Demonstrations against Iran’s ruling establishment escalated sharply over the past day, with unrest reported in multiple cities. Early accounts said opposition forces had taken control of Karaj, while large crowds flooded the streets of Tehran, Mashhad, and other urban centers, shouting slogans against the government and its religious authorities.
As the turmoil has widened, the Chief of Staff of Iran’s armed forces, Major General Amir Khatami, issued a pointed message aimed at US President Donald Trump, cautioning him against any involvement in the unrest shaking the country.
Khatami dismissed the idea that the protests have any connection to Washington or to Israel, referring to the Prime Minister of “the criminal Zionist entity.” He asserted that ordinary Iranians have conducted themselves in a “dignified and admirable” way, standing firm against what he described as “rioters” and declining to follow the course he claimed the United States and Israel had anticipated.
According to the Iranian general, public demonstrations are a normal occurrence worldwide, but he argued that when protests descend into violence, that shift is “certainly” the product of deliberate orchestration by “the enemy.”
Khatami’s remarks came after Trump publicly warned Iran’s leadership that harming civilians amid the protests could trigger a direct response from the United States. Trump said America would not remain on the sidelines and would hold Iran’s leaders personally accountable for any injury inflicted on their own people.
{Matzav.com}
[Videos below.] Public dissent continued to surface across Iran, with demonstrators in the capital and outlying regions using increasingly blunt symbols and slogans to denounce the ruling system and its leadership.
Earlier in the week, protesters in Tehran echoed language used by Elon Musk in a recent social media post criticizing the Iranian regime, adopting the term “murderer” in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a highly symbolic gesture, one protester displayed a sign in the heart of the city bearing the words “President Trump Street.”
In western Iran, unrest was reported Wednesday night in the city of Ilam, where demonstrators gathered in the streets chanting “Death to Khamenei,” according to videos sent to the Iran International website.
Separate video clips circulating on social media showed protesters in Fars Province tearing down and destroying a statue of Qassem Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
That act followed a similar incident last week in the southwestern city of Lali in Khuzestan, where demonstrators set fire to another statue of Soleimani.
The latest destruction occurred on the eve of the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing in a US drone strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020, a date that continues to carry deep symbolic weight amid Iran’s ongoing unrest.
WATCH:
Protesters took to the streets in Ilam, western Iran, on Wednesday evening, chanting “Death to Khamenei,” according to videos sent to Iran International.pic.twitter.com/kKxTpbDmw3
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 7, 2026
— Protesters destroy and topple a Qasem Soleimani statue in one of the counties of Fars Province pic.twitter.com/kxdnq03PwC
— The Palestinian Observer (@TPObserver) January 7, 2026
After approving a plea agreement, the Yerushalayim District Court imposed a custodial sentence on Lev Tahor cult leader Elazar Rompler, ordering him to serve 24 months behind bars, less time already spent in detention. The ruling also included suspended sentences, a fine of 10,000 shekels, and an order to pay 12,000 shekels in compensation to the victim.
In its decision, the court described the incident in stark terms, writing that “the facts detailed in the first count, which concerns the assault, are severe and chilling,” and stressing that the violence displayed especially serious characteristics.
Rompler was convicted of aggravated assault causing actual bodily harm after he struck a 10-year-old boy in front of other students within the Lev Tahor cult. The verdict noted that the attack took place publicly, in the presence of the child’s peers.
The court also found Rompler guilty of breaching a legal order by leaving Israel despite a stay of exit order and evading the proceedings. He fled the country while the case was pending.
Following his escape, Rompler was apprehended abroad and returned to Israel through an extradition process carried out by the International Department of the State Prosecution.
During sentencing submissions, the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office, represented by attorney Tzur Huta, underscored the extraordinary gravity of the offense. Prosecutors pointed to the abuse of a position of authority within a closed community, the targeting of a defenseless minor, and the fact that the violence occurred in front of other children.
{Matzav.com}An Israeli High Court hearing on Thursday placed a spotlight on the government’s handling of budget transfers to chareidi educational institutions, after the state acknowledged that the overwhelming majority of the funds in question were moved improperly.
During the session, state attorney Neta Oren conceded that about 90 percent of the one billion shekels transferred was not carried out in accordance with legal requirements. She told the court that the transfer followed established procedures, saying that “there is such a practice” of moving funds in this manner. Justice Yael Wilner rejected that explanation, replying, “This is not legal.”
Justice Wilner also questioned the legal basis for the timing of the transfers, noting that most of the money appeared to have been moved before approval by the Knesset Finance Committee. Turning to the state’s representative, she asked pointedly, “By what authority?”
Earlier in the hearing, Justice Wilner sharply criticized the Knesset’s representative for failing to present the Finance Committee protocol, underscoring its importance by stating, “The protocol is the heart of the matter”.
The petition was filed by the Yesh Atid party, which argued that the funds were directed to chareidi institutions that do not teach core curriculum subjects and are not subject to state supervision, in violation of existing law.
Separately, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed the court on Wednesday that she supports lifting the interim order that froze the transfer. She added that if it is ultimately determined that money was allocated to institutions that fail to meet the required criteria, the sums could be offset or deducted at a later stage.
{Matzav.com}
