January 3, 2020 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021), Aftermath of the Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad, Assassination of Qasem Soleimani
- Popular Mobilization Forces spokesman Ahmed Al Asadi confirms the death of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike, blaming Israel and the United States. (The Economic Times)
- United States officials say "strikes have been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad". (Reuters)
- In response to the death of Qasem Soleimani, U.S. President Donald Trump tweets an image of an American flag. He later defends the airstrike, claiming Soleimani "was both hated and feared" in Iran and "should have been taken out many years ago." (The Hill) (NBC News)
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says Soleimani and Muhandis were "martyred" in an attack by U.S. helicopters. Anonymous security sources cited by AFP say the attack killed at least eight people. The Iraqi military says three rockets hit the airport and two cars exploded. (New Straits Times)
- The secretary of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohsen Rezaee, tweets that "vigorous revenge against America" will be pursued following the assassination of Soleimani. Iranian state television cuts all broadcasts, replacing them with prayers for Soleimani. (Reuters) (The Raw Story)
- Brigadier-General Esmail Ghaani is appointed as the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, replacing Qassem Soleimani. (Newsweek)
- The Supreme Leader of Iran Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declares three days of national mourning in Iran. (Tehran Times)
- The United States sends over 3,000 more US soldiers to the Middle East as tensions with Iran heighten. (NBC News)
- Homeland security warns of potential attacks from Iranian backed militias or any other potential threat. Police been put on high alert due to such threats. (CNN)
- 2020 Taji road airstrike
- An airstrike hits a Popular Mobilization Forces convoy near camp Taji, destroying two vehicles, killing six militia members and critically injuring three others, according to an Iraqi Army source. (Reuters)
- Boko Haram insurgency
- The death toll of an attack that occurred on 22 December 2019 rises from 14 to 50 after more bodies are found in Lake Chad. (BBC News)
- Communal conflicts in Nigeria
- Gunmen kill 19 in Kogi State of Nigeria. A church, a school and other buildings are torched. (Al Jazeera)
- A man stabs three people in Villejuif, Île-de-France, killing one person and wounding two others. The attacker is shot dead by police. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2020 Jakarta floods
- The death toll of the floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, that started two days ago rises to 43. (BBC News)
- A Harbin Y-12 light transport aircraft crashes near Haputale, Sri Lanka. All four people on board, members of the Sri Lanka Air Force, are killed. (Ada Derana)
Law and crime
- 2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis, Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- The Spanish Central Electoral Bureau ceases in the position of deputy to Quim Torra, and therefore, also that of President of the Generalitat of Catalonia in compliance with the non-definitive conviction of the Catalan High Court of Justice. At the same time, withdraws immunity as MEP to jailed Oriol Junqueras that recognized the European Court of Justice on 19 December 2019. (South China Morning Post)
- This decision prompts protests in Barcelona. Torra, in a special press conference after the meeting of Catalan cabinet, calls the decision "a coup d'état against Catalan institutions" while an extraordinary session of the Catalan Parliament is summoned for 4 January. (Yahoo! News)