So, let’s see if Iran’s Alborz interdicts those pirates from Yemen.  Or if Iran’s real goal is to intimidate other navies from keeping the oceans free.  “Iran Deploys Destroyer To Red Sea,” Tasnim, 1-2-24.

Thanks Supreme Leader.  After Maersk (the world’s largest shipping company) decides to run ships through the Canal and Red Sea again, you allowed the Houthis to attack and try to take hostage a Maersk cargo ship the Hangzhou, but the U.S. Navy sank 3 of the Houthi pirate boats.  Now, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have halted trade.  “Maersk Decides the Red Sea Is Too Unsafe for Its Ships for Now,” Bloomberg, 1-2-24.

So, here are the Supreme Leader’s terms, incredibly high, conveyed today through Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.  In exchange for the Israeli hostages, Iran wants a complete ceasefire, a unity government in Gaza including Hamas, creation of a Palestinian state with capital in Jerusalem, and right of return for Palestinians to Israel (which means acquisition of land and payments).  “Hamas leader to intermediaries: no hostage release without full ceasefire,” I24, 1-2-24.

With hostage negotiations with Hamas (Iran) going nowhere, and those hostages coming closer to death every day, Israel has made the decision to target one of the major Hamas leaders, the first killed since the Oct. 7 attack.  This is a big deal.  “Top Hamas Leader Killed in Suspected Israeli Strike in Beirut,” Wall Street Journal, 1-2-24.  And can you say Rafic Hariri?  Massive truck bomb by Hezbollah blew up PM Hariri in 2005.  No one held responsible.  It is ironic that Hezbollah/Iran is now insisting that Israel be held responsible for this most recent act.

See also “CEP Brief:  Hamas Leader Saleh Al-Arouri Killed in Alleged Israeli Strike in Lebanon,” Counter Extremism Project, 1-2-24.  “On January 2nd, Hamas military leader and financier Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an alleged Israeli strike in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, according to reports from the Hezbollah-linked al Mayadeen and confirmed by Hezbollah. Arouri had been elected deputy leader of Hamas’s political bureau in October 2017. He was a key Hamas financier, a founding member of the al-Qassam brigades, and head of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank.  Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Mark D. Wallace stated:  “Saleh al-Arouri was a mass murderer and U.S.-designated terrorist who operated freely from the safe havens provided by Turkey and Qatar. Justice for the perpetrators of the October 7 atrocities should be the responsibility of all U.S. and Israeli allies. It cannot be confined by international borders.”  CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler added: “Arouri has been responsible for planning attacks and financing Hamas’s activities from Syria, Turkey, Qatar, and Lebanon since he left Israel in 2010. He moved to Syria in 2012 and was expelled from Turkey in 2015 and Qatar in 2017. In Lebanon, Arouri operated as Hamas’s quasi-ambassador to Hezbollah. He was also a major link between Hamas and the Iranian regime, working closely with former IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani and attending meetings with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Arouri has been facilitating money and weapons transfers to Hamas since the 1980s. In 2014, he claimed responsibility from Turkey for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens, sparking that summer’s conflict between Israel and Hamas. In 2015, he was expelled from Turkey and designated by the U.S. Treasury for his role as a “key financier and financial facilitator for Hamas military cells planning attacks and fomenting unrest.”  In 2018, the U.S. Department of State offered a $5 million dollar reward for information leading to his arrest. Despite being expelled from Turkey and Qatar in 2015 and 2017 respectively, Arouri enjoyed free movement between Turkey, Lebanon, and Qatar. In March of 2023, Israel’s Shin Bet reported that Arouri, along with other Hamas leaders in Istanbul, had recruited four young students from the West Bank for weapons and explosives training in order to carry out terror attacks in Israel.”

“’God Spoke Through Me,’ Khamenei Claims, Stirring Controversy,” Iran International, 1-2-24.

“Iran’s Internet Price Hike Sparks Concerns of Censorship,” Iran News Update, 1-2-24.

And news from Canada, from Niagara Falls.  “Iranian with terrorist ties apprehended at northern border,” Washington Examiner, 1-2-24.

“In Major Escalation, Drones Target Key Kurdish Power Base Near Irbil,” VOA, 1-2-24.