Original article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
Source: Cambiare Rotta/Facebook
Dozens of cities in Italy organized actions in solidarity with Venezuela, demanding the release of President Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores
One month after the US attack on Venezuela, dozens of Italian cities once again took to the streets in support of the Bolivarian process, demanding the release of President Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores. Organized under the international slogan “Bring them home!”, the decentralized actions represent a stepping stone toward a national assembly in Rome on Sunday, February 8, as well as permanent mobilization against war and rearmament.
Students and youth made up a significant portion of participants in Tuesday’s demonstrations. “In response to the United States’ military action, a clear expression of its desire to reassert control over the continent, we once again stand alongside the Bolivarian Revolution […] against US imperialism and to demand the immediate release of Maduro and Flores,” the organizations Cambiare Rotta and OSA wrote on the day.
Left groups also denounced the Trump administration’s threats and attacks against other countries in Latin America, particularly Cuba and Colombia, warning that the strategy is rooted in a model of imperialism that harms people all over the world. Marta Collot, spokesperson for the left party Potere al Popolo, emphasized that the protests were also aimed at opposing a “model based on extractivism that seeks to seize the resources of other countries.”
“The ambitions of the US are not limited to Venezuela, but extend to all the countries of Nuestra América, which are to be turned into mere territories for resource extraction, from oil to rare earths, from vast freshwater reserves to a ‘disposable’ workforce,” Potere al Popolo wrote ahead of the protests. Venezuela, with its socialist transformation, “has always been a thorn in their [the West] side, against which they have directed all weapons of hybrid warfare, from economic and military aggression to cognitive warfare,” the party added.
Source: Cambiare Rotta/Facebook
“We condemn this attack, which was not only an attempt to seize Venezuela’s oil, a nationalized oil, but also an effort to restore US hegemony over Latin America, which the US continues to regard as its backyard,” activists from Potere al Popolo Turin said on the day.
“But Latin America does not bow to US imperialist ambitions,” they added. “It resists, as shown by the massive crowds in Caracas, where the Venezuelan people are not celebrating, as our subservient media would have us believe, but are instead fighting loudly for the release of President Maduro and the primera combatiente.”
“We are here to say it once again: hands off Venezuela,” Collot said. “Today we are facing a paradox in which Trump not only allows himself to kidnap President Maduro, but also threatens half the world, from socialist Cuba to Iran, Colombia, and even Greenland.”
“All of this must end,” she concluded. “We need to reverse course and focus on policies that genuinely support workers and peoples, promote solidarity, and oppose the war-driven agenda that is pushing us toward the brink of World War III.”
Original article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
An EA-18G Growler launching from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indian Ocean on January 23, 2026. Photo: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy via AP
THE MIDDLE East remained on the knife edge of another horrific war today as a US warship docked off the coast of Israel in the morning, one of an “armada” Washington has deployed to threaten Iran.
Iranian officials said there were no planned meetings with US officials.
Israeli media reported today that the USS Delbert D Black, one of the US Navy’s most advanced destroyers, had docked in the southern port of Eilat.
The Israeli military told reporters that the ship’s arrival was “routine and pre-planned” and part of an ongoing co-operation with the US.
Earlier this week, one of the US’s 11 aircraft carriers, the USS Abraham Lincoln, was redirected from the South China Sea and entered Middle Eastern waters, according to news reports.
The USS Delbert D Black’s arrival to the region comes after US President Donald Trump warned Iran that a “massive armada” was heading its way.
Donald Trump explains why he established his Bored of PeaceOrcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
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Flags of Israel and Saudi Arabia
Defense and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia are visiting the US this week to discuss Iran amid a US military buildup in the region, Axios reported Thursday, citing sources.
Gen. Shlomi Binder, the head of Israel’s military intelligence, conducted a series of high-level consultations on Tuesday and Wednesday with top leadership at the Pentagon, the CIA, and the White House, according to two American officials.
The general’s visit was said to be centered on delivering specific intelligence requested by the Trump administration, including data on potential strike targets within Iran.
In contrast, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman is expected to emphasize diplomatic avenues during his Thursday and Friday meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Defense Department officials.
Saudi Arabia, who have been passing messages between Washington and Tehran, said earlier it would not allow the US to use its airspace in any attack.
The diplomatic friction occurs as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group arrives to finalize a naval “armada” that President Donald Trump recently claimed is “bigger than” the force previously deployed toward Venezuela.
“The directive at the moment is to prepare,” a US official noted, suggesting that the president is rapidly approaching a final decision regarding military action.
Neither sides has provided a public information regarding the ongoing meetings reported by the news outlet.
Trump has called on Iran to make a deal on its nuclear program before it is too late, warning that this time the attack would be “far worse.” The US had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 during Tehran’s 12-day war with Israel.
Iran says its civil nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the West argues it is developing a nuclear weapon. The US has also expressed concerns over Iran’s ballistic missile program.
The developments come amid recent unrest and protests in Iran over worsening economic conditions due to a sharp depreciation in the local currency.
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Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
NUMSA march to US consulate in solidarity with Venezuela. Photo: NUMSA
Marching to the US consulate in Johannesburg, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) protested against US aggression on Venezuela on January 24.
Demanding the release of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, South Africa’s largest trade union marched to the US consulate in Johannesburg on Saturday, January 24.
“In defending Venezuela, we defend the sovereignty of all nations,” concluded the memorandum read aloud outside the consulate by Irvin Jim, general secretary of the over 460,000 members-strong National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).
“It is Venezuela today … It will be South Africa tomorrow,” Jim warned in his address to the demonstration. US President Donald Trump, who has bombed parts of Nigeria after concocting a false story about a “Christian Genocide” in the country, has also been spinning tales about a “White Genocide” underway in South Africa.
“This is not a joke,” NUMSA warned in a statement. “Donald Trump can easily use the lie of a White genocide in South Africa to invade South Africa, capture South Africa’s president and transport him to a jail in the US, and declare that he is now in charge of our country and all its natural wealth, whilst controlling all trade and natural wealth … After the US criminal military invasion of Venezuela, it is foolish to ignore” this threat to South Africa.
“There is a madman in the White House. There is a fascist in the White House,” NUMSA’s president, Andrew Chirwa, said in his opening address to the demonstration. “Today, it is Venezuela that was attacked by this international criminal. Tomorrow it is” Cuba, Iran, Nigeria, South Africa. “All over the world this man” is baying “for blood.”
In parallel, the Trump administration is also attempting to strangle South Africa’s economy, threatening to exclude it from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides tariff-free access to the US market, on which the country’s automotive sector is heavily dependent.
“Our members and workers across various sectors are losing jobs” because “he has imposed 30% tariffs against South Africa,” Jim added in his speech.
Stressing the need for “an anti-imperialist front to mobilize the workers” across party and union affiliations, Jim said that NUMSA “will soon be convening a political colloquium”, inviting all progressive political parties. “It is about time to unite the working class … behind a revolutionary agenda,” as South Africa faces increasing US aggression.
South Africa punished for taking the genocidal state of Israel to the ICJ
South Africa, the union maintains, “is being punished by Trump for taking the genocidal state of Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).” Reaffirming that “this was the correct position … in defense of the people of Palestine,” NUMSA called on the South African government not to cave in to the pressure by Leo Brent Bozell III, Trump’s new ambassador to South Africa.
At his Senate confirmation hearing, he had stated that if appointed, “I would press South Africa to end proceedings against Israel,” and the ICJ itself to stop what he deemed a “lawfare” against Israel.
“If he continues to insult our national sovereignty … by demanding that South Africa must withdraw its case in the ICJ against Israel,” NUMSA insists, “the South African government must act swiftly, and ensure that he packs his bags and leaves the country.”
Demanding that the football governing body “cancel all World Cup matches in the US this year,” a copy of the memorandum was also sent to the FIFA President.
It further called on the African Union (AU) and the BRICS to urgently convene and formulate a coordinated and collective response to the US imperialist aggression.
“No country is safe from America’s greedy appetite”
Recalling the European leaders defending unipolarity under the cover of “rules-based order” at last year’s G20 summit in South Africa, the US had boycotted Alex Mashilo, spokesperson of the South African Communist Party (SACP) said in his address to the protest: “Little did they know that just after a few weeks, that unipolar power will turn against them and demand Greenland.”
Under “the mad Trump administration”, NUMSA emphasized in its statement, “no country is safe from America’s greedy appetite”.
The US is a danger to itself
The US has now even “become extremely dangerous to itself” and “its citizens”, with Trump “brutalizing the American people daily” using “his personal ‘Gestapo’ police commonly known as ICE.”
Expressing “solidarity with American citizens who are being brutalized by ICE,” NUMSA insisted, “This is a moment when all people of the world, including well-meaning US citizens and all South Africans, must unite” against imperialism.
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U.S. President Donald Trump (L), and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) sign the charter of the Board of Peace during the 56th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 22, 2026. [Turkish Foreign Ministry – Anadolu Agency]
The Turkish foreign minister said Friday that US President Donald Trump has the capacity to pressure Israel to halt its actions in the Gaza Strip, saying the US leader can act independently and exert real influence if he chooses, Anadolu reports.
Speaking during the “On the Record” program with journalist Hadley Gamble, Hakan Fidan said he believes Trump has the capacity to stop the fighting in Gaza, noting that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreements multiple times.
“We believe that President Trump is the only person who can really put pressure on Israel,” Fidan said.
“We think that Mr. Trump is independent of every objective of different lobbies, so he can really think independently, and he can really take action independently. So, if he wants, he has the capacity to put pressure on Israel and stop Israel’s wrong behavior.”
Asked about the possibility of Turkiye sending troops to Gaza, Fidan noted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement that Ankara is prepared to do everything within its means to contribute to the Gaza peace plan.
Fidan said Turkiye would be willing to take part in an international stabilization force in Gaza, but stressed that a deployment would depend on broader discussions and consensus within the international community.
‘Stability in Iran is important for all of us’
“I will advise my American friends: ‘Don’t make it,’” Fidan said when asked about the prospect of American intervention in Iran.
“Because they are already putting a lot of pressure on Iran. The sanctions are really hurting the Iranian economy. That’s why the people are protesting,” he added.
He pointed out that Iran is open to negotiations but warned that if Tehran feels cornered, it could prepare for a worst-case scenario.
“If there is only one sincere intention, which is solving the problem, I believe that there is an opportunity.”
Emphasizing that Iran is a major neighboring country, so what’s happening there affects a wide region, he said, “So, stability in Iran is important for all of us.”
Fidan said Ankara believes dialogue, not force, is the only viable path to resolving disputes between Iran and the international community. “Dialogue is the only way to sort out the problems.”
“The public dissent and protest and demonstrations in Iran — I think the regime and the government are receiving necessary messages. But because of their own problems with the international system, financially and otherwise, it’s not easy for the government to deliver the economic means to their own population.”
He said Iran needs to make a change in its foreign and security policies to “really obtain certain opportunities,” but stressed that he does not believe developments in or around Iran would lead to regime change.
Regional outlook
Asked about broader regional developments, Fidan said he sees reasons for cautious optimism, particularly in Syria, and expressed hope that the ceasefire in Gaza would continue.
He said developments in Syria demonstrate that regional countries, the US and the international community have, for the first time, come together quickly on a Middle East issue and have begun taking concrete steps.
“I think that tells something,” Fidan said. “If we can repeat this on other problems in our region or globe, we can really make quick achievements.”
“But our region will never be the same,” he said, adding that Turkiye’s hope and work is “about to make it better compared to the past.”
Fidan said Ankara is seeking to play a constructive role wherever possible and stressed that it is vital for regional problems to be addressed by regional countries. He said this approach aligns with “Trump’s overall policy methodology,” noting that the US does not want to act as the “global police of the global order.”
Addressing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Fidan said Turkiye believes regional unity is essential and it is unfortunate to see two close partners drifting apart.
“But we believe that they will come around because they are brothers and sisters and they are old friends. And I think in due course, they will sort out their own problems because they are experienced leaderships, both the UAE and the Saudis.”
Turkiye’s EU membership
Fidan said that Turkiye’s EU membership will not happen as long as the bloc maintains an identity-based political mindset toward Turkiye.
Noting that the EU prioritizes Turkiye’s different religion and civilization, which prevents progress, Fidan stated that the bloc has failed to become trans-civilizational by becoming a supranational institution.
Pointing out that Germany and France supported Ankara’s EU bid until 2007, he rejected claims that Turkiye’s membership would strengthen far-right movements, stressing that, regardless, the movements rose.
He stated that Europe would have been stronger and Brexit might not have happened if Turkiye had been an EU member.
On European security, Fidan said the EU has long relied on US protection and is now searching for its own security architecture, adding conflicting interests among global powers often put Turkiye in a difficult position, which could have been avoided through unity.
While economic ties between Ankara and the EU are strong, he noted that security cooperation remains insufficient.
Trump administration makes major correction towards Turkiye
Criticizing the US policy during former President Barack Obama’s term of cooperating with the PKK terror group to fight ISIS (Daesh), Fidan said the plan was supposed to be temporary but has continued for more than a decade.
He added that Trump is now making a major correction to the policy.
Emphasizing Turkiye’s NATO membership, Fidan said a NATO ally cannot support a terror organization hostile to another NATO country and welcomed the change.
Turkiye supports equal constitutional citizenship for all Syrians
Noting that international reports wrongly portray the YPG/SDF terror group as the sole representative of Syrian Kurds, he pointed out that the PKK terror organization has forced more than 12 political parties into exile.
He said Syrian Kurds want to live as equal and dignified citizens of Syria, noting that many were denied citizenship under Bashar al-Assad.
Fidan added that while Assad rejected that demand, the current Syrian leadership is trying to correct the mistake.
Stating that Turkiye supports equal constitutional citizenship for all Syrians, Fidan said everyone should be able to live with their own identity and religion within a unified state.
On regional relations, Fidan said countries now favor dialogue over confrontation.
He stressed that differences can be set aside to focus on shared interests, calling it a mature approach to statecraft.
Cooperation on issues such as Gaza and Syria, he added, shows growing regional goodwill, especially between Turkiye and Arab countries.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
An EA-18G Growler launching from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indian Ocean on January 23, 2026. Photo: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy via AP
