NEW: Italy has released Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini from prison, following the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from Tehran in a deal with Donald Trump.

Abedini, wanted by the US for allegedly exporting drone navigation systems to Iran, was released in Milan after Sala returned to her country.

Several days passed between Iran's release of Sala and Abedini's, with Italy trying to avoid the appearance of a direct prisoner swap.

Source: WSJ

An Israeli security delegation, including Mossad head David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, arrived in Qatar for talks on a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. This comes as Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. push for a resolution before Donald Trump's inauguration. Efforts aim to free 98 remaining hostages and halt the ongoing fighting.

Israeli and Palestinian officials have said since Thursday that some progress has been made in the indirect talks between Israel and militant group Hamas but did not elaborate. The sides have been keeping a tight lid on the details being worked out.

Source: Reuters

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

Türkiye is ready to take control of ISIS camps in northeastern Syria.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) claims around 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and 2,700 wounded while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

According to South Korean lawmakers, some soldiers were reportedly ordered to commit suicide rather than be captured by Ukrainian forces.

Syrian Leader Ahmad al-Shaara:

Our priority now must be to implement a state-oriented approach.

A revolutionary mindset cannot build a state. Revolution is reactive; it may help topple a regime but cannot construct a state. Thus, while revolution is something we take pride in and celebrate, it is now over.

We cannot carry the revolutionary mindset into the state-building process. Imagine trying to build a state with organizations alone—would it work?

That’s why the country needs institutions, a president, an executive government, a parliament, and strategic plans.

Former U.S. diplomat Hala Rharrit reveals she documented images from Gaza for the State Department, showing “U.S. bomb fragments near massacres, mostly of children.”

"U.S. support for the war in Gaza has put a target on America's back.

The scale of human suffering... is something we just can’t really grapple with."

Sources told 60 Minutes that Israel likely used multiple 2,000-pound U.S.-made bombs in an airstrike that killed over 100 people, including 81 women and children, according to Airwars.

Israel claimed the target was a "Hamas tunnel".

Trump’s VP, J.D. Vance, clarified the implications of Trump’s threat to “unleash hell in the Middle East” if Gaza hostages are not freed before he takes office:

1. Allowing Israel to eliminate Hamas’s remaining two brigades in central Gaza and its leadership.

2. Imposing severe sanctions on nations supporting terrorist organizations in the Middle East.

Vance added that Trump’s threat helps advance negotiations, potentially leading to an agreement within a day or two before he takes office.

Israel is investing millions of dollars to build more heavy weapons domestically over growing concerns about its dependence on arms imports from the United States and other Western countries — even as the flow of arms from those countries continues mostly unabated.

But experts say that Israel’s reliance on the one country it turns to most for weapons — the United States — would be hard to shake, especially as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.

In a sign of its burgeoning domestic ambition, Israel’s Defense Ministry said last week that it had signed deals worth about $275 million to produce heavy bombs and raw materials for defense, a major addition to the country’s already sizable arms industry.

Source: Washington Post

As it prepares for more tensions with Israel and the US under Trump presidency, the Iranian military has received 1,000 new drones.

According to Iranian media, the drones have been deployed to various locations in Iran and are said to have high stealth and anti-armour capabilities.

Game changer capabilty: Turkish ANKA III UCAV successfully launched ASELSAN TOLUN munition from its internal weapons bay at 20,000 feet and 180 knots.

This marks the first time a munition has been launched from an internal bay by a Turkish aircraft.

Efforts continue to enable ANKA III to deploy up to 8 TOLUN munitions in a single sortie.

FBI Director Christopher Wray says China’s cyber program has stolen more U.S. personal and corporate data than all other nations combined.

"You have the biggest hacking program in the world by far, bigger than every other major nation combined."

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he plans to “liberate” Puerto Rico from U.S. influence, declaring that “Puerto Rico’s freedom is pending.”