Pro-Iranian Iraqi Shia militias rally in Baghdad in support of Tehran’s Islamic regime.

U.S. forces arrived earlier today in the northern Syrian town of Dayr Hafir, in the eastern Aleppo Governorate, where they met with a delegation from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The visit comes amid efforts to de-escalate rising tensions that could soon lead to major clashes between the SDF and the Syrian Army.

Senior Iranian cleric Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, said in Mashhad that Tehran should treat U.S. President Donald Trump “the way the United States treated Nicolás Maduro.” He added that he knows Trump’s character well and claimed that if Trump were arrested and “slapped a couple of times, he would howl like a dog.”

An Iraqi security source told CNN that in recent weeks nearly 5,000 fighters from Iranian-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq crossed into Iran through two southern Iraqi border crossings—the Shaib crossing in Maysan Province and the Zurbatiya crossing in Wasit Province—to assist with the ongoing crackdown on anti-government protests in Tehran and elsewhere in Iran. A European military source separately confirmed that about 800 Shiite militia fighters traveled from the Iraqi provinces of Diyala, Maysan, and Basra to support the Iranian crackdown. The fighters reportedly belong to Tehran-aligned armed groups, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and the Badr Organization, all operating under the umbrella of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

President Donald J. Trump is delaying a decision on striking Iran as the White House consults internally and with allies over the timing of a potential operation and whether it would significantly destabilize the regime, according to five U.S., Israeli, and Arab sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Axios. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump on Wednesday and urged him to wait, giving Israel more time to prepare for possible Iranian retaliation. An Israeli source said that beyond concerns about retaliation, the current U.S. plan focuses on strikes against Iranian security force targets but is viewed by Israel as insufficient to meaningfully weaken or destabilize the Islamic regime.

Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s impeached president, has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and falsifying documents stemming from his failed military coup and declaration of martial law in December 2024. Friday’s ruling marks the first verdict among four trials connected to Yoon’s aborted martial law attempt. The most serious case, scheduled for February, involves charges of insurrection, for which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was asked during an onstage interview at the Israeli-American Council conference in Florida on Wednesday night whether he believes a U.S. military strike against Iran is likely. “I hope there’s a diplomatic resolution. I really do,” Witkoff said, outlining four key issues he said must be addressed in any agreement with Iran: nuclear enrichment, missile capabilities—specifically reducing their inventory—the amount of nuclear material Iran possesses, which he said totals roughly 2,000 kilograms enriched between 3.67% and 60%, and Iran’s network of regional proxies. “If they want to come back to the League of Nations, and we can solve those four problems diplomatically, that would be a great resolution,” Witkoff said. “The alternative is a bad one.” Asked if he had a message for Iranians seeking the fall of the regime, Witkoff replied, “They’re incredibly courageous people, and we stand with you.”

According to Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, President Donald J. Trump has conveyed that he does not intend to attack Iran and has urged Tehran to show restraint, Pakistani English-language outlet Dawn reported. Moghadam said he received the message via Pakistan around 1:00 a.m. PKT (20:00 GMT) on Wednesday, indicating that Trump did not seek war and asked Iran not to target U.S. bases or interests in the Middle East.

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker compared the situation in Ukraine to the “final yard” in football—the toughest phase before victory. He said the current negotiations are critically important, noting that the finish is close but the last step will be the most difficult.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that frustrations over economic and social hardships in Iran are being mischaracterized as an ideological uprising against the regime. He added that, upon closer examination, there is nothing in the situation that should encourage or embolden countries abroad that are hostile to Iran.

A senior Hamas official told Reuters that the group is prepared to hand over its authority to a Palestinian technocratic body.

Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt became emotional during a live TV appearance, saying, “We are doing our utmost. But in recent days, naturally… I’m getting very emotional. I am overwhelmed.”

TRUMP: "FoxNews: "Iranian protester will no longer be sentenced to death after President Trump’s warnings. Likewise others." This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue!"

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday evening that the leadership of the Islamic Republic is smuggling millions of dollars out of Iran, adding that the United States is tracking the movement of those funds.

President Donald J. Trump said in a post this afternoon that he had a “very good call” Wednesday morning with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. Trump said the discussion covered a range of topics, including oil, minerals, trade, and national security, adding, “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL.”

🚨Verizon outage has been resolved, according to a email received by BNO News.

According to multiple sources briefed on the matter who spoke to CBS News, the United States quietly purchased and obtained a device in the final weeks of the Biden administration in late 2024 that officials believe may be linked to the mysterious condition known as Havana Syndrome. Since 2016, more than 1,500 U.S. officials—primarily diplomats and intelligence personnel—have reported experiencing symptoms associated with the condition. The acquisition was handled by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division and funded by the Pentagon, with costs exceeding eight figures, according to two people familiar with the effort. The device is portable, roughly backpack-sized, and contains components believed to have been manufactured in Russia. Three sources said the Pentagon has been testing the device for more than a year. While details of the testing were not disclosed, the device is said to emit pulsed radio-frequency energy, which investigators believe could potentially replicate the effects reported by Havana Syndrome victims. The syndrome takes its name from the first known cases involving U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers in Havana, Cuba, in 2016. Those affected have described a range of neurological symptoms, including severe headaches, head pressure, vertigo, nausea, and ringing or popping sensations in the ears. Many reported hearing an intense, high-pitched sound that subsided when they moved to a different location. In some cases, the symptoms were severe enough to force individuals to leave their government positions.

The Lufthansa Group, Germany’s flagship airline—which includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover, Eurowings, Swiss, and ITA Airways—announced it will avoid flying over Iraqi and Iranian airspace until further notice due to the current situation in the Middle East. The group also said that beginning Thursday, it will operate flights to Jordan during daytime hours only.

Similar to the buildup ahead of last June’s strikes on Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment facilities, sources say military aircraft at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—including roughly a dozen U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers—have either been evacuated or are preparing to relocate to other bases inside and outside the Middle East. Satellite imagery from last year showed Al Udeid completely cleared of aircraft by June 17, ahead of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on June 22 and Iran’s retaliatory ballistic missile attack on the base the following day.

The United States has begun evacuating hundreds of troops from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East—ahead of potential military action against Iran ordered by President Donald J. Trump. According to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter cited by NBC News, personnel are being relocated to other regional facilities and hotels to reduce risk in the event an attack prompts Iranian retaliation.