Day 835 - Iranian uprising appears crushed. How many were lost?
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 January 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
An Iranian official said this morning that authorities verified at least 5,000 people had been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 security personnel, since December 28. According to a Sunday Times report citing an account put together by a network of Iranian doctors, the toll is more than 16,500 dead -- most under 30 -- and at least 330,000 people injured. Berman delves into the conflicting reports and updates us on what US President Donald Trump said Saturday.
The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet on Saturday revealed the identities of several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives killed in strikes across the Gaza Strip earlier in the week, which Israel said were carried out in response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire in western Rafah when gunmen opened fire at troops. With both sides claiming ceasefire violations, Berman reviews what a ceasefire entails. We also learn how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to reports that the executive board for Trump’s Board of Peace includes senior officials from Qatar and Turkey.
Syria’s army took control of swathes of the country’s north over the weekend, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they had held effective autonomy for more than a decade. President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a “national language” and granting the minority group official recognition. All this comes before the president is meant to speak with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Tuesday, as Germany seeks to step up deportations of Syrians. Is this the start of a great return to Syria?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
In first, Trump appears to call for end of ‘sick man’ Khamenei’s rule in Iran
Deadly crackdown appears to have quashed Iran protests, residents say
Iranian doctors put death toll in suppressed uprising at over 16,500 — report
Hamas operative behind 1995 terror attack among those killed in Gaza strikes, says IDF
Netanyahu fumes at Gaza oversight panel makeup as Trump invites Erdogan to peace board
Syrian army extends hold over north, capturing areas held by Kurds for over a decade
Sharaa to meet with German chancellor as Berlin seeks to deport Syrian refugees
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IMAGE: A protester has her face painted to resemble bullet holes during a rally in support of the Iranian people in Rome, January 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:06.6 | Today is Sunday, January 18th, day 835 of the war. |
| 0:11.8 | I'm Amanda Borchelle Dan here with our diplomatic correspondent, Laser Bearman. |
| 0:16.9 | Laser, always a pleasure to see you, and I think you brought a prop today to the recording. |
| 0:21.2 | I did. Well, good morning. Chavua Tov. Go, Patz, sharing for you tonight. If you're from Houston, |
| 0:26.9 | then I don't want to hear from you. But we're going to the Super Bowl again this year. |
| 0:30.2 | Heard it here first. Fantastic. But seriously, we have a lot to discuss. |
| 0:35.4 | Yes, we do. |
| 0:36.2 | And Iranian official has said that the death toll of the protests that have been sparked throughout the country since December 28th could be as high as 5,000. |
| 0:48.6 | We're hearing other numbers, and Laser will clue us into what we know is going on on the ground right now. We'll also hear |
| 0:56.7 | what U.S. President Donald Trump has to say over the past several days over what's going on in |
| 1:01.8 | Iran. And even as a low boil of fighting continues in Gaza, a slew of names were appointed to the executive board of the Board of Peace. So we're |
| 1:14.9 | going to hear Israel's reaction to this and a few of the names as well. And then to finish off |
| 1:20.8 | with, we'll turn to Syria and see what's going on on Israel's northern border as the president |
| 1:26.9 | of Syria is set to take a trip to Germany this week. |
| 1:31.0 | So all of this and more when we're back. |
| 1:37.6 | This is Israel's story. |
| 1:41.0 | He could feel the ticking of the clock. |
| 1:43.7 | On their nightly debrief calls, General Segev, the military at Dishay, was sounding increasingly anxious. |
| 1:50.7 | Both men knew that with each passing day, the window of opportunity was closing. |
| 1:55.5 | The Shah's regime was crumbling, and El Al flights were having ever more trouble landing. |
| 1:59.9 | And then suddenly, Avramkotafonkel from Iran... |
... |
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