Israel attacked Sanaa airport while the UN’s top humanitarian official in Yemen was waiting to depart, and a civilian Airbus 320 with hundreds aboard was on the ground.

UN officials reported that the control tower was targeted as a Yemenia Airlines plane taxied after landing.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Julien Harneis were in the airport waiting room during the strikes.

Chad ends military cooperation with France and strengthens ties with Türkiye, giving France until January 31 to withdraw its troops.

This shift highlights France’s declining influence in Africa, while Türkiye continues to expand its presence, providing Chad with military training and defense technology.

Since 2003, Türkiye has opened 44 embassies across Africa, making cooperation with the continent a strategic priority in its foreign policy.

Greek media express significant concerns about the widening technological and industrial gap between Türkiye and Greece, particularly in defense production.

Militaire on Turkish capability:

“Türkiye not only advanced its KAAN fighter program but is also in talks with Saudi Arabia to sell 100 jets. This was unthinkable years ago, particularly for skeptics in Greece.”

Ekfrasi on Greek deficiencies:

“While Türkiye produces 5th-generation KAAN jets, we can’t even produce a screw.”

The U.S. has supplied Ukraine with up to 500 ATACMS missiles, but only about 10% (~50 units) remain.

While effective, the missiles didn’t shift the course of the war or cause the feared escalation.

U.S. and NATO officials urge Ukraine to use the remaining missiles more selectively and carefully when targeting.

Source: NYT

New Syrian government set up a checkpoint on the road leading to the Hmeimim Air Base.

Source: Levant 24

IRGC Commander:

“The resistance remains strong, as Yemenis shine in defending Palestine and Gaza.”

Israel's 'Operation Grim Beeper', using booby-trapped beepers to target Hezbollah militants, raised serious concerns among Western intelligence officials.

Many expressed discomfort at the indiscriminate nature of the operation and questioned its legality and morality, particularly given the civilian casualties involved.

There was also debate about the vulnerability of global supply chains and how such tactics could be replicated by other groups or nations, given the scale of the attack and the method of sabotage - jamming everyday communications devices.

Some former officials described the attack as a form of terrorism, while others saw it as a bold but necessary action to help secure Israel.

It was debated whether Western intelligence would approve such an operation, with many expressing concern that it set a dangerous precedent.

Source: Financial Times

Russian sapper accidentally blows up himself as his comrade films.

Russian Kh-101 cruise missiles striking Ukraine's Dnipro power plant on December 25.

Ukrainian air defenses attempted last-chance fire, while countermeasures from the Kh-101’s L-504 systems are visible.

Several Assad militia remnants and suspects were arrested in Sitmarkho, Latakia with weapons and ammunition seized.

Syrian military operations forces and Interior Ministry sweeps continue in the area.

Israeli report reveals years of covert communications between Israel and Bashar al-Assad’s regime, mediated by Russia, to weaken Syria’s ties with Iran and Hezbollah.

In 2019, a planned meeting between Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen and Assad at the Kremlin, facilitated by Putin, was canceled last minute by Assad for unclear reasons.

Using the alias “Musa,” an IDF intelligence unit warned Syrian officials, including Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas, about cooperating with Hezbollah and Iranian arms shipments.

• “Cooperation with Hezbollah harms the Syrian army and its people, and you will pay the price,” one message read.

• Another accused Syria of using Russia’s Khmeimim airbase to transfer weapons to Hezbollah.

Israel proposed easing international sanctions on Assad in exchange for reducing Iran’s influence, but U.S. approval, hindered by congressional opposition, was required.

Source: TOI

Syrian citizen tried to flatter Syrian Leader Ahmad al-Sharaa with a poem.

al-Sharaa didn't allow him to continue and walked away.

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was detained by Iranian authorities on December 19, 2024, while reporting in Tehran.

Sala, working for Il Foglio and Chora Media, entered Iran with a valid journalist visa.

Scheduled to return on December 20, she failed to board her flight and is reportedly in solitary confinement at Evin Prison, known for holding political prisoners.

First in Ukraine: Ukrainian FPV drone shooting down Russian drones with a shotgun!

YPG/PKK/SDF terror group’s ringleader Ferhat Abdi Sahin, code-named "Mazlum Abdi":

We will ask Russia to mediate reconciliation with Türkiye.

If this request is not met, we are prepared to defend ourselves and our people in every region after four years of preparation.