Israeli fire kills three in Gaza, Iran says will respond to US attacks amid growing protests

TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today. Join us again at 0800 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.
 

Israeli police forcibly dispersed a demonstration in Tel Aviv against what protesters described as the “ongoing Holocaust in Palestine”, according to Israeli outlet Haaretz.

Four demonstrators were arrested. Police said the protest had not received prior authorisation and accused participants of blocking the entrance to a shopping centre and disrupting public order.

The Israeli Air Force said it killed a Palestinian after he crossed the so-called Yellow Line in southern Gaza.

In a statement, the military claimed the individual approached Israeli troops in a manner it described as posing an “immediate threat”.

A pro-UAE Yemeni official told AFP news agency on Sunday that southern forces, including Emirati-backed separatists, would not agree to unite under the command of a Saudi-led coalition as announced the day before by the head of the country's ruling council.

Faraj Al-Bahsani, himself a member of the leadership council as well as a vice president of the separatist Southern Transitional Council, said in an interview that it would be "difficult to unify forces" under the coalition banner.

"The southern forces, whether affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the forces in Hadramawt, or any other force, will not accept this," he said.

Demonstrators rallied in London, Paris and Istanbul on Sunday in support of protests in Iran that have been countered with a deadly crackdown by the country's security forces.

London demonstrations, initially in front of the Iranian embassy and later in front of the British prime minister's residence, grew to several thousand as the day progressed.

In Paris, more than 2,000 people waving Iran's flag from before the Islamic Revolution in 1979 demonstrated, to chants of "No to the terrorist Islamic Republic".

Police did not allow them to approach the Iranian embassy.

"Close the mullahs' embassy, the terrorist factory," some demonstrators yelled.

Pahlavi has emerged as a potential figurehead for government opponents.

The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have lasted two weeks and become a movement against the theocratic system in place since the 1979 revolution. Iranian authorities have called the protesters "rioters" who are backed by the United States and Israel.

In Istanbul, demonstrators voicing support for the Iranian protesters gathered in steady rain.

Police cordoned off the area outside the Iranian consulate and the crowd was kept away from the mission.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday said he was "shocked" by reports of violence against protesters in Iran and called on the government to show restraint.

Guterres "is shocked by the reports of violence and excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding a call "to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from unnecessary or disproportionate use of force."

Some US lawmakers in both major parties on Sunday questioned whether military action against Iran is the best approach for the United States as Iranian authorities face growing turmoil.

US President Donald Trump in recent days has left open the possibility of American intervention in Iran, where the biggest anti-government protests in years have led to the Revolutionary Guards blaming unrest on terrorists and vowing to safeguard the governing system.

But at least two U.S. senators sounded notes of caution during interviews on TV networks’ Sunday morning programs.

"I don’t know that bombing Iran will have the effect that is intended,” Republican Senator Rand Paul said on ABC News’ "This Week" show.

Rather than undermining the regime, a military attack on Iran could rally the people against an outside enemy, Paul and Democratic Senator Mark Warner said.

Warner, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," warned that a military strike against Iran could risk uniting Iranians against the United States "in a way that the regime has not been able to."

History shows the dangers of U.S. intervention, said Warner, who argued that the US-backed 1953 overthrow of Iran's government set in motion a chain of events that gradually led to the rise of the country's Islamic regime in the late 1970s.

The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that U.S. military and diplomatic officials will brief Trump on Tuesday about options for Iran, including cyberattacks and potential military action.

Iran has said it will target US military bases if the United States launches an attack. But Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has often touted a muscular approach to foreign policy, said Trump "needs to embolden the protesters and scare the hell out of the regime."

"If I were you, Mr. President, I would kill the leadership that are killing the people," Graham said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" show. "You’ve got to end this."

Unrest in Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said on Sunday, as Tehran threatened to target U.S. military bases if President Donald Trump carries out threats to intervene on behalf of protesters.

According to its latest figures - from activists inside and outside Iran - U.S.-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest.

 The protests began on December 28 in response to soaring prices, before turning against the clerical rulers who have governed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iranian authorities accuse the U.S. and Israel of fomenting trouble and called for a nationwide rally on Monday to condemn "terrorist actions led by the United States and Israel" in Iran, state media reported.

The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout since Thursday.

The Iranian government on Sunday declared three days of national mourning for "martyrs" including members of the security forces killed in two weeks of protests, state television said.

The government described the fight against what it has termed "riots" as an "Iranian national resistance battle against America and the Zionist regime", using the clerical leadership's term for Israel, which the Islamic republic does not recognise.

President Masoud Pezeshkian urged people to take part in a "national resistance march" of nationwide rallies on Monday to denounce the violence, which the government said was committed by "urban terrorist criminals", state television reported.

The Israeli army carried out several strikes on southern Lebanon on Sunday, killing one person, according to Lebanese authorities, with the military saying it targeted a Hezbollah fighter and infrastructure.

The strikes came days after the Lebanese military said it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, the first phase of a nationwide plan, though Israel has called those efforts insufficient.

The Lebanese ministry of health said an "Israeli enemy strike on a car in Bent Jbeil city in south Lebanon resulted in the martyrdom of one citizen".

The Israeli army said the strike was on a member of Hezbollah, which it accused of breaching a truce agreed in late 2024 to end more than a year of hostilities with the group.

"A short while ago, in response to Hezbollah's continuous violations of the ceasefire understandings, the [Israeli military] struck a Hezbollah terrorist" in the Bent Jbeil area, the army said in a statement.

Elsewhere, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported that "enemy warplanes launched more than 10 raids" on the town of Kfar Hatta, which lies north of the Litani, noting "significant damage" to buildings there.

The Israeli military had issued an evacuation warning for Kafr Hatta, subsequently saying it was "striking Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas".

It later announced an additional strike that targeted "an underground site used for weapons storage belonging to Hezbollah".

Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite the November 2024 ceasefire.

Iranian authorities have committed a "mass killing" in cracking down on the biggest protests against the Islamic republic in years, a rights group said Sunday.

The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), which has an extensive network of sources in the country, said it had confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but warned the actual death toll could already amount to several hundreds, or even more.

The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have evolved into a movement against the theocratic system in place in Iran since the 1979 revolution, and have already lasted two weeks.

They have become one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel's 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the United States.

Protests have swelled in recent days despite an internet blackout that has lasted more than 72 hours, according to monitor Netblocks, with activists warning that the shutdown was limiting the flow of information and that the actual toll risks being far higher.

"Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundreds, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed," said IHR, denouncing a "mass killing" and a "major international crime against the people of Iran".

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to be briefed by senior officials in his administration on Tuesday on specific options to respond to the protests in Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing U.S. officials.

The meeting will be a discussion about possible next steps including military strikes, deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on Iran's government and boosting anti-government sources online, the Journal reported.

The White House said it had no comment on the report.

Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days, posted on social media on Saturday: "Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!

Reuters could not immediately verify the Journal report.

Over 10,670 people have been detained in a government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran, activists said Sunday.

The US-based son of Iran's ousted shah said Sunday he is prepared to return to the country and lead a transition to a democratic government.

"I'm prepared to return to Iran at the first possible opportunity. I'm already planning on that," Reza Pahlavi said on Fox News show "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo.

"My job is to lead this transition to make sure that no stone is left unturned, that in full transparency, people have an opportunity to elect their leaders freely and to decide their own future," he added.

Turkey on Sunday prevented Iranian nationals from protesting outside Iran's consulate in Istanbul, with the area cordoned off and crowds blocked by police.

Amir Hossein, a singer from Tehran exiled in Turkey for 20 years, said he hoped "the entire Iranian nation can hear me".

"In every country, permits are granted to demonstrate for freedom, for democracy, but in Turkey, unfortunately, never," Hossein said.

The Israeli army struck an area of southern Lebanon on Sunday after issuing evacuation warnings, Lebanese state media said, in the latest attack despite a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

"Israeli warplanes launched a raid targeting the threatened area in Kfar Hatta," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said.

The Israeli military said it was "striking Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in Lebanon".

من الموقع المُستهدَف في بلدة كفر حتى جنوبيّ لبنان. pic.twitter.com/fUUMKhacRN

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) January 11, 2026

Iran's death toll linked to protests has risen to 466, the US-based 'Human Rights Activists in Iran' group said Sunday.

The toll was reported by the group's news agency, HRANA.

Hamas said Sunday it will dissolve its existing government in Gaza once a Palestinian technocratic leadership committee takes over the territory, as mandated under the U.S.-brokered peace plan. But the group gave no specifics on when the change will occur.

Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority have not announced the names of the technocrats, who are not supposed to be politically affiliated, and it remains unclear if they will be cleared by Israel and the U.S.

In comments posted on his Telegram channel Sunday, Hazem Kassem, a Hamas spokesman, called for speeding up the establishment of the technocratic committee.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he hoped Iran would soon be freed from what he described as the "yoke of tyranny", as major protests shake the Islamic republic.

"We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be freed from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again be loyal partners in building a future of prosperity and peace for both peoples," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court, along with his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning to residents of the south Lebanon village of Kfar Hatta ahead of planned strikes.

The army said it will soon carry out renewed strikes "on Hezbollah military infrastructure" in the village, citing what it described as "prohibited attempts by the group to rebuild its activities there."

It urged residents in an area marked red on a map, as well as nearby buildings, to evacuate immediately, claiming that they are located near a compound used by Hezbollah. Residents were instructed to move at least 300 meters away for their safety.

The army warned that remaining in the designated area puts civilians at risk.

عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان كفر حتا بجنوب لبنان
🔸سيهاجم جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني القريب ومن جديد بنية تحتية عسكرية تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي في القرية وذلك للتعامل مع المحاولات المحظورة التي يقوم بها لإعادة إعمار أنشطته فيها

🔸نحث سكان المجمع المحدد بالأحمر في الخريطة… pic.twitter.com/95eqxuR2ly

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) January 11, 2026

At least 203 people have been killed in nationwide protests in Iran, with fears death toll far higher, activists say.

Israel carried out more than two dozen strikes on various parts of south Lebanon on Sunday in less than an hour, local media said.

Some of the strikes also targeted the West Beqaa district.

The Israeli army claimed it carried out strikes on tunnel openings used to store weapons belonging to Hezbollah.

According to a statement, the army targeted tunnel openings used for the storage of military equipment at several Hezbollah sites in the south of the country. It claimed that in recent months, Hezbollah activity had been detected at these sites.

#عاجل | سلسلة غارات إسرائيلية متتالية استهدفت حتى اللحظة وادي برغز والجبور وجباع والقطراني pic.twitter.com/BTCAcgWiNG

— Al Modon - المدن (@almodononline) January 11, 2026

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday that Israel supports the Iranian people in what he described as their "struggle for freedom", as major protests shake the Islamic republic.

"We support the Iranian people's struggle for freedom and wish them success," Saar said in a video interview posted on his X account.

"We think they deserve freedom... We don't have any hostility with the people of Iran.

"We have a huge problem, which is not only our problem, it's a regional and international problem, with the Iranian regime which is the number one exporter of terrorism, radicalism," Saar added.

Two Palestinian organisations announced on Sunday the death of a Gaza prisoner in Israeli custody.

In a joint statement by the official Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, they said that Hamza Abdullah Abdulhadi Adwan, 67, from Gaza, "died" on September 9, 2025, in Israeli prisons.

The statement added that Adwan had been arrested in Gaza on November 12, 2024. He was married and a father of nine children, two of whom were killed before the outbreak of Israel's war in Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for those killed in protests in Iran and in the conflict in Syria during his weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, calling for dialogue and peace.

"My thoughts turn to what is happening these days in the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Syria, where persistent tensions are causing the deaths of many people," the US pontiff said at the Vatican.

"I hope and pray for the patient cultivation of dialogue and peace, for the common good of society as a whole."

Leo also offered his prayers for the people of Ukraine following "particularly serious" Russian strikes focused on energy infrastructure.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the U.S. and Israel want to "sow chaos and disorder" in Iran by ordering "riots", and called upon Iranians to distance themselves from "rioters and terrorists".

Gaza’s Health Ministry said that three Palestinians were killed and nine others wounded over the past 48 hours by Israeli fire, while a two-month-old baby died from hypothermia.

This raises the overall death toll from the war since 7 October 2023 to 71,412, with another 171,314 injured.

A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron after live fire was directed at his vehicle, and his body was subsequently seized by Israeli troops, the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority said on Sunday.

Elsewhere, a large Israeli military force raided the northern West Bank city of Nablus. An Israeli special unit entered the city’s old quarter, prompting fierce clashes with Palestinian fighters which lightly injured an Israeli soldier.

Palestinian sources said the special unit withdrew after being ambushed by local fighters.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged the European Union on Sunday to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps as a "terrorist organisation", as rights groups suspect the Islamic republic of using violence against protesters.

Saar said on X that he told visiting German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt "that now is the time to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation within the European Union".

"This has long been Germany's position, and today the importance of this matter is clear to all," Saar added.

Iran has made significant arrests of key figures in the protest movement that has swept the Islamic republic over the last two weeks, the national police chief said Sunday.

"Last night (Saturday evening), significant arrests were made of the main elements in the riots, who, God willing, will be punished after going through legal procedures," Ahmad-Reza Radan told state TV, without giving details on the number or identities of those arrested.

Iranians took to the streets in new protests against the clerical authorities overnight despite an internet shutdown, as rights groups warned on Sunday that authorities were committing a "massacre" to quell the demonstrations.

The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said it had received "eyewitness accounts and credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed across Iran during the current internet shutdown".

"A massacre is unfolding in Iran. The world must act now to prevent further loss of life," it said.

It said hospitals were "overwhelmed", blood supplies were running low and that many protesters had been shot in the eyes in a deliberate tactic.

Jordan's air force carried out strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria as part of a US operation this weekend, the military said Sunday.

The Jordanian army said Saturday's strikes "were coordinated with partners within the framework of the international coalition... to neutralise the capabilities of terrorist groups and prevent them from reorganising".

Syrian government forces evacuated more than 400 Kurdish fighters from the last district in Aleppo to fall to the army and detained 300 Kurds, an interior ministry official told AFP on Sunday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "360 fighters and more than 59 wounded" were evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood to the Kurds' de facto autonomous zone in the northeast, and 300 other Kurds, including members of the security forces, were detained.

An AFP correspondent saw buses filled with men leaving Sheikh Maqsoud under escort by government forces during the night.

US and allied forces carried out "large-scale" strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, the latest response to an attack last month that killed three Americans.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military forces in the region, said multiple strikes "targeted ISIS throughout Syria," using an acronym for the jihadist group.

CENTCOM's post on X did not give specifics on where they took place.

Grainy aerial video accompanying the post showed several separate explosions, apparently in rural areas.

https://t.co/cfTSJ2Nety

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 10, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke over the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on X, adding they discussed protests in Iran along with Gaza and Syria.

Ravid cited a U.S. source.

Iran would strike US military and shipping targets in the event of a new attack by the United States during an ongoing wave of protests, the parliament speaker said on Sunday.

"In the event of a military attack by the United States, both the occupied territory and centres of the US military and shipping will be our legitimate targets," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told parliament in comments broadcast by state TV, apparently also referring to Israel, which the Islamic republic does not recognise and considers occupied Palestinian territory.