Middle East

Now that Khamenei has spoken, the crackdown will harden. Across three defining protest waves - in 2009, 2019, 2022 - the public record shows that when he speaks, the cost of dissent rises sharply.

At least 15 protesters and one security force member have been killed in seven days of nationwide protests in Iran, according to HRANA, though the true toll is hard to verify.

A weakened regime and deep economic anger have created an opening, but scattered protests now face a decisive moment

Salam called on Hezbollah to hand over all weapons to the government, saying, “Contrary to rumors, no one intends to throw them into the sea or hand them over to Israel.”

The Iranian protests continue to be a central focus for the Israeli intelligence community, but the capture of Maduro has added an additional element of instability to the regime.

Yemen’s southern separatists welcomed a Saudi call for dialogue as fighting eased in the south, raising hopes of de-escalation in a rare public rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Iran’s supreme leader said the Islamic Republic will not yield to pressure as rights groups reported a surge in arrests following protests over inflation and the collapsing rial.

Members of Iran’s roughly 8,000-strong Jewish community are avoiding protest flashpoints as unrest spreads nationwide, according to a report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News.

Britain and France carried out a joint airstrike on an ISIS-linked underground weapons facility north of Palmyra, with the UK Defense Ministry saying no civilians were at risk.

Khamenei addressed the protests through his official Farsi-speaking account, calling the Bazzaris "among the most loyal Iranians in the country.