Thousands of Assad regime soldiers fled to Iraq and sought refuge after the fall of the former regime.

Flights from Istanbul Airport to Damascus will reportedly begin again in the coming days for the first time in 13 years.

Sudanese Army released a new video after attacking Rapid Support Forces positions in Omdurman, Khartoum State.

One of the soldiers can be seen with an Iran-made Saegheh-2 Tandem anti-tank missile.

Syrian Revolutionary Leader Ahmad al-Sharaa:

Syria is not Afghanistan and never will be.

HTS must be removed from the list of terrorist organizations.

Belgium’s Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder says Ukraine will not receive F-16 fighter jets from Belgium this year due to "lack of trained pilots and spare parts."

Belgium has committed to providing 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Trump’s envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellog, on Russian General Kirillov’s assassination in Moscow by Ukraine:

“There are rules of war. This wasn’t smart— not a good idea at all.”

Trump’s envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellog:

Russian losses are five times higher than Ukraine’s.

They're using human wave attacks like North Koreans with huge casualties. This is historically how they fight.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

With all due to respect to our Iranian friends, we’ve had this discussion with them maybe for thousands of times.

Their presence in Syria didn’t prevent a big genocide in Gaza.

Lights on: Christmas tree lighting tonight in Homs, Syria.

NEW: Israel carried out air strikes on Houthi-controlled Sana'a, Hodeidah and Ras Isa Port with a large number of aircraft. Following the Israeli attacks, a fire broke out in Haziz power plant in South Sana'a.

NEW: France would host an international meeting on Syria in January, and the lifting of sanctions and reconstruction aid would be conditional on clear political and security commitments by the transitional authority.

Acting Foreign Minister Jan-Noel Barrot told parliament that the diplomats had seen positive signals from the transitional authority and that in the capital, at least, Syrians appeared to be resuming their normal life without being impeded.

A team of French diplomats met an official from the Syrian transition team on Tuesday in Damascus and raised the flag over the French embassy there 12 years after cutting ties with Syria's Bashar al-Assad amid the country's civil war.

NEW: US alarmed Russia is close to accepting nuclear-armed North Korea

As Moscow and Pyongyang defended their growing cooperation, the United States expressed alarm at the United Nations Security Council that Russia was close to accepting a nuclear-armed North Korea.

"Alarmingly, we assess that Russia may be close to accepting North Korea's nuclear-weapons program, reversing Moscow's decades-long commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula," said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in September that Moscow considered the notion of North Korea's "denuclearisation" to be a closed issue. "We understand Pyongyang's logic in relying on nuclear weapons as the basis of its defence," he said.

- Reuters

NEW: Britain pledges new $286m defence package for Ukraine

Britain said on Thursday it would send an additional £225 million ($286 million) of military equipment to Ukraine to help it in its war against Russia.

The package includes:

- 92M to boost Ukraine's navy with new boats, drones, and minesweepers.

- 68M for air defence equipment.

- 26M for spare parts and support for delivered systems.

- $39 million for over 1,000 counter-drone systems and protective equipment for Ukraine.

- Reuters

In total, five Houthi targets across Yemen were hit with dozens of munitions by Israel.

Additionally, 8 tugboats in Yemeni ports were targeted to block tanker and cargo ship access, effectively disabling Houthi ports until replacements arrive.

10 people were killed.

Energy crisis in Iran: The lights went out during a live TV show.

NEW: UN Security Council told of North Korean missiles used by Russia in Ukraine

Researchers told the UN Security Council that North Korea could produce and supply ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine within months. Jonah Leff of Conflict Armament Research reported finding remnants of four North Korean missiles in Ukraine, including one produced in 2024, recovered in July and August.

“This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years,” Leff told the council.

- Al Jazeera