Ecuador President Noboa orders the army to neutralize criminal gangs that took hostages in different cities of the country.

Ecuador Police released footage showing the operation to take back control of State TV newsroom.

Footage of inmates rioting in an Ecuador prison taking their guards hostage.

Intense clashes reported now reported from the Guayaquil, Ecuador.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un says "it's time to define South Korea as the most hostile state".

Cartel continues to kill hostages in Ecuador.

Ecuadorian Prison guard was hanged.

2024 Ecuadorian Civil War is now a thing in Wikipedia.

CENTCOM says Iranian-backed Houthis launched a complex attack of Iranian designed kamikaze UAVs, anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea.

- 18 kamikaze UAVs
- 2 anti-ship cruise missiles and
- 1 anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by a combined effort of F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Mason (DDG 87), and the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34).

This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. There were no injuries or damage reported.

On Jan. 3, 14 countries, including the U.S, issued a joint statement stating, "The Houthis will bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."

A legless and abandoned Russian soldier somewhere near Avdiivka.

Argentina has announced its readiness to send security forces to Ecuador to help restore order amid the unrest.

Buenos Aires called what was happening a problem for the entire continent.

Peru also ordered immediate deployment of special police forces on the border with Ecuador.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited large weapons production plants.

He praised the enterprises for their implementation of the plan to equip missile formations with new types of weapons and equipment.

TELs everywhere...

Newly obtained satellite imagery & ground photos of the aftermath of last week’s crash of a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

It appears that the bomber impacted the ground just before the runway threshold.

Iraqi officials privately signal they want US forces to stay, Politico reports.

Iraq’s prime minister privately told American officials he wants to negotiate keeping U.S. forces in the country despite his recent announcement that he would begin the process of removing them from the country.

IDF demolishes area near the beach in Gaza.

UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps says HMS DIAMOND, along with US warships, has repelled "the largest attack" by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date.

Iranian air defence systems reported to have intercepted several objects near Iranian port of Chabahar today.

The missiles were reportedly launched from both the sea and east side of the city.

Reports claim it could be exercise.

France’s Le Monde: Türkiye is a tough competitor for French military industry

"French industry is threatened by new competitors," French daily Le Monde reports.

France is losing ground to South Korea, Türkiye and Israel in arms exports.

Pointing to the projects carried out by Ankara, it was emphasized that "Türkiye is a formidable competitor of the French military-industrial complex."

Le Monde notes that France is lagging enormously behind in UAVs while Türkiye has a full range of them.

Operational use of German-supplied Ukrainian IRIS-T SLM air defence system.

The firing range of the missile from a vertical launcher reaches 40 km, manufactured by the German company Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG.

This is what it looks like to be targeted by cluster munition.

Recorded by Russian soldier.

Royal Navy warship Daring-class air-defence guided missile destroyer HMS Diamond shot down 7 kamikaze UAVs launched by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea on Tuesday night.

German Army Rapid Response Division (DSK) and Japanese paratroopers during recent joint exercises in Japan.