romania at 44%.
Shockingly, some adults surveyed said they had not heard or weren't sure if they had heard of the Holocaust prior to taking the survey. This is amplified among young adults ages 18-29 who are the most recent reflection of local education systems; when surveyed, they indicated they had not heard or weren't sure if they had heard of the Holocaust. Additionally, while Auschwitz-Birkenau is the most well-known camp, nearly half (48%) of Americans surveyed were unable to name a single camp or ghetto established by the Nazis during World War II.
Putin skirts with danger after admitting Russia's helping Iran with illicit nuclear work
Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted about Russian civil nuclear work in Iran that runs afoul of U.S. law, but which the Biden administration failed to penalize, at a press conference in Moscow on Jan. 21, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies reported.
Speaking alongside visiting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian following the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty, Putin stated the "flagship joint project for the construction of two new units of the Bushehr nuclear power plant by Rosatom is making strides." The CEO of the Rosatom nuclear corporation, Alexei Likhachev, also spoke, underscoring that joint work is continuing "despite the sanctions and pressure."
Iran's first Russian-built reactor at Bushehr came online in 2011. A Rosatom subsidiary, ASE, has been building two additional units that are expected to produce electrical power by 2026. Russia's contract to build the two new Bushehr units is reportedly worth some $10 billion, while Tehran owes Moscow some $500 million for past work. During the press conference, Putin and Likhachev also discussed Russia's plans to build additional reactors in Iran.
The Iran Freedom and Counterproliferation Act of 2013 prohibits the "sale, supply or transfer of certain materials to and from Iran" related to the regime's nuclear, military, and ballistic missile programs and allows the president to submit sanctions waivers every 180 days containing exemptions based on national security reasons. Absent a waiver, the president is obliged to sanction foreign individuals and financial institutions that violate the act.
The Obama administration issued waivers for certain Russian nuclear work in Iran as part of the 2015 nuclear deal, and upon taking office, the first Trump administration ended U.S. participation in the deal and the waivers. The Biden administration restored the waivers soon after taking office to help restart Iran talks and restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the technical name for the deal.
Israel demands Arbel Yehud be among group of female hostages to be released on Saturday
Israel is insisting that 29-year-old Arbel Yehud be among the second group of hostages released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire agreement with the terrorist group, according to Hebrew media reports.
Yehud was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, and is reportedly being held in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, by a Salafi group affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The deal prioritizes the release of living female civilians, and Israel insists on strict adherence to its terms.
Under the agreement, Hamas is expected to provide the names of the four female hostages to be freed by Friday, a day before their scheduled release, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
Yehud's brother, Dolev, was murdered on Oct. 7, and her partner, Ariel Cunio, and some of her relatives were similarly abducted.
Hamas battalion commander thought killed in Gaza tunnel skirmish, now appears to be alive
The commander of Hamas's Beit Hanoun battalion, Hussein Fayyad, who the IDF says was eliminated in May, appears to be alive, reported the Times of Israel.
Footage shared by Palestinian media shows a man identified as Fayyad speaking today at a funeral.
On May 24, the IDF said Fayyad was killed in a tunnel in a joint operation carried out by the 98th Division and special forces of the Air Force and elite Yahalom Combat Engineering unit.
Trump unwilling to permit IDF to stay in southern Lebanon beyond Sunday withdrawal deadline
Outgoing Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog on Thursday morning told Army Radio Israel is trying to repel the Trump administration's demand that it live up to the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah and withdraw from south Lebanon this coming Sunday, according to the Jewish Press.
The ambassador expressed his hope that Jerusalem and Washington would "reach an understanding" and Israel would be granted an extension.
Israel already had an understanding with the Biden administration that as long as the Lebanese did not succeed in pushing Hezbollah's forces north of the Litani River, in keeping with the 2006 UNSC Resolution 1701, the IDF could remain in south Lebanon to "help."
The Biden administration reportedly considered granting Israel an additional 30 days beyond the 60-day withdrawal period outlined in the truce agreement.
But Trump doesn't appear to care whether Hezbollah goes or stays. Either way, the Trump administration anticipates the IDF to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Sunday, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement with the Hezbollah terrorist group, according to Army Radio.
News13 reported Wednesday night that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a new request to the Trump administration, seeking approval to maintain five Israeli outposts in south Lebanon. The cabinet is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the matter.
The request was reportedly made through Netanyahu's close aide, Ron Dermer.
According to Israeli officials, the five strategic outposts serve as a critical buffer between northern Israeli residents and the Hezbollah army in southern Lebanon. Officials in Jerusalem cited incomplete implementation of the agreement as the reason for the request, noting the Lebanese army has yet to deploy in the area which Trump wants the IDF to vacate in three days.
Could Trump's sanctions close down the ICC
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is preparing for a wave of U.S. sanctions that could severely disrupt its operations and even pose an existential threat to the institution, according to its officials.
ICC sources told The Guardian the measures expected to be implemented by the Trump administration could "shut the court down entirely," the Jewish Chronicle reported.
"The concern is the sanctions will be used to shut the court down, to destroy it rather than just tie its hands," one official warned.
The sanctions could target senior figures, including chief prosecutor Karim Khan, and disrupt key aspects of the court's operations. Trump's administration is anticipated to act quickly upon taking office, issuing an executive order that could set the legal groundwork for a series of sanctions.
The threat of U.S. sanctions against the ICC intensified following the court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza in November last year.
Trump envoy Witkoff says 'open to dialogue' with Hamas
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday he welcomed the potential for "a dialogue" with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation, according to Jewish Insider.
Asked by Fox News' Dana Perino to respond to a top Hamas official telling The New York Times, "We are prepared for a dialogue with America in achieving understandings on everything," Witkoff replied, "I think it's good if it's accurate."
"I think you can get everybody on board in that region. I really do. With a new sense of leadership over there," Witkoff added, noting that "everybody" in this case included Qatar.
"Oh my gosh, Qatar was enormously helpful in this [cease-fire agreement]. Sheikh Mohammed [bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister], his communication skills with Hamas were indispensable here," Witkoff said. Many other conservatives have been deeply skeptical of Qatar's influence and role in the negotiations, viewing the country as a supporter of Hamas and urging the U.S. to exert pressure on it.
