9 January 2026
Latin America-US under the Donroe Doctrine
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said that he believes there is now a“real threat” of US military action against Colombia. On Thursday night on an interview with Sean Hannity, President Trump said the US would move ahead with strikes against the cartels in Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard boarded a fifth oil tanker early on Friday morning and continued to eye other vessels trying to evade the U.S. blockade on sanctioned tankers travelling to and from Venezuela.
Iran
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Friday the Islamic Republic won’t back down as anti-regime protests are in their 13th day. More protests are planned for today. The Iranian government has shut down the internet in the country in order to quell the protests and prevent outside observers. There have been unconfirmed reports of protesters being gunned down by regime security forces. In his speech, Khamenei said Trump would be overthrown.
Türkiye
Türkiye ended mediation efforts between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan due to “Pakistan’s unreasonable demands.” The demands in question are not publicly known, but the demands were previously rejected by the Afghan Taliban. It is probably safe to hypothesize that the demands concerned foreign terrorist groups, such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, operating on Afghan soil with impunity.
Syria
Syria announced a ceasefire in Aleppo, but Kurdish fighters refuse to withdraw from the region despite a deadline from Syria’s defence ministry. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the area after fighting broke out between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the government in the country’s second-largest city.
Russia-Ukraine
Russia for the second time launched its nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile against Ukraine, hitting the western region of Lviv near the Polish border overnight. Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said the attack damaged critical infrastructure, though no casualties were reported. Alongside Oreshnik, Russia launched 242 drones and 36 missiles, knocking out heating and power for 500,000 of Kyiv’s residents. The Russian Defense Ministry said it had successfully struck drone-production sites and energy infrastructure powering the Ukrainian military effort.
Somalia
The United States halted assistance to Somalia over claims that food aid was illegally seized. The US claims that officials destroyed a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and seized approximately 76 tonnes of food aid. Somali officials state that the humanitarian aid in question remains in the custody of the WFP, including aid provided by the United States.
Social media wires
Syrian army tank accidentally hits a journalist
Another Russian oil tanker seized off the coast of Venezuela
Featured Photo: “Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei” – Wikimedia Commons, 2026
The Wires Brief is a daily breaking news report incorporating wire service news and social media updates. DefRep cannot verify the authenticity of social media reporters nor the accuracy of social media updates. Feature photos are altered with grayscale.