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Dozens of commercial ships have dropped anchor at a distance outside Iran's port limits in recent days, according to data and shipping sources, ‌as tensions with the US grow.Such movements were ‌precautionary given the ‍tensions amid ongoing protests in Iran, the shipping sources said. Port limits are significant ⁠because they run a higher ⁠risk of collateral damage in the event of air strikes on ‍nearby infrastructure. The US is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a US official said Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned its neighbours that it would hit American bases if Washington strikes Iran. The country relies on seaborne trade for imports using ‌dry bulkers, general cargo and container ships as well as oil tankers for oil exports. The number of tankers moving into Iran's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), ‍a stretch of water ⁠along its Gulf ‌and Caspian coasts that extends up to 24 miles and beyond local territorial limits of 12 nautical miles, jumped from 1 vessel to 36 tankers between January 6 and January 12, analysis by maritime intelligence solutions provider Pole Star Global shows. At least 25 bulk carriers were stationary in Iran's EEZ off the major port of Bandar Imam Khomeini, data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic showed. A further 25 ships including container and cargo ​vessels had dropped anchor further ‌south off the port of Bandar Abbas, MarineTraffic data showed.Israel launched air strikes in June ⁠2025 on targets ‍in Bandar Abbas, where at least 70 people were killed in unexplained blasts in April and authorities did not rule out sabotage. As Iran's leadership tries to put down the worst unrest the Islamic Republic has faced, Tehran is seeking to deter US President Donald Trump's ​repeated threats to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters. The level of interference with GNSS navigation systems, which included GPS, had increased to "substantial" in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz area over the past week, the US Navy's Combined Maritime Force said in a note on Monday. "This is highly likely due to force protection measures being taken in relation to the ongoing political ⁠tensions in the region. Vessels transiting this area could be impacted," the note said. Atleast 3,428 killed 'in crackdown on protesters' Iranian security forces have killed at least 3,428 protesters in a crackdown on demonstrations, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO said Wednesday, adding that more than 10,000 people had also been arrested, AFP reported from Paris. IHR said the jump in its verified toll was due to new information it received from within the Iranian health and education ministries, with at least 3,379 of the killings coming during the height of the protest movement from January 8 to 12. The group's director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam condemned the "mass killing of protesters on the streets in recent days", while IHR warned that even the new figure represented an "absolute minimum" for the actual toll. 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday that approximately 235,000 people in the Gaza Strip were affected by Storm Byron, which caused buildings to collapse and damage to tents between Dec. 10-17. In a post on its official X account, UNRW affirmed that months of war and displacement have forced people in Gaza to live among unstable rubble, temporary shelters or worn-out tents. It described Storm Byron, which struck the Gaza Strip on Dec. 10, as "a natural disaster, but its consequences were man-made," referring to the exacerbation of the damage due to widespread destruction and the lack of safe shelters following Israel's ongoing genocide. According to UNRWA, at least 17 buildings collapsed, and more than 42,000 tents or temporary shelters were completely or partially damaged, affecting at least 235,000 people," according to the Gaza Shelter Cluster, which includes UN agencies and NGOs. Since the onset of severe weather systems in Gaza earlier this month, 18 people, including four children, have died, and nearly 90 percent of the shelters housing displaced people whose homes were destroyed by Israel have been flooded.

The Israeli occupation army continued its heavy bombardment across various areas of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, resulting in multiple injuries and extensive damage to property, including the complete destruction of Al-Azhar University in Gaza City. Local sources reported that Israeli warplanes targeted displaced people's tents east of Asda neighborhood, north of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, causing injuries to several civilians. Israeli artillery also shelled gatherings of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid east of Wadi Gaza, in central Gaza, leading to multiple injuries. In Gaza City, Israeli warplanes carried out consecutive airstrikes on the neighborhoods of Sabra, Al-Jalaa, and Al-Thalathini. Meantime, residential buildings near the Tayaran intersection were targeted, resulting in injuries and widespread destruction to the targeted buildings and neighboring homes. Additionally, Israeli fighter jets struck Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, causing injuries and damage to residents' homes. Simultaneously, intense shelling targeted Al-Azhar University in Gaza City, completely destroying the facility amid the ongoing assault on civilian infrastructure and facilities across the Gaza Strip. The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has so far resulted in at least 67,074 Palestinians martyred, with over 169,430 others injured. Thousands of victims are feared trapped under rubble, inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams due to Israeli attacks.