Iran has executed a 19-year-old wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi, in a public hanging alongside two others in Qom, according to reports from state media and human rights groups. The executions, carried out in front of a crowd, mark a significant escalation in Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late 2025. Authorities accused the men of killing two policemen during unrest, but rights organizations claim the confessions were extracted under torture and the trials lacked due process.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a carefully crafted Christmas Eve message portraying Israel as the safest place for Christians in the Middle East. The polished address highlighted religious freedom and growing Christian communities, but events on the ground in Jerusalem tell a more complicated story.