Executive Summary

It's Monday, January 26th. At least 26 people died and over 80 were wounded in armed conflicts, terrorist attacks, and political violence across six theaters on January 25, 2026. Mexico suffered the deadliest single incident when cartel gunmen opened fire on a soccer field gathering in Salamanca, Guanajuato, killing 11 and wounding 12. Russia launched its largest combined aerial assault in weeks, deploying 396 weapons against Ukrainian cities and leaving 1.2 million properties without power amid sub-zero temperatures. Israeli forces killed 5 across Gaza and southern Lebanon in continued ceasefire violations. A suicide bomber struck a wedding in northwest Pakistan, killing 7 and wounding 25. Myanmar held the final phase of junta-organized elections across conflict zones.

Israeli strikes kill 5 across Gaza and southern Lebanon

Israeli forces killed at least 5 people across Gaza and southern Lebanon on January 25, representing continued violations of internationally-brokered ceasefires in both theaters. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli gunfire and drone strikes killed 2-3 Palestinians and wounded at least 4 others in multiple incidents across eastern Gaza City. In the Tuffah neighborhood, Israeli forces opened fire on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians, killing 2 people. A separate Israeli drone strike targeted the rooftop of a multi-floor building near Al-Wehda Street, wounding 4 civilians on the street below. Israeli forces also conducted operations near Jabalia refugee camp, where heavy fire from military vehicles prevented medical teams from reaching casualties.

Since the October 2025 ceasefire took effect, Israeli attacks have killed 481+ Palestinians and wounded 1,321 in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Israeli officials have characterized operations as targeting Hamas infrastructure and personnel, while humanitarian organizations have documented patterns of attacks on civilian areas.

Lebanon strikes claim 2 lives amid ceasefire breakdown

Israeli airstrikes killed 2 people in southern Lebanon on January 25. A warehouse strike in Khirbet Selm, Bint Jbeil district, killed 1 person and injured 1 other. Israeli officials claimed without providing evidence that the facility was a Hezbollah weapons manufacturing site. A separate vehicle strike in Derdghaya killed Mohammed al-Hussayni, identified by Lebanese authorities as a schoolteacher. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has documented over 10,000 ceasefire violations since the November 2024 US-brokered truce, including 7,500 Israeli airspace violations and 2,500 ground incursions.

US military buildup toward Persian Gulf intensifies

A US aircraft carrier strike group was heading toward the Persian Gulf on January 25 as President Trump stated the United States has a big force going towards Iran. Multiple international carriers including Air France, KLM, and British Airways suspended flights to Middle East hubs amid rising regional tensions. The military positioning followed weeks of escalating rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, though no hostile action occurred on January 25.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, BBC News, The National (UAE), UNIFIL, Palestinian Health Ministry

Russia deploys 396 weapons in massive aerial assault

Russia launched one of its largest combined aerial attacks of the war on the night of January 24-25, deploying 375 attack drones and 21 missiles including 2 rarely-used Tsirkon ballistic missiles against Ukrainian cities. The assault killed 1 person in Kyiv and wounded at least 34 others across Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Chernihiv regions. The attack left 1.2 million properties without power amid sub-zero temperatures, with Kyiv's Troyeshchyna district hardest hit as 600 buildings lost power, water, and heating simultaneously.

In Kyiv, 800,000+ households lost electricity and 3,200 buildings lost heating as temperatures plunged to minus 10 degrees Celsius. A medical facility was damaged in the capital. The overnight assault struck at least four Ukrainian regions in the north and east, with multiple waves of drones and missiles arriving between midnight and dawn on January 25.

Kharkiv bears heaviest toll with maternity hospital struck

Kharkiv absorbed the highest casualty count with 30+ wounded including 1 child after approximately 25 drones struck the city on January 25. A maternity hospital and a dormitory housing displaced persons were among the civilian structures hit. In Chernihiv Region, 400,000 households lost power from the attacks. Across Ukraine, critical infrastructure including energy facilities suffered damage in what Ukrainian officials described as a deliberate strategy to break civilian morale through winter power deprivation.

Ukraine strikes Belgorod in counterattack

Ukrainian forces struck Belgorod, Russia in what Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov called the most massive shelling of the town. Energy infrastructure including a booster pumping station was damaged, though no casualties were reported. Ukrainian General Staff recorded 119 combat clashes along the frontline on January 25, with the heaviest fighting concentrated in the Pokrovsk sector where 42 Russian attacks were repelled. Ukrainian estimates placed Russian casualties at approximately 1,020 killed or wounded for the 24-hour period, though these figures could not be independently verified.

Sources: Ukrainian General Staff, Ukrinform, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, BBC News

Cartel gunmen kill 11 at soccer field in Guanajuato

Gunmen opened fire on a social gathering at a soccer field in Salamanca, Guanajuato, killing 11 people and wounding 12 including 1 woman and 1 minor. The attack occurred in the Loma de Flores community on Sunday evening as a soccer match concluded. Multiple armed attackers arrived and opened fire on the crowd with automatic weapons. Ten victims died at the scene while one succumbed to injuries at the hospital.

While no group claimed responsibility, the massacre reflects ongoing territorial warfare between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang. Guanajuato recorded Mexico's highest homicide count in 2025 with over 3,000 murders, driven by violent competition for control of fuel theft operations and drug trafficking corridors. Salamanca Mayor César Prieto condemned the attack as regrettable and cowardly, appealing to President Claudia Sheinbaum for federal security reinforcement. Prieto stated there are criminal groups trying to subjugate authorities, something they are not going to achieve.

84 ELN combatants surrender in Colombia operation

Colombian security forces accepted the surrender of 84 National Liberation Army combatants in the Catatumbo region as part of Operation Catatumbo. Among those surrendering were 20 child soldiers who were rescued and placed in protective custody. Security forces seized 86+ firearms, 80 mortar shells, 300 anti-personnel mines, and 20,327 rounds of ammunition during the operation. The surrenders followed ELN attacks since January 16 that killed over 100 people and displaced thousands in the region, marking a breakdown of peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the armed group.

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, ABC News, RNZ, El Financiero, Colombian Ministry of Defense

No significant conflict developments, military operations, terrorist attacks, or security incidents were documented in the Sub-Saharan Africa theater on January 25, 2026. The absence of immediate events during this reporting period reflects normal variance in daily conflict cycles rather than resolution of underlying security challenges affecting this region.

Multiple active conflict zones continued operations across the theater, including Sudan's civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, counter-terrorism efforts against Al-Shabaab in Somalia, M23 occupation of Goma in Democratic Republic of Congo, and ongoing jihadist insurgencies across the Sahel region. However, specific violent events could not be conclusively verified as occurring on January 25 versus being reported on this date. The International Criminal Court stated on January 20 that war crimes were committed during the prolonged RSF siege of El Fasher, Sudan, reflecting broader patterns of violence in active theaters.

Myanmar holds final election phase amid civil war

Myanmar conducted the third and final phase of military junta-organized elections on January 25 across 61 townships in six regions and three states, including conflict zones in Kachin State covering Bhamo, Mansi, Momauk, Hpakant, and Shwegu townships. However, approximately 67 townships representing roughly 20 percent of the country could not hold elections due to active armed conflict with resistance forces. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party secured an overwhelming victory, winning 193 of 209 lower house seats available in this final phase.

Voter turnout was approximately 55 percent, down from 70 percent recorded in the 2020 election that the military later nullified. Armed groups opposing the junta conducted attacks during earlier voting phases throughout December 2025 and January 2026, killing at least 2 administrative officials. Junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing dismissed international criticism of the election process, stating the military would proceed with forming a new government regardless of external pressure.

Since the February 2021 military coup, approximately 90,000 people have been killed and 3.5+ million displaced according to international monitoring organizations. Active armed resistance continues from the Kachin Independence Army, Karen National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, and numerous People's Defense Forces operating across the country. The election was widely rejected by opposition groups and international observers as illegitimate, with major opposition parties banned from participating and the National League for Democracy dissolved by military decree.

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, ABC News, PressTV, The Herald (South Africa), Wikipedia

Suicide bomber strikes wedding in northwest Pakistan

A suicide bomber killed 7 people and wounded 25 others at a wedding ceremony in Dera Ismail Khan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The attack occurred on January 24 at the residence of Noor Alam Mehsud, head of the local Aman peace committee. Guests were dancing to traditional drums when the blast detonated, causing the building's roof to collapse and complicating rescue operations. Mehsud was injured in the attack. Reports indicate Wahidullah Mehsud, head of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa peace committee, was among the dead.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is the primary suspect given the group's history of targeting peace committee members as traitors for collaborating with Pakistani security forces. Pakistani security sources later identified the bomber as an Afghan national named Abdul Rehman. The attack exemplified TTP's ongoing campaign against tribal leaders and government-aligned community figures in the region.

Military deadline for Tirah Valley evacuation passes

January 25 marked the Pakistani Army's deadline for civilian evacuation of Tirah Valley, home to approximately 150,000 people, ahead of a planned major counter-terrorism operation against TTP strongholds. Approximately 80,000 residents had evacuated to Peshawar by the deadline. The military operation aims to clear TTP militants from their mountain bases in the strategically important valley, which has served as a key insurgent sanctuary. Pakistan recorded 3,387 combat-related deaths in 2025, representing a 73 percent increase from 2024, according to government statistics.

Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera, ABC News, WVNS TV, Local 10, ClickOnDetroit, Prokerala, Pakistani military sources

No cyberattacks on critical infrastructure were confirmed as occurring specifically on January 25, 2026. The absence of immediate events during this reporting period reflects normal variance in daily incident cycles rather than resolution of underlying cyber threat challenges affecting global infrastructure.

The January 2026 threat environment remained elevated with significant incidents throughout the month. Russian Sandworm unit deployed DynoWiper malware against Polish energy infrastructure on December 29-30, reported January 14, targeting combined heat-and-power plants, solar farms, and renewable energy systems. Polish officials stated 500,000 people would have lost heating if the attack had succeeded. Belgium's AZ Monica Hospital in Antwerp transferred 7 critical patients and cancelled 70+ surgeries after a January 13 ransomware attack forced server shutdowns. Russia maintained permanent GPS jamming operations from Kaliningrad affecting civil aviation and maritime navigation across the Baltic region, with flights to Estonia's Tartu Airport suspended due to navigation interference.