Day: January 22, 2026

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is dissolving the lower house of Parliament on Friday, paving the way for a Feb. 8 snap election.  apnews.com/article/japan-pol…

— The Associated Press (@AP) Jan 23, 2026

Speaking to reporters earlier today onboard Air Force One while on the way back from the 56th Annual Summit of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, President Donald J. Trump spoke about Iran and the ongoing buildup of military assets in the Middle East:

“We’re watching Iran. We’re watching Iran. We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens. We have a big force going towards Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely. I stopped 837 hangings on Thursday. They would have been dead, every one of them would have been hung. This is like from a thousand years ago. This is an ancient culture. Very smart people, by the way. It’s an ancient culture. 837 mostly young men were going to be hung on Thursday, and I said: ‘You hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit. It’ll make what we did to your Iran nuclear look like peanuts.’ And an hour before this horrible thing was going to take place, they canceled it. And they actually said they canceled it. They didn’t postpone it. They canceled it. So that was a good sign. But we have an armada – we have a massive – we have a massive fleet heading in that direction. Maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see.”
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— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) Jan 23, 2026

ISIS may prosper from Syria’s dangerous turn. If the SDF is defeated, Syria’s Islamist authorities will extend their reach across the northeast, becoming the new custodians of the places where ISIS fighters are held, writes  @jonathan_spyer
on.wsj.com/45tqn97

— Wall Street Journal Opinion (@WSJopinion) Jan 23, 2026

The Iranian regime is trying to downplay the scale of its brutal crackdown on the protests, despite implicitly admitting its crackdown has been the deadliest in Iran’s modern history. ⬇️

Some Iranian security personnel have been reluctant or refused to violently suppress protests. Security forces’ willingness to suppress protests will be a determining factor in the regime’s ability to contain future unrest.Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar)NEW | Syrian Government Operations in Kobani: The Syrian government surrounded Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in Kobani, likely as the first part of a multi-stage operation to reduce the SDF forces there. The next phases of this operation may include the opening of an evacuation route to enable civilians to leave before the main assault.

Syrian Government Violence Against Civilians: Government forces operating in northeastern Syria have committed isolated violations against local populations, which could trigger the resumption of intense fighting between Kurdish and government forces or broader ethnic violence. The Military Security and Police Command at the Ministry of Defense acknowledged on January 20 that its fighters had committed violations during the last week, so fighting “despite the clear directives and instructions that were circulated to all relevant units and entities.”

SDF-US Discussions: SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi held “productive and constructive” discussions with US officials in Erbil on January 22 about the SDF’s integration into the Syrian state. Neither Abdi nor US officials indicated that any progress has been made towards a permanent ceasefire between the SDF and the Syrian government. Barrack said in a statement after his meeting with Abdi that the United States fully supports “advancing the integration process outlined in the January 18 agreement.

Iran’s Protest Crackdown: The Iranian regime is trying to downplay the scale of its brutal crackdown on the protests, despite implicitly admitting its crackdown has been the deadliest in Iran’s modern history. Some Iranian security personnel have been reluctant or refused to violently suppress protests. Security forces’ willingness to suppress protests will be a determining factor in the regime’s ability to contain future unrest.

Iraqi Government Formation: The Shia Coordination Framework continues to debate State of Law Coalition head and former Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s nomination as prime minister. The threat of instability in Syria spreading to Iraq could stoke further opposition to Maliki obtaining another term as prime minister.—  https://x.com/TheStudyofWar/status/2014524667948605509

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) Jan 23, 2026