Last night, a suicide attack was organised against police forces in Bandar Lenge city of Hormuzgan province in southern Iran. The police intelligence commander was killed in the attack. Ansar Al-Furqan, a Sunni Baluch armed group active in the Baluchistan region of Iran, claimed responsibility for the incident.

A soldier of the Military Operations Command summarizes the point of view of the new government of Syria:

"You want to worship God or the Devil, it's not our business, we can talk about that on a cup of tea, you convince me, I convince you, whatever. As for the State, it must govern for all to live in it"

Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 from Bangkok crashed at Muan International Airport, South Korea, killing 179 of 181 onboard.

The aircraft veered off the runway, struck a wall, and burst into flames.

Preliminary reports point to a technical failure or bird strike as the cause.

Mahdi Khanalizadeh, Press TV Director on Iranian state TV:

“We should ally with the U.S. against Syrian revolutionaries, as we did in Iraq by supporting the SDF/PKK/YPG against Turkey.”

According to Palestinian medical sources, a fifth infant has died in the Gaza Strip due to cold and low temperatures. Infants are dying in tents due to Israel's blocking of humanitarian access.

Hackers targeted around ten official websites in Italy on Saturday, including the websites of the Foreign Ministry and Milan’s two airports, putting them out of action temporarily, the country’s cybersecurity agency said.

The pro-Russian hacker group Noname057(16) claimed the cyberattack on Telegram, saying Italy’s “Russophobes get a well-deserved cyber response.”

A spokesperson for Italy’s cybersecurity agency said it was plausible that the so-called “Distributed Denial of Service” (DDoS) attack could be linked to the pro-Russian group.

Syrian Leader Ahmad al-Sharaa:

Liberating Syria secures regional and Gulf stability for 50 years.

Elections require a full census and may take four years.

Constitution drafting will span three years for a lasting framework.

Source: Levant24

Syrian Leader Ahmad al-Sharaa:

Negotiations with SDF (PKK/YPG) militias continue to resolve the northern Syria crisis.

Syrian Defense Ministry will integrate Kurdish forces.

Kurdish people are an inseparable part of Syria.

Syria will not become a base for PKK attacks, and there will be no division or federation in Syria.

Syrian Foreign Minister:

We will work to stand by women's issues and support their full rights.

We believe in the active role of Syrian women in society and trust their capabilities and skills.

NEW: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev express disappointment over Russia’s initial claims that the plane crash was caused by a gas cylinder explosion:

“This clearly shows an attempt to cover up the issue, which does not reflect well on anyone.”

“It is evident that our plane was hit accidentally, not as part of any deliberate act of terrorism. Acknowledging responsibility, apologizing to Azerbaijan, and informing the public were necessary steps. Unfortunately, in the first three days, we only heard absurd claims from Russia.”

President Aliyev outlined Azerbaijan’s demands to Russia, officially conveyed on December 27:

1. An official apology from Russia to Azerbaijan.
2. Admission of guilt.
3. Accountability and prosecution of those responsible.
4. Compensation to the Azerbaijani state, as well as the passengers and crew affected.

A barrel bomb plant was found in a mountainous area north of Damascus, leftover from the Assad regime.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov:

There is no doubt that the change that occurred in Syria will lead to certain adjustments regarding the Russian military presence in Syria.

Syria is a sovereign state and has the right to enter into or terminate agreements with foreign partners.

Putin and Aliyev had a telephone conversation and continued discussing issues related to the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, the Kremlin announced.

Russia’s Medvedev:

United States does not need to annex Canada, Greenland or Britain. Trump and Musk could just buy these lands, making them their private properties.

South Korean authorities have confirmed the death of 179 people in the plane crash.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov:

Russia won't accept Trump's proposal to delay Ukraine's membership in NATO for 20 years or the presence of peacekeepers in Ukraine.

17 people were killed and several others were injured in an attack, believed to be Israeli, targeting the Adra area in the Damascus countryside.

Poland is ready to help Ukraine if Slovakia cuts off electricity over a gas dispute.

Polish assurances come amid an escalating row over the future of gas transit through Ukraine. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico made the threat two days ago, when he said Slovakia would stop supplying electricity that Ukraine urgently needs during network outages, if necessary.

Source: Bloomberg

Poland aims to complete the building of a border wall and seal off its border with Belarus by next summer, in order to stop an influx of migrants.

The additional infrastructure works along its 400 km eastern border that the government of Donald Tusk announced earlier this year are on track to be completed by the summer of 2025.

Poland started building a border wall in late 2021, when the Belarusian President Lukashenko first facilitated the arrival of thousands of migrants to enter Poland and neighbouring Baltic states.

Source: Financial Times