Hi Global Recap readers,
It’s the weekend again.
Unlike last weekend, there are now reports that several US military assets are in the area, and arriving just in time.
Rumors are circulating that President Trump wants to arrest “Supreme Leader” Khamenei, similar to how the US extracted Maduro.
Backlash over Trump’s inaction against Iran's violence is building (even among his base), as more graphic videos of the regime’s crackdown spread (machetes, gunfire, and beatings).
More telling: Khamenei’s Friday prayer appearance was reportedly canceled out of fear of a US strike.
That said, most of this is unconfirmed. We’ll see whether the weekend stays quiet, or not.
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Directed Energy Weapons
On January 23, the Department of War's office for Research and Engineering posted this.
Click for post
First came unverified account of a "sonic weapon" being used during a US raid in Venezuela.
Now, the US Department of War says it has directed energy weapons and is scaling them.
Raid. The timing matters because the post followed reporting tied to an overnight US raid earlier this month, aimed at capturing then-Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, where guards at his complex described a "very intense sound wave" weapon. One guard even claimed nosebleeds and vomiting blood.
Marketing. Before continuing, we should note:
Some believe that the guard’s account is a deliberate US marketing and psy-op narrative designed to intimidate adversaries.
US's possession of energy directed weapons is not a secret. In fact, in the video below, Fox's Peter Doocy gets a taste of the then-Defense Department's Active Denial System:
Trail. Not only that, the 2018 National Defense Strategy referenced directed energy development and that the department later called for proposals in 2021. That does not prove today’s systems exist at scale, but it does show years of institutional interest.
📌 Context. Directed energy weapons are a broad category of systems that use concentrated electromagnetic energy, like lasers or high-power microwaves, instead of firing a physical projectile. They have been studied for decades because they can, in theory, affect targets quickly and at long range, but public details tend to be thin for obvious reasons.
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
Starmer Pulls Chagos Bill
US President Trump (left) and UK Prime Minister Starmer (right)
Keir Starmer has staged a retreat, pulling the Chagos Islands bill off the House of Lords timetable after President Trump called the UK-Mauritius deal "an act of great stupidity."
Break. The bill is no longer expected to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday, after warnings it could breach a UK-US treaty tied to sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. They tabled a motion in the Lords on Friday seeking to delay ratification.
Deal. The plan would see the UK give up the Indian Ocean territory to Mauritius and lease back the strategically important Diego Garcia base, used by UK and US forces since it was built in the 1970s.
Critics of the deal say the deal clashes with a 1966 UK-US treaty that rests on the UK retaining sovereignty.
Supporters of the plan argue that the International Court’s 2019 advisory opinion obligates the UK to "bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible." That said, note that the opinion is non-binding.
General estimates the distance between the Diego Garcia base and Iran to be roughly 3,600–3,800 km (about 2,350–2,360 miles)
📌 Context. The Chagos Islands are a UK-administered archipelago in the Indian Ocean that includes Diego Garcia, home to a major UK-US military base. The UK is pursuing an agreement to transfer the territory to Mauritius while leasing back the base, and that legal handoff is now tangled up in treaty claims and US politics.
🌍 MIDDLE EAST
Airlines Cancel
Middle East Flights
Major carriers pulled Saturday flights to Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia as Iran tensions rose and President Donald Trump talked about an armada heading toward Iran.
Cancellations. Lufthansa, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Swiss were among the airlines listed as canceling flights to multiple Middle East destinations, based on flight information posted on airport websites. The cuts hit routes into Israel as well as Gulf destinations, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Rhetoric. The political temperature is not helping. On Thursday, Trump spoke of an "armada" moving toward Iran, saying he hoped he would not have to use it, while warning Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program.
📌 Context. US officials, speaking anonymously, said the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. They also described discussions about deploying additional air-defense systems to help protect US bases if Iran retaliates.
🇺🇦 UKRAINE
Kyiv And Kharkiv:
Under Fire
Russia hit Ukraine's two biggest cities early Saturday with drones and missiles, killing one person in Kyiv and injuring at least 15 overall.
Estimates suggest that nearly 6,000 buildings in Kyiv are without heating.
Assault. Early Saturday, Jan. 24, Russian forces attacked Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said, with Kyiv reporting one death and the two cities reporting at least 15 people injured in total. Ukraine's air force said the assault on the capital combined drones and missiles.
Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were injured in Kyiv, including three hospitalized, and that strikes sparked fires on both sides of the Dnipro River.
He also said heating and water supplies were disrupted in parts of the city east of the river.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said strikes hit at least four districts and damaged multiple buildings, including a medical facility.
Kharkiv. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 25 drones struck several districts over about two and a half hours, injuring at least 11 people. He said a dormitory for displaced people, a hospital, and a maternity hospital were among the sites hit.
Timing. The attacks came right after Ukrainian, Russian, and US negotiators completed the first of two days of talks in the United Arab Emirates aimed at ending the war. If diplomacy is supposed to calm things down, this is not what that looks like.
