That concludes our live coverage of events in the region for today. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more updates and analysis as the news unfolds. Goodnight!
Another night of mass protests across Iran, internet still shutdown
New protests have erupted in Iran, with people rallying in a northwestern district of capital Tehran despite an internet shutdown and deadly crackdown by authorities, according to a video verified by AFP.
In Tehran's Sadatabad district people banged pots and chanted anti-governments slogans including "death to Khamenei," in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as cars hooted in support, the verified video showed.
Other images posted on social media showed similar protests were taking place elsewhere in Tehran, with thousands of people streaming into the streets, while videos published by Persian language television channels based outside Iran showed large numbers taking part in new protests in the eastern city of Mashhad, Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Qom.
Syrian government sets up shelters and checkpoints in Aleppo, SDF accuses army of targeting hospital
The Syrian minister of emergency and disaster management, Raed al-Saleh, conducted a field inspection of temporary shelter centers in Aleppo city today, following an earlier statement from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor announcing it had opened 64 shelters to host 27,560 displaced families, totaling around 140,000 people, according to the state-run SANA news outlet.
The minister reviewed conditions for displaced families from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, as well as surrounding areas impacted by clashes, the outlet reports, and oversaw the distribution of humanitarian aid.
According to Al Jazeera, the Syrian army has set up checkpoints throughout the city of Aleppo. The outlet shared several photos showing Syrian soldiers manning said checkpoints.
The Kurdish SDF released statements on its X account accusing “factions and militias affiliated with the Damascus government” of attacking the Khaled Fajr Hospital in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, posting videos of a flames inside of a building it says is the hospital and calling the incident "a clear war crime."
Internet blackout in Iran enters 24th hour, death toll from protests reaches 62
Iranian rights group HRANA released a statement, cited by Reuters, saying it had documented the deaths of at least 62 people including 14 security personnel and 48 protesters since the mass demonstrations began on Dec. 28.
The internet blackout implemented by the Iranian authorities during the protests has now lasted 24 hours, internet freedom monitor Netblocks said in a statement posted on X.
"It has now been 24 hours since Iran implemented a nationwide internet shutdown, with connectivity flatlining at 1 percent of ordinary levels," the organization pointed out.
Shortly after 6 p.m., Israeli aircraft flew at very low altitude over the Baalbeck and Hermel regions in the northern Bekaa Valley, as well as the Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges, according to the latest reporting from our correspondent in the Bekaa Valley.
Syrian army declares Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud a closed military zone
The Syrian army has declared the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo a closed military area, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA, cited by Al Jazeera.
The army said a complete curfew in the neighborhood would start at 6:30 p.m. local time until further notice, and advised civilians to stay away from windows and keep a distance from SDF positions.
Earlier, the Syrian army announced it had established a “humanitarian corridor” in order for civilians to flee the district. The corridor would remain open until 6 p.m.
Kurdish groups reject Aleppo withdrawal as US pushes to end fighting
Kurdish groups in Aleppo vowed to defend their neighborhoods from government forces on Friday, rejecting cease-fire terms declared by Damascus that demand Kurdish fighters withdraw from the Syrian city where clashes have raged this week.
The cease-fire announced by the defense ministry overnight demanded the withdrawal of Kurdish forces to the Kurdish-held northeast. That would effectively end Kurdish control over pockets of Aleppo held by Kurdish forces since the early days of the Syrian conflict, which began in 2011.
At least nine civilians have been killed and more than 140,000 have fled their homes this week. Neither the government nor the Kurdish forces have announced a toll of casualties among their fighters.
Israeli strikes intensify on south Lebanon
Israeli airstrikes targeted several areas in south Lebanon around noon, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
- The outskirts of Kfar Fila and the heights of Iqlim al-Tuffah (Nabatieh) for the second time today
- The Jabbour hills (Jezzine)
- Three strikes on Baissariyeh (Nabatieh)
Israeli strikes on Bekaa
Several Israeli strikes targeted Wadi Qaliya in the Bekaa, our correspondent reported. Five Israeli strikes targeted the heights of Brital (Baalbeck), near Prophet Ismael's shrine.
Israeli strikes on Jezzine, Nabatieh
(Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
Israeli warplanes struck the outskirts of Sojod and Rihan (Jezzine), our correspondent in the South reported. Another strike hit the area between Deir al-Zahrani and Houmin Fawqa (Nabatieh).
(Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
An Israeli strike targeted an area between Kfar Fila and Ain Qana in Iqlim al-Tuffah (Nabatieh district), L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.
Khamenei accuses protestors of 'wanting to make Trump happy'
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking to his supporters in a speech broadcast on state television, said that “Trump should know that world tyrants such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza were brought down at the peak of their arrogance. He, too, will be brought down."
Khamenei said that Iran would not retreat in the face of unrest. “Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, and it will not back down in the face of saboteurs,” he said.
Referring to protests in the country, Khamenei accused demonstrators of acting to please the U.S. president. “They want to make him happy. If he knew how to run a country, he would run his own,” he said.
“The hands of the U.S. president are stained with the blood of more than 1,000 Iranians,” he added, referring to June attacks by the United States on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Khamenei urged supporters to remain united. “Dear young people, keep your readiness and your unity. A united nation will overcome any enemy,” he said.
Chinese envoy visits Israel and Ramallah
A Chinese envoy visited Israel and Ramallah this week and met senior officials from both sides, China's foreign ministry said in statements on Friday, according to Reuters.
Zhai Jun, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, was in Israel from Tuesday to Thursday and held talks with Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and "exchanged views on regional hot issues."
In a separate statement, the ministry said Zhai also visited Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday and held a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in which they discussed China-Palestinian relations and the Palestinian issue.
Hamas secretly elects new Gaza chief and fills political bureau vacancies
Hamas secretly elected a new leader in Gaza and filled vacant seats in its political bureau, according to The National, citing two group officials and sources in Cairo familiar with the matter.
The elections were held last week and conducted through encrypted phone communications and in-person meetings with Hamas figures based in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, the sources said.
For security reasons, the identities of those elected will not be announced until the second stage of the Gaza cease-fire agreement comes into effect, the sources told The National.
According to circulating reports, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to reveal details of this second phase later this month, including plans for an international “Board of Peace” and a body of Palestinian technocrats to oversee Gaza’s administration.
One Hamas official said Israel remains unaware of the election results, noting that only the second phase offers protection against the targeting of political leaders.
Israeli drone drops two bombs on farmland in Majidieh
An Israeli drone dropped two bombs on a farm in Majidieh (Hasbaya district), L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.
A flare bomb was also launched near Rmeish (Bint Jbeil).
Hezbollah announces the death of one of its members
Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, Alaa Hussein Hourani, “who sacrificed himself for Lebanon and its people.”
Originally from Tiri (Bint Jbeil), Hourani lived in Bnaafoul (Saida).
His funeral will take place today at 2 p.m. in Aitit (Sour).
Kurdish fighters in Aleppo to be evacuated to autonomous Kurdish region
Kurdish fighters surrounded by the Syrian army in two neighborhoods of Aleppo will be evacuated to the Kurdish autonomous region in northeastern Syria, authorities announced Friday morning, according to AFP.
The Syrian Defense Ministry had earlier announced a cease-fire after several days of clashes and granted Kurdish fighters a deadline to evacuate the two neighborhoods they control, whose residents fled in large numbers.
South Lebanon: Israeli incursion overnight in Yaroun
An Israeli army unit carried out an incursion 1.5 kilometers into Yaroun (Bint Jbeil district) at around 4:30 a.m., L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South reported.
The unit blew up a house that had already been damaged by Israeli strikes in al-Bayader neighborhood.
Foreign Minister Joe Rajji met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his accompanying delegation, according to the ministry.
Gaza: 13 killed, including five children, by Israeli strikes, Civil Defense says
Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed 13 people, including five children, the Civil Defense said Thursday, during one of the deadliest days since the Oct. 10, 2025, cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Four people, including three children, were killed when a drone struck a tent sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza, Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
In northern Gaza, an 11-year-old girl was killed near the Jabalia refugee camp, and an Israeli strike on a school killed one person.
A drone strike near Khan Younis in the south killed a man, Bassal said. Two other Palestinians, including a child, were killed in other attacks, the agency reported.
Sharaa meets with European Commission president
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Damascus today, according to Syria’s official news agency.
Syria: Fragile cease-fire in Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhoods
Syrian authorities declared a cease-fire Friday in Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhoods, welcomed by the United States, after several days of clashes with Syrian security forces that displaced thousands of civilians.
The violence, which has killed at least 21 people since Tuesday, is the most serious confrontation in Syria’s second-largest city between the central government and Kurdish forces, who control large areas in northeastern Syria and some neighborhoods of Aleppo.
Twelfth day of protests in Iran
Crowds gathered Thursday along an avenue in Tehran, where a large demonstration was underway.
Many protesters, on foot or honking car horns, converged on a major road in Tehran, according to videos posted on social media and verified by AFP.
Persian-language television channels based outside Iran and other media also broadcast images of large demonstrations in other cities, including Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Mashhad in the east.
Since the movement began on Dec. 28 in Tehran, protests have taken place in at least 50 cities across 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements and media reports.
Initially linked to the cost of living, the protests are the largest in Iran since those that followed the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested over an allegedly improperly worn headscarf.
Iran: At least 45 killed, including eight minors, IHR says
At least 45 protesters, including eight minors, have been killed in 12 days of protests, according to a new toll released Thursday by the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR).
“The crackdown is spreading and becoming more violent by the day,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, adding that “hundreds” have also been wounded and more than 2,000 arrested.
Iranian media and authorities, for their part, have reported at least 21 people killed since the protests began, including members of the security forces, according to an AFP tally.
Iran: Internet network cut
In a sign of the Iranian authorities’ unease, internet service has been cut nationwide for the past 12 hours, according to cybersecurity monitoring NGO Netblocks.
“The incident follows a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country and hinders the public's right to communicate at a critical moment,” Netblocks wrote on X in a separate post.
Iran: Revolutionary Guards to take over repression of protests, senior official says
A senior government official, who did not want to be identified, told The New York Times that many officials were privately calling and texting one another, at a loss for how to contain the avalanche of protests. He said the Revolutionary Guards Corps, typically in charge of securing Iran’s borders, not internal security, would likely take over.
According to the article, Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy committee, said Israel was behind the protests and added that Iran “would not allow” it to carry out its “destabilization plan.”
Turkish Airlines cancels Friday flights from Istanbul to Tehran
State-run Turkish Airlines canceled its five Friday flights from Istanbul to Tehran, according to the Istanbul International Airport app.
Five other flights operated by Iranian airlines were also canceled, according to the departures board.
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