Xi Jinping's New Year address:

People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can break our blood ties, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification.

NEW: Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met top SDF officials in Damascus Monday, according to AFP report.

French President Macron:

Europe can no longer delegate its security to other powers, War in Ukraine and developments in the Middle East call for European awakening.

Happy New Year!

NEW: Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara announced that French forces will withdraw from his country.

Ouattara said in his address to the nation that the modernisation of the army had achieved positive results.

"In this context, we have decided to withdraw French forces in a coordinated and organised manner," he said.

Ukraine’s Budanov hints at GUR’s involvement in the fall of Assad’s regime in Syria:

“Everyone contributed. The Turks played their part, and maybe we were nearby as well.”

“How did it happen? Well, it just happened, what more can I say?”

Russia has officially stopped gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine with the beginning of the new year.

Syrians celebrated the New Year without the Assad regime for the first time in 54 years.

Yemen's Houthis claim to have shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper UAV over Yemen.

This is the 14th Reaper downed over Yemen, each Reaper UAV costs about 32 million dollars.

NEW: Gaza ceasefire agreement deadlocked

Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel have stalled and an agreement is not expected to be reached before Biden's term ends. Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire while Israel rejects it.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that Israel will continue its military operations in Gaza after the ceasefire agreement. Hamas, on the other hand, maintains its position on a permanent ceasefire.

Nearly 46 thousand civilians lost their lives in Israel's attacks on Gaza. 110,000 civilians were injured. The destruction in Gaza is massive. 73.9% of the houses in central Gaza, 49.1% in Deir el-Balah, 54.5% in Khan Younis and 46.3% in Rafah were destroyed. 1.2B USD is needed for rubble clearance alone.

British Special forces troops face prosecution over alleged war crimes in Syria

Nine special forces troops face potential prosecution over alleged war crimes related to at least two incidents in Syria, according to figures that Ministry of Defence officials tried to keep secret.

Two years ago, a controversial incident unfolded when elite soldiers were accused of using excessive force during an operation. Senior officers claimed the suspect should have been arrested instead of killed. While a primed suicide vest was found nearby, the man was not wearing it at the time of his death.

NEW: A senior commander of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) led by Abdelwahid al-Nur has defected to form a new faction aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Major-General Salah Mustafa Abdelrahim Abdelshafi, known as Salah Jok, announced the formation of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army—Call of the Homeland (SLM/A-CH) on December 28. He pledged to fight alongside the SAF to remove mercenaries and their allies, the RSF.