International
Iran warns of a “strong and complex” attack against Israel, according to Wall Street Journal
Iran is warning through diplomatic channels that it is preparing a military response against Israel that would involve the use of “more powerful” weapons in response to the recent Israeli attack on Iranian military facilities, according to information from an Egyptian official collected by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Israel’s punitive air strike against Iran on October 26 destroyed the country’s strategic air defenses, leaving it very exposed, according to the newspaper, in addition to causing the death of five people.
Israel has not attacked vital infrastructure for Iran
So far, Israel has refrained from attacking Iran’s oil and nuclear facilities, which are essential for its economy and security, but that calculation could change, according to Israeli officials.
“An Egyptian official said that Iran privately warned of a strong and complex response. Our military lost people, so they need to answer,” said an Iranian official, WSJ said without identifying him.
He added that Iran could use Iraqi territory as part of the operation and that it would probably attack Israeli military facilities “much more aggressively than last time.”
Iran does not plan to limit its response to missiles and drones, as it did in two previous attacks, and any missile used could have more powerful warheads, Iranian and Arab officials said.
The US presidential elections are a factor in Iran’s response, the Iranian official said, since this Persian Gulf country does not want to influence the election results with its attack.
Iranian attack after US elections
The official added that the response will come after Tuesday’s vote, but before a new president is invested in January 2025.
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian conditioned this Sunday “the intensity and type” of a possible response to Israel’s recent attacks on Iranian military facilities to a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
“If they (the Israelis) reconsider their behavior, accept a ceasefire and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response,” Pezeshkian said at a cabinet meeting, according to the IRNA agency.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.
Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.
Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.
“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.
The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.
“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.
“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.
The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.
“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”
International
Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “eager” to welcome the opposition leader, who left Venezuela clandestinely with U.S. assistance, to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo.
Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, who nevertheless showed a very cautious attitude toward including her in any potential political transition in Venezuela.
The opposition leader said on Monday, after an audience with Pope Leo XIV, that “the defeat of evil is closer” in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that overthrew and removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country.
Trump has claimed that he is now in control of the South American nation, stating that the primary objective at this stage is to stabilize the country before considering elections.
Venezuelan oil is Washington’s main objective, Trump added after Maduro’s overthrow.
International
Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
A man was shot dead on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, local media reported. The victim was identified as Alain Orsoni, former president of local football club AC Ajaccio, according to sources close to the investigation cited by French news channel BFMTV.
Orsoni, 71, was killed in the town of Vero, near Ajaccio, the island’s capital, while attending his mother’s funeral.
He was also a former member of the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a nationalist organization that has long sought independence for the island, reports said.
BFMTV reported that the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large. Local police have opened an investigation into the shooting.
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