World Briefing: January 19, 2025

Two senior Iranian justices have been killed in a shooting attack in the Supreme Court in the capital Tehran, according to the judiciary and state media. The “assassination” was carried out by an armed person, who killed himself after opening fire early on Saturday, according to a statement by the media centre of the judiciary. The victims were identified as Muslim scholars Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, both holding the rank of hujjat al-Islam and each presiding over a different branch of the court. “[They] were actively involved in combating crimes against national security, espionage, and terrorism,” the statement added, describing the slain judges as “courageous and experienced”. Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told Iranian state television that “a person armed with a handgun entered the room” of the two judges and shot them. He said the assailant committed suicide. The identity of the attacker and his motive were not immediately clear. - Al Jazeera

Hamas is expected to provide the list of hostages slated for release on Sunday within hours, the Saudi television channel Al Hadath reported on Saturday. Despite prior commitments, Hamas missed the 4:30 p.m. deadline but reportedly assured mediators it would submit the list soon after transferring them to a secure location, according to Saudi network Al Arabiya. Israeli officials remain confident that the plan will proceed as scheduled. The government approved the cease-fire agreement with Hamas early Saturday, set to take effect Sunday at 8:30 a.m., 415 days after the first truce following the December 2023 hostage deal and 471 days since the October 7 massacre that sparked the war. Under the deal’s initial phase, 33 hostages will be released over 42 days, starting with three hostages scheduled for release Sunday evening in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners - Ynet

The Trump administration is to begin mass raids against migrants the day after his inauguration. According to The Wall Street Journal, citing four sources familiar with the operation’s planning, Chicago is expected to be the site of the first raid. The operation will begin on the morning of January 21, the day after Trump’s inauguration, and will continue throughout the week. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to deploy between 100 and 200 officers for the operation. The raids will focus on “undocumented immigrants with criminal records,” according to the report. These include individuals who committed traffic violations or other offenses that the Biden administration deemed too minor for prosecution. Following Chicago, where over 51,000 migrants have arrived since August 2022, similar raids may take place in New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Miami. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly emphasized that combating illegal immigration was one of his top priorities. He pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. - Nexta

Another round of extreme fire weather is expected next week with gusts of up to 80 mph in Southern California, bringing new dangers as Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities struggle to assess the damage of devastating wildfires earlier this month. “The bottom line is: we’re in uncharted territories this deep into the winter, or rainy season,” in having barely any rain, said Alex Tardy, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego - LA Times

Donald Trump will choose to lead the U.S. Secret Service one of the agents who covered him after a gunmen opened fire at the candidate during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Donald Trump Jr. said his father will be naming Sean Curran, who heads the president-elect’s personal detail as special agent in charge, to be Secret Service director. “Sean is a great patriot and will stop all the insanity once and for all. There’s not a better person to be in this position!” Trump Jr. posted on X on Friday. The agency has been under scrutiny and pressure after Trump was wounded in the assassination attempt at a July 13, 2024 ,rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and after a second failed assassination attempt at his Florida golf course on Sept. 15. In the first attempt, Trump’s right ear was grazed by a bullet. He wasn’t injured in the second one - AP

TikTok has gone dark in the U.S., several users reported on social media. However, President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News that he was considering granting an extension that might allow the platform to keep going beyond Sunday, when a law that prohibits mobile app stores and internet hosting services from distributing TikTok to U.S. users takes effect. The ban’s timing has complicated matters, perhaps in TikTok’s favor: the outgoing Biden administration reiterated Saturday that it considers the law’s implementation and enforcement to be the responsibility of Trump, who takes office on Monday and has pledged to “save” the app. Under the law, TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, had nine months to sell the platform’s U.S. operation to an approved buyer. The law allows the sitting president to extend the deadline by 90 days if a sale is in progress - AP

Anti-government protesters took to the streets of Tbilisi on January 18, with many demonstrators wearing masks in defiance of new regulations banning face-coverings as authorities attempt to keep tabs on dissenters in the Caucasus nation. Many of the masks featured images mocking billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s most powerful man and the founder of the Georgian Dream -- the party that has angered protesters with its perceived turn away from its once-growing Western ties and more toward Russia - RFE/RL

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