January 4, 2020 (Saturday)
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, 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike
- Militants fire rockets at Iraqi bases supporting U.S. personnel, nearly hitting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. (Financial Times)
- U.S. president Donald Trump vows to target 52 sites significant to Iranians and Iranian culture if Iran "strikes any Americans or American assets." (Politico) (Al Jazeera)
- Anti-war protests organized by Act Now to Stop War and End Racism and Code Pink break out in cities across the United States following the killing of Qasem Soleimani. Demonstrations are also held in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada. (Axios) (The New York Times)
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- A roadside bomb strikes a bus in Toeni Department of Burkina Faso, killing fourteen people, including students on their way to school. (BBC News)
- Second Libyan Civil War
- An airstrike at a military academy in Tripoli, Libya, kills at least 28 cadets and injures dozens more, according to the Government of National Accord. The BBC cites reports saying the attack could be attributed to the Libyan National Army. (BBC News)
Arts and culture
- Tens of thousands of mourners, among them Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, attend a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, for those killed in a United States airstrike—among them Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force and at least five others. The bodies are then brought to Karbala and Najaf, where Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the other Iraqis killed are to be buried. (CNN International) (Reuters)
Business and economy
- The Nicolás Maduro government announces that Venezuela will sell some of its oil and gold to fund its petro cryptocurrency. (Yahoo! Finance)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019–20 Australian bushfire season
- Two people are confirmed dead from bushfires on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. (News)
- New records for the highest recorded temperature are set in Greater Sydney (48.9 °C (120.0 °F) at Penrith) and Canberra (44 °C (111 °F)). (The Guardian)
- Four people are killed when a Mooney M20 plane crashes shortly after takeoff near the island of Lifou, New Caledonia. (Radio New Zealand)
- A plane crashes near Santa Clarita, California, killing the pilot. (CNN)