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Daily Archives: 13. Januar 2026
Israeli Police Question Top Netanyahu Aide Over Leaked Document Case
(January 11, 2026)
In November 2024, the Israeli courts lifted a gag order and identified Mr. Feldstein, who was working as a military affairs spokesman for Mr. Netanyahu, as one of the suspects in the case involving the stealing, illegal holding and leaking of a classified military document to a German newspaper, Bild.
Handwritten in Arabic, the document, obtained from Gaza, appeared to lay out Hamas’s plan for psychological warfare against Israel, claiming that Hamas was in no rush to reach a deal to release hostages or to end the war. Some of the messaging aligned with Mr. Netanyahu’s own approach.
Critics said the Bild article based on the leak appeared to be part of a deliberate effort by the prime minister or his loyalists to weaken the domestic campaign for the hostages’ release and influence Israeli public opinion in favor of Mr. Netanyahu’s negotiating positions.
A fatal motorcycle accident leaves Israel‘s most serious security corruption case unresolved.
(January 9, 2026)
In this case, media consultant Tzachi Lieber is accused of acting as an intermediary for bribes between Michael Ganor, who was the representative of the German industrial engineering company ThyssenKrupp in Israel, and David Sharan, who was chief of staff to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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The dilemma facing the system is now complex. On the one hand, allowing a new judge to render a verdict based solely on transcripts and submitted evidence is problematic, as a criminal verdict should be based on the judge‘s direct impression of the witnesses and the accused, and on their credibility.
On the other hand, having the witnesses, or some of them, re-tested by another judge is also problematic and would mean the case would drag on for years. As mentioned, this would also delay Lieber‘s required testimony in the main case against Sharan and Ganor.
ISRAELI JUDGE HANDLING NETANYAHU-LINKED CASE KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT
(Januar 6, 2026)
Judge Benny Sagi, president of Israel‘s Beersheba District Court, was killed Sunday when a vehicle struck his motorcycle on Route 6.
Police say a vehicle driving off-road entered the highway and collided with Sagi‘s bike near Kfar Menachem kibbutz.
Paramedics found him with no pulse, multiple injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sagi was handling aspects of Case 3000, the „Submarines Affair“ involving corruption in Israeli naval deals.
Netanyahu has been questioned in this case but not charged.
Sagi was NOT presiding over Netanyahu‘s main corruption trial (Cases 1000, 2000, 4000).
That case is being heard by a three-judge panel in Jerusalem District Court.
Netanyahu‘s testimony in his primary trial was shortened Monday to allow attendance at Sagi‘s funeral.
Israeli authorities and major news organizations have categorized this as a traffic accident.
An investigation has been launched.
Some regional outlets and social media have called the death „suspicious“ given Sagi‘s role in sensitive cases, but no evidence of foul play has been reported.
A-G Mandelblit rejects appeal to expand case 3000 investigation
(October 18, 2020)
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit on Sunday evening rejected the appeal made by the Movement for Quality of Government, which demanded that the investigation into the infamous case 3000 submarine sale scandal be expanded and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be questioned with a warning.
He further noted that there is no reason to intervene in Netanyahu‘s sale of personal stocks before the submarine acquisition, in accordance with his decision not to open a criminal investigation against the prime minister in case 3000.
Israeli prime minister returns to court for 70th hearing in corruption trial
Since the trial began, Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations. Under Israeli law, however, a presidential pardon can only be granted following an admission of guilt.
The prime minister is facing charges in three separate cases, commonly known as Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000. The indictments were filed in late November 2019 by then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
Scoop: Trump‘s envoy secretly met Iran‘s exiled crown prince
White House envoy Steve Witkoff met secretly over the weekend with the exiled former crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, to discuss the protests raging in Iran, according to a senior U.S. official.
„Hilfe ist auf dem Weg“: Trump ruft indirekt zu Umsturz im Iran auf
Trump schrieb in Großbuchstaben auch, dass Hilfe „auf dem Weg“ sei. Was er damit meinte, blieb unbeantwortet. Wegen der schweren Gewalt gegen Demonstrierende hatte Trump der iranischen Führung bereits zuvor mit militärischen Mitteln gedroht. Die USA nähmen die Lage im Iran sehr ernst, so Trump am Sonntag. „Das Militär befasst sich damit, und wir prüfen einige sehr drastische Optionen. Wir werden eine Entscheidung treffen.“
SAVAK: Geschichte, Operationen und Rolle in der Sicherheit Irans
SAVAK , der iranische Geheimdienst zur Zeit des Schahs, war eine Behörde, die großen Einfluss auf die iranische Politik und Sicherheit hatte. SAVAK wurde 1957 gegründet und war bis zur Islamischen Revolution von 1979 tätig und für seine Überwachungsoperationen und Unterdrückung von Regimegegnern bekannt. In diesem Artikel werden wir die Geschichte, Struktur und Funktionen von SAVAK, seine Auswirkungen auf die iranische Sicherheit und seine Rolle in der internationalen Politik während des Kalten Krieges untersuchen.
Torture still scars Iranians 40 years after revolution
(February 6, 2019)
Torture became widespread, as shown in the museum’s exhibits. Interrogators all wear ties, a nod to their Western connections. Portraits of the shah, Queen Farah and his son, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who now lives in exile in the U.S., hang above one torture scene
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Sheikhi walked with Associated Press journalists through the prison that once held him, built in the 1930s by German engineers. Black-and-white photographs of its 8,500 prisoners from over the years line the walls. They include current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Sheikhi, then 19, spent about three months in the prison and 11 months in another after being detained for distributing anti-shah statements from Khomeini, then in exile.
…
Inside Iran‘s Savak torture museum
May 17, 2025 #TheGrayzone
Caution: This report contains depictions of simulated violence that may upset some viewers.
Max Blumenthal tours one of the most disturbing museums on the planet.
Set in Tehran‘s former Ebrat Prison run by the anti-sabotage unit of Shah Reza Pahlavi‘s Savak intelligence services, the museum is filled with shockingly graphic exhibits featuring lifelike mannequins recreating the hideous torture tactics deployed to repress dissidents rebelling against Iran‘s monarchy.
Many mannequins on display represent notorious torturers who either fled or were executed after the Islamic revolution in 1979, while others are modeled after famous prisoners locked away in Ebrat like the current Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamanei.
16. Januar 1979: Sturz und Flucht des iranischen Schahs
Noch Anfang der 1950er-Jahre wurde Iran wirtschaftlich von Großbritannien ausgebeutet. Nur ein kleiner Teil der enormen Öleinnahmen verblieb im Land. Teherans Opposition, die in weiten Teilen eine Verstaatlichung der Erdölindustrie forderte, gewann an Zulauf. Die Nationale Front aus verschiedenen linken, islamistischen, aber auch liberalen Gruppen einte damals die Ablehnung des Schahs und ausländischer Einflussnahme. Nach der Ermordung des vom Schah installierten Premierministers Ali Razmara durch Islamisten leitete eine Parlamentskommission im März 1951 die Verstaatlichung der iranischen Ölindustrie ein. Ende April 1951 ernannte der Schah den Führer der Nationalen Front, Mohammed Mossadegh (1882-1967), zum Premierminister.
Unter Mossadegh schritt die Verstaatlichung der Ölindustrie schnell voran. Nachdem die Briten fast 50 Jahre lang quasi ein Monopol auf iranisches Erdöl innehatten, mussten sie es nun aus der Hand geben. London setzte daraufhin einen Boykott Irans durch fast alle internationalen Ölgesellschaften durch. Die Folge war eine schwere Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrise. Dies änderte zunächst nichts an der Unterstützung Mossadeghs innerhalb der Bevölkerung. Mossadegh erhielt Sondervollmachten durch das Parlament. Nach einem gescheiterten Versuch Rezas, Mossadegh seines Amtes zu entheben, und den darauf folgenden Kämpfen zwischen den beiden Lagern floh der Schah ins Ausland.
Im August 1953 wurde Mossadegh von Teilen der iranischen Armee mit Hilfe des US-amerikanischen Geheimdienstes CIA gestürzt. Der Schah kehrte aus dem Exil zurück. Fortan war Iran ein treuer Verbündeter der Vereinigten Staaten. Der Monarch unterdrückte jede Opposition mit Härte. Ab 1954 teilte sich ein Konsortium westlicher Ölkonzerne die Gewinne aus dem Erdölgeschäft mit der National Iranian Oil Company. Von den Öleinnahmen profitierte jedoch nur ein kleiner Teil der Bevölkerung.
Washington unterstützte den Schah in den 1950er-Jahren bei der Modernisierung seiner Streitkräfte und ab 1957 beim Aufbau des gefürchteten Geheimdiensts SAVAK.
Behind the riots: Israel-Pahlavi nexus and the delusion of ‘regime change’ in Iran
The alliance between Iran’s former monarchists and the Israeli regime – actors united by shared interests – gained further momentum after Pahlavi and his spouse visited the Israeli-occupied territories in April 2024 at the invitation of Netanyahu himself.
The visit marked the formalization of what had long been an informal and deeply troubling relationship.
This relationship was further solidified after the Tel Aviv regime launched an unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Iran in June this year, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 1,000 people, including women and children.
While the Iranian nation mourned its dead, Pahlavi monarchists openly celebrated. Reza Pahlavi offered no words of sympathy for the victims of the 12-day war, laying bare where his loyalties truly lie.
Iran slams Germany’s Merz over riots-linked remarks, says Berlin ‘worst-placed’ to lecture on rights
Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Germany was “perhaps the worst-placed” government to lecture others on human rights, arguing that Berlin’s credibility had been “obliterated” by its total support for the US-Israeli genocide in Gaza.
“When Iran defeats terrorists who kill civilians and police officers, the German chancellor rushes to declare that ‘violence is an expression of weakness’,” Araghchi posted on X.
“What, then, does Mr Merz have to say about his wholehearted support for the mass murder of 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza?” he asked.
His comments came in the wake of Merz’s remarks questioning the legitimacy of Iran’s government and suggesting it was nearing collapse following the recent riots across the country.
Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Secretary-General is shocked by the reports of violence and excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters in multiple locations across the Islamic Republic of Iran, resulting in scores of deaths and many more injuries in recent days.
All Iranians must be able to express their grievances peacefully and without fear. The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as enshrined in international law, must be fully respected and protected.
The Secretary-General urges the Iranian authorities to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from unnecessary or disproportionate use of force.
He further urges steps that enable access to information in the country, including restoring communications.
Iran’s Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi warns of ‘organised killing’
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has accused Iranian authorities of attempting to conceal a deadly crackdown on protesters by cutting internet access and suppressing information.
In a post on Instagram, Ebadi said the shutdown of communications and alleged intimidation of witnesses pointed to an effort by Iran’s government to “kill in silence and then erase it”.
Ebadi called out a pattern of “organised killing” carried out under the cover of internet blackouts. She also demanded the internet’s immediate restoration, and an independent international investigation into the bloodshed.
Israel Is Still Demolishing Gaza, Building by Building
More than two months ago, Israel and Hamas signed a cease-fire agreement that offered Palestinians in Gaza a hope of respite after a punishing two-year Israeli bombardment that left much of their enclave in ruins.
The destruction has continued.
Israel has demolished more than 2,500 buildings in Gaza since the cease-fire began, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery from Planet Labs.
Gaza ‚board of peace‘ will hold first meeting at Davos, Palestinian American intermediary says
Trump plans to serve as head of the board alongside other world leaders. The board will interact with a committee of Palestinian technocrats in Gaza through Mladenov.
Bahbah said that the “main entities” responsible for “managing” Gaza’s reconstruction will be established within 30 days. He added that Palestinian factions are expected to meet in Cairo next week, where the names of an independent technocratic committee to manage Gaza’s affairs will be announced.