US special ops flights via UK amid Iran tensions – UK Defence Journal

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna on Monday called for daily debates and votes on War Powers Resolutions after what he called “illegal strikes” in Venezuela, saying Congress must act to stop President Donald Trump from invading countries including Iran.

“As a response to the illegal strikes in Venezuela, Congress must force votes and debate every day this month on War Power Resolutions to prevent Trump from invading: Cuba, Columbia, Greenland, Nigeria, Panama and Iran,” Khanna posted on X.“It is time for Congress to wake up & do our job.”

The US State Department’s Persian‑language account on X on Monday condemned what it called a “barbaric attack” by the Islamic Republic on a hospital in Ilam, sharing a video of security forces storming the facility and calling the assault a crime against humanity and a gross violation of international law.

“The brutal attack by the Islamic Republic regime on a hospital in Ilam is a crime. The raid on wards, the beating of medical staff, and the assault on the injured with tear gas and live ammunition is a blatant crime against humanity. Hospitals are not battlefields. These actions by the Islamic Republic regime constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and demonstrate a regime that treats human lives with complete disregard," the post said.

The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that US officials are weighing “some intervention” to help Iran’s protest movement after the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, while Israel is also examining whether that operation makes action against the Iranian government possible.

The article says officials in both countries, who until recently opposed regime‑change scenarios, are now exploring options short of a major invasion to prevent Tehran from crushing the protests, with Israeli figures such as Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel and former defense minister Benny Gantz urging “concrete actions” and even intervention on behalf of demonstrators.

At least 29 protesters have been killed and more than 1,200 people arrested during nine days of nationwide protests in Iran, US-based human rights group HRANA reported on Monday.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed the deaths of seven protesters over the past 24 hours, including people killed in Azna, Marvdasht and Qorveh.

Of the 29 confirmed fatalities, two were members of Iran’s security forces. At least 64 protesters were also reported wounded, mainly by pellet and plastic bullets.

Iran International has independently identified 21 victims so far through interviews with relatives and friends.

Protests and strikes continued nationwide for a ninth day despite an intensified security presence and the use of live ammunition in some areas.

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The source told Iran International that Reza was shot by security forces during the protests on Thursday, January 1, 2026 in front of Azna’s central police station.

Security forces shot him with two bullets, one to the head and another to the lower torso, the source added.

The source said Reza was from the Abdolvand tribe, part of Iran’s Lur minority.

Video evidence verified and analyzed by Iran International from the evening of January 1 shows Reza unconscious and bleeding from the side of his head. Two sources identified the teenager in the footage as Reza.

After he was shot, citizens at the scene transferred him to Valian Hospital in Aligudarz. The source said the hospital was under heavy security and visits were not allowed, adding that only once, after repeated insistence, was Reza’s mother allowed to see him briefly.

The source said Reza died in hospital on Monday around 10am local time.

The source added that the family has approached several state institutions on Monday, including the police and the Revolutionary Guards, to receive Reza’s body, but authorities have so far refused to hand it over to family for burial.

Reza was the eldest child in the family and his father is a labourer, the source said.

“The family’s financial situation was poor," the source said adding that Reza dropped out of school and worked as an auto body repair and paint apprentice.

Asked about Reza’s motivation for joining the protests, the source said it was due to “poverty, hardship and rising prices,” adding that he was interested in sports, particularly wrestling.