Iran War Started : People Winning, 100%, Ayatollah 0%

 Nadene Goldfoot                                 

•                                                                              
  
                                             Tousi of Tousi.tv on youtube

     News has come from only one source for us, Tousi.tv in England, a young Iranian man living there.

    The Iranian War has started, and almost finished

The people took the cities of Tehran and two other large cities.  The pictures were of night with bonfires lighting up.  The Ayatollah is in hiding, calling in his Arab friends to help him out, but Israelis are already there helping the young civilian Iranians .  

Trump must have had this all planned.  What a surprise.  He has the armada still waiting for his messages.  I saw the old flag hoisted with the lion in the middle.  The people were singing Iranian freedom songs.  The word I've heard was that the Ayatollah got even more horrible, killing women and children.  It' could be 40,000 were slaughtered by this evil regime.  

• Background: Born in Iran, he came to the UK as a child with his mother, a political refugee, and is dedicated to promoting values like free markets, free speech, and British culture. 
• He has shown pictures with the sound of the streets of Tehran taking over the capital and two other cities. 
•  Israel has been there helping, but I don't know anything about it yet.
• "Tousi TV" likely refers to Mahyar Tousi, a prominent Iranian-British political commentator, YouTuber, and media figure known for his conservative/classical liberal views and advocacy for free speech, who has appeared on various shows and runs his own platforms, though there isn't a dedicated "Tousi TV" Wikipedia page, but rather a page for the individual, Mahyad Tousi, detailing his work. 
  • Media Presence:
     He's a well-known political YouTuber and commentator, often appearing on shows like 
    Tonight Live with Dan Wootton
    , 
    Mark Steyn
    , and 
    Farage
    , and hosts his own content
    .
  Content Focus: His work centers on political commentary from a conservative perspective, often featuring debates and critiques of mainstream narratives. 

  Key Information & Related Links:

  • Mahyad Tousi Wikipedia Page: Provides a broader overview of his film/TV production work and personal details.
  • Battle of Ideas Profile: Highlights his political mission and values.
  • IMDb Page: Lists his appearances in TV series and podcasts as a commentator/self. 
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Connection Between Assyria and Syria

 Nadene Goldfoot                                       

Is there any connection between Assyria and Syria? 

Yes, there is a direct historical and etymological connection between Assyria and Syria. "Syria" is a shortened, Greek-derived form of "Assyria". While the ancient Assyrian Empire was centered in modern-day Iraq, it ruled over the area of modern Syria, leading to a blending of names that continues today. Etymological Origin: The name "Syria" is a 9th-century BCE Indo-European corruption/shortening of "Assyria". Archaeological findings, such as the 8th-century BC Çineköy inscription, confirm that the Luwian term Su-ra/i (Syria) was used to refer to Aššur (Assyria).                             

Assyrians were Semites and established an aggressive kingdom in the 20th century BCE.  They expanded in the 13th and 10th centuries.  Kings David and Solomon had success against the Aramean states in Mesopotamia and Syria helping Assyrian's success. Manassah of Judah was exiled to Assyria in 652 as a result of complicity in a plot against Ashurbanipal (669-626 BCE). After this time, Assyria declined rapidly and was succeed by Babylon.      

• Geographical Overlap: Ancient Assyria primarily covered northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, and northeastern Syria. Over time, the name "Syria" was applied to a broader region, including the area previously known as Aramea.                                                                                     

A well-known king of Assyria was Ashurnasirpal.  Here he is on a lion hunt on horseback.  (Ezek. 28:14)

• Historical Shifts: After the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Greek and later Roman rulers used "Syria" for the region, which was, at times, administratively distinct from the Assyrian heartland.

                                                            

• Syria's first King was Prince Faisal of Hejaz who was proclaimed King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria by the Syrian National Congress on March 8, 1920. Following the San Remo Conference, French forces invaded, defeated Faisal's troops at the Battle of Maysalun, and expelled him in July 1920.  He was subsequently crowned King of Iraq on August 23, 1921, reigning until his death on September 8, 1933. 
• Modern Day: Modern Syria is an Arab republic formed in the 20th century,   which is distinct from the ancient Assyrian civilization. The projected population of Syria in 2025 is approximately 25.6 million people, according to estimates from the Worldometer and the United Nations Population Fund. This represents a growth from 2024, with a median age of around 23.3 years. 
  
                                     Assyrian Christian baptism in Syria
• However, the indigenous Assyrian people still reside in parts of modern Syria, Iraq, and Turkey.   Indigenous Assyrians in Syria are an ancient Aramaic-speaking, Christian ethno-religious minority native to Upper Mesopotamia, primarily residing in the Al-Hasakah Governorate. Numbering roughly 400,000–877,000 before the Syrian Civil War, they are descendants of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. Today, they are facing significant displacement, threats from extremist groups, and demographic decline.   They are concentrated in the northeast, particularly along the Khabur River, and in cities like Qamishli, Al-Hasakah, and Tell Tamer. Hasakah, and Tell Tamer. They are recognized as a distinct indigenous group, sharing heritage with Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Arameans.
• 
             President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982)
• Today's President of Syria, 44 years old is a "former " terrorist known to many Syrians still practicing his old habits of terrorizing and leading a war against the Kurds and Israelis.  Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, now using his real name of Ahmed al Sharaa-being he is President,  is a Syrian who fought for Al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq and founded Jabhat al-Nusra, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria. He later broke with Al Qaeda and ISIS. He led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group that opposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United States had designated him a terrorist. Now, US President Trump trusts and loves  him.  Al-Sharaa was appointed as president by the Syrian General Command on 8 January 2025 during the transitional period at the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference.  Citizens are once again leaving Damascus.  

Resource:

 The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrians_in_Syria#:~:text=Assyrians%20in%20Syria%20(Syriac:%20%DC%A3%DC%98%DC%AA%CC%88%DC%9D%DC%9D%DC%90,Mesopotamia%20at%20the%20Euphrates%20River.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sharaa%2C+President+of+Syria&sca_esv=50e270cee628dfd9&sxsrf=ANbL-n6m05omhzkccQPN45FQCfaAjwUEwQ%3A1769660674099&source=hp&ei=

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_I#:~:text=Faisal%20bin%20Hussein%20bin%20Ali,of%20Iraq%20under%20British%20administration.

  

US Ships In Mediterranean Ready To Act

Nadene Goldfoot                                             

As of late January 2026, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) carrier strike group has entered the Middle East, operating within reach of Iran to address escalating tensions. Concurrently, the USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) is deployed in the region, and other U.S. naval assets, including additional carriers, have been reported in the Mediterranean and broader area. 

President Donald Trump said that the US has a "big armada"near Iran, so Tehran's leadership now want to make a deal.

• "Iranian authorities continue to warn of serious ramifications in case of US military strikes,"  They are continuing to arrest citizens of Iran participating in the protests.  At the same time, they have created an internet blackout so that these young people cannot communicate with each other.  They can't watch TV, either.  

• "Reports indicate a significant, multi-carrier, and destroyer presence, including the USS McFaul and USS Mitscher, in the region, say Stars and Stripes and Ynetnews.
• Regional Presence: Alongside carrier groups, the U.S. maintains a persistent presence of destroyers (such as the USS Forrest Sherman and USS Truxtun) in the Red Sea and Mediterranean for missile defense and deterrence.
• Context: These movements are part of a surge in military assets to the Middle East, with roughly 30,000 troops and numerous warships stationed in the region to counter threats, including those from Iran. 
This deployment is highly fluid, with ships frequently moving between the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf. 

• Yemen Rebels Threaten Attack as US Aircraft Carrier Heads Toward Iran | Associated Press 

  Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels threatened new attacks on ships traveling through the Red Sea corridor, likely trying to back Iran as it worried Monday about an approaching U.S. aircraft carrier after President Donald Trump threatened military action over its crackdown on nationwide protests. 

• Context: This buildup is a response to intense, direct warnings from the Trump administration to the Iranian regime." 

Iran Protest Death Toll Could Top 30,000, According to Local Health Officials | Time 

As many as 30,000 people could have been killed in the streets of Iran on Jan. 8 and 9 alone, two senior officials of the country’s Ministry of Health told TIME—indicating a dramatic surge in the death toll. So many people were slaughtered by Iranian security services on that Thursday and Friday, it overwhelmed the state’s capacity to dispose of the dead. Stocks of body bags were exhausted, the officials said, and eighteen-wheel semi-trailers replaced ambulances.                           

As of late January 2026, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is reportedly in hiding, having moved to a heavily fortified underground bunker in Tehran. He relocated to this secure facility in the Lavizan area of northeastern Tehran following fears of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes amid intense protests and regional conflict. Location: He is believed to be in a secure site linked by tunnels, possibly in the Lavizan area or another, undisclosed fortified bunker in Tehran. He is reportedly still in control but operating from a hidden location, managing the regime with close family members, including his son, Mojtaba

.  

Contingency Plans: Reports suggest a "Plan B" exists, with potential plans to flee to Moscow if necessary. 

As of January 2026, there is no deal between Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Donald Trump. Instead, tensions have escalated, with Trump urging negotiations to prevent the total destruction of Iran's nuclear capabilities while Khamenei has rejected these offers, calling them arrogant pressure. The situation remains hostile, with Iran warning against U.S. actions against its leadership. 

• Failed Negotiations: Trump sent a letter in early 2025 seeking negotiations, which was rejected by the Ayatollah.
• Heightened Rhetoric: Khamenei has accused Trump of having "stained" hands and of inciting protests.
• Military Tension: Trump has stated he knows the location of the Iranian leader and has urged a "deal" to avoid further escalation, following Iranian retaliation against Israel.
• Fatwa: Reports indicated an Iranian grand ayatollah issued a fatwa against Trump in June 2025. 

 

Resource:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/1/27/live-us-iran-ratchet-up-rhetoric-as-big-armada-forms-in-the-middle-east

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/26/aircraft-carrier-iran-trump-navy/

https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/news/iran-protest-death-toll-could-top-30000-according-to-local-health-officials

Could Jews From Holocaust Era Enter Syria?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

                                                 Jewish family in Damascus 1901

I have a friend whose mother lived on Jew Street in Damascus, Syria with her family.  She parents were Cohens, a Jeweler.   Could they have been immigrants? Could this be their family? The family was Halabi.    

No, it was generally not possible for Jewish refugees from Holocaust Germany to legally enter Syria during that period. Syria was under French Mandate authority at the time, and its immigration policies, much like those of many other nations and the British Mandate in neighboring Palestine, were highly restrictive toward Jewish refugees. 

During the 1930s and 1940s:

• Widespread Restrictions: Most countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, significantly restricted Jewish immigration due to a combination of antisemitism, economic depression, isolationist policies, and national security concerns. The British, who controlled the Palestine Mandate, severely limited Jewish entry there as well, particularly after the 1939 White Paper, making it nearly impossible for many to find safe haven.
• Syria Under Mandate: Syria was under French control until 1946. There is no evidence of a specific policy by the French Mandate authorities to accept Jewish refugees from Germany. In fact, within Syria itself, there were periods of heightened anti-Jewish sentiment and violence in the late 1930s and early 1940s, leading many local Syrian Jews to seek escape to Palestine.
• Illegal Escape Routes: Some European Jews attempted to escape via the Balkans and Turkey toward Palestine, often through clandestine operations, but this was a difficult and dangerous process, not a legal immigration channel into Syria.
• Post-Independence: After Syria gained independence, the situation for its Jewish population deteriorated further, with the government explicitly banning Jewish emigration to Palestine and imposing harsh penalties for those who attempted to leave illegally. 
In essence, during the Holocaust, the overwhelming majority of countries closed their doors to Jewish refugees, and Syria was no exception to this global pattern of indifference and restrictive policies. 

                                        Aleppo Syria Jewish wedding in 1904
  1492 When Columbus (a hidden Jew (anusim) sailed the ocean blue

The history of the Jews in Syria goes back to ancient times. They were joined by Sephardim who fled after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal in 1492 CE. There were large Jewish communities in Aleppo, Damascus, and Qamishli for centuries. In the early 20th century, a large percentage of Syrian Jews immigrated to British Mandate-Palestine (Israel), the U.S. and Latin America.  

However, following the Syrian Civil War, some of the remaining Jews of Syria left the country. In 2022, it was alleged that only four Jews remain in Damascus. As of April 4 2025, there are approximately six remaining Jews in Damascus.

• Sephardic Haven: Following the 1492 expulsion from Spain, many Sephardic Jews settled in Aleppo, enriching its intellectual and commercial life. 

The community, known as Halabi (from Aleppo), maintained a strong, distinct, and influential presence until most left following anti-Jewish riots in 1947. 

                                 



Model of the Central Synagogue of Aleppo in The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot:  Is it still there in 2026?  

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Syria