Smoke is rising, reportedly from the Kamal Adwan hospital.

German President Steinmeier has dissolved parliament at the request of Chancellor Scholz. Federal elections are planned for February 2025.

A Ukrainian source reported that Russian forces advanced from Ukrainka, and reached the village of Yasenove from the north and east.

A Ukrainian source reported that Russian forces have advanced in Western Donetsk Oblast and captured half of Novojelyzavetivka.

Russian forces are also reportedly attacking towards Nadiivka from the northeast.

Russian forces appear to be continuing to rush through the fields towards Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. There is basically nothing in their way as Selydove was the last major town before they reached the border with Dnipropetrovsk.

The question is, will they continue their rapid advance, or will they slow down to consolidate and not over-extend themselves. I'm more inclined to believe the latter given the previous patterns I've observed in the Russian army. Nevertheless, I expect that Donetsk Oblast will be cut in two within 4-6 weeks.

Scenes from reportedly outside the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza which is currently being stormed and burned by the Israeli army.

Slovakia has purchased an Israeli Barak MX air defence system for 560 million Euros. This is the largest ever defence export deal between the two countries.

This air defence system is designed to deal with a variety of Aeriel targets, including ballistic missiles, at short, medium and long range. It also supports various types of radars and launches for coverage against combat aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, ground-to-air missiles, and ground-to-ground missiles.

The Barak MRAD short-range interceptor has a range of up to 35 km. The Barak LRAD medium range interceptor has a range of up to 70 km. And the long-range Barak ER interceptor has a range of up to 150 kilometers.

Saudi Arabia has announced a $500 Million economic support package to the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, Yemen.

It consists of a $300 million deposit in the Central Bank of Yemen "to improve the economic and financial situation", and $200 million to "deal with the Yemeni Budget deficit" out of a total pledge of $1.2 billion.

The Saudi government stated that it reflects "the Kingdom's commitment to helping the Yemeni people achieve stability and development."

They also said that the financial support "seeks to help set the basis for economic, financial, and monetary stability in the Republic of Yemen, strengthen this country’s public finances, enhance the capacity of government institutions, and improve governance and transparency."

A new photo has been released showing Finnish special forces boarding the Russian "Eagle S" oil tanker, which is suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 undersea power cable.

Robin Lardot, director of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, previously stated that "from our side we are investigating grave sabotage," but that according to their understanding, "an anchor has caused the damage."

The Finnish customs service said it had seized the vessel's cargo and that the ship was believed to belong to Russia's shadow fleet of tankers that aim to evade sanctions on the sale of Russian oil.

A spokesperson for the U.S. national Security Council previously said that they are "coordinating closely with our allies and stand ready to support their investigations."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that "We are following investigations by Estonia and Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support".

Following the Ukrainian government announcing that Ukraine will cease to allow Russian gas to flow across its territory from January 1, 2025, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that Slovakia is considering halting back-up electricity supplies to Ukraine if the Ukrainian government goes through with this.

Alternative routes would reportedly "sharply" drive up costs and could cost the European Union an estimated 120 billion Euros in 2025-2026 from both the gas and electricity production from the fuel.

This shows a continuation in tensions between Ukraine and Slovakia, which began when Fico took power just over a year ago. Previously he stopped military aid to Ukraine and warmed relations with Russia.

Another factor that has contributed to tensions between the two nations was Fico meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, making him the third EU leader to do so since the outbreak of war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

BREAKING:

Unconfirmed reports state that the Taliban has launched a military operation into Pakistan as retaliation for airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani Air Force against Southeastern Afghanistan on Christmas Eve.

Initial reports state that Taliban forces have captured two Pakistani Military Outposts while causing significant casualties among Pakistani forces.

Taliban channels are suggesting that this is the beginning of the major conflict with Pakistan.

These are very early reports and there is a lot of fog surrounding the situation here. I will do my best to update you guys as information surfaces.

The reports have been confirmed by the Taliban.

Approximate vectors of attack according to sources that informed the Al-Mirsaad news agency.

There are unconfirmed reports that 19 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the clashes so far.

Reportedly a video showing a Pakistani airstrike on Taliban soldiers. This could be old, however.

Well that's convenient, isn't it?

Unconfirmed reports of a large explosion near the Indian Embassy and Ministry of Interior Building in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Reportedly a photo of a Taliban military post struck by Pakistani artillery. 3 Taliban soldiers were apparently killed.

Geolocated footage indicates that Russian forces have advanced in Toretsk.

After recapturing the Toretsk Central Market, Russian forces went on to advance into the residential area to the northwest. They were able to advance up the highway and take up new positions in the houses there.

+ ~0.12km² in favour of Russia.