BREAKING: Secretary-General of Iraq’s Hezbollah Brigades calls for preparing for a “comprehensive war” backing Iran.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the EU:

Until 2007, two major European countries — France and Germany — had the political will to see Türkiye become a member of the European Union, provided that Türkiye met the EU’s conditions and standards.

But when Nicolas Sarkozy came to power in France, he changed this approach.

He adopted identity politics and said, “We are Christian Europe,” and therefore he did not want Türkiye to become part of the European Union.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the EU:

If Türkiye had been part of the European Union, we would not have seen Brexit, and Europe would have been much more resilient in the face of today’s challenges.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the EU:

If the United Kingdom had been a member of the European Union and Türkiye had been a member of the European Union, we would have created our own center of gravity.

Instead, now we are looking at different superpowers — either America, China, or Russia — and we are drifting toward them.

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Zohran Mamdani is actively on the ground assisting people during the snowstorm.

Talabani authorities in northern Iraq arrested four Kurdish religious scholars in Sulaymaniyah for refusing to support the PKK’s separatist project in Syria.

NEW: Syrian Army Operations Command says SDF/YPG violated the ceasefire near Ayn al-Arab, attacking army positions with over 25 FPV suicide drones, destroying 4 vehicles.

They also shelled the M4 road and nearby villages, injuring civilians.

Syrian Army says it is considering military responses.

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BIG: Yemen's Houthis released a new video warning they could resume attacks on ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea.

Syrian Foreign Ministry official denies any deal with Israel, saying Syria will not give up territory:

We didn’t agree with Israel to hand over any inch of Syrian land… we will recover every inch of Syria.

But you can check with the foreign official in the Autonomous Administration who appeals to the Israeli enemy to intervene to solve the problem of the PKK organization.

They are looking for the Israeli enemy to be the savior of the PKK organization in Syria.

I speak on behalf of Syria. This is not true. Don't repeat the question.

Until now, no agreement has been reached with the Israeli enemy.

BIG: German investment in the U.S. fell about 45% in Trump’s first year back in office, as companies were spooked by tariffs, trade uncertainty, and a weaker dollar.

German exports to the U.S. also dropped sharply, marking their biggest decline since 2010.

Source: IW

LATEST: Map shows the scale of the U.S. military buildup around Iran.

Fighter jets, tankers, AWACS, and carrier air wings positioned across Europe and the Middle East.

Source: DefenceGeek (at X)

Former U.S. Syria Envoy James Jeffrey rejected SDF/YPG claims of “betrayal,” saying the U.S. never promised to defend or back a Kurdish state.

He said the partnership was always temporary and tactical, only to fight ISIS:

We never said we would support a Kurdish region.

We told them our relationship was temporary and based on defeating ISIS.

BREAKING: Israel says it agreed under Trump’s 20-point plan to partially open the Rafah crossing for people only, under full Israeli supervision, but only after all living hostages are returned and Hamas makes a “100% effort” to recover the bodies of the dead.

Israel says the IDF is now conducting a focused operation to gather intelligence on the remains of hostage Ran Gvili, and Rafah will open once that effort is completed.

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U.S. CENTCOM Air Forces source to Al Jazeera:

We will conduct several days of exercises to strengthen the deployment and sustainment of our capabilities in the region.

The exercises aim to prepare for a flexible response in the region.

Russia's Medvedev:

Nothing more reliable than nuclear weapons has been invented to protect sovereignty.

The existence of nuclear weapons “clears the minds” of people with dangerous intentions.

Russia's Medvedev:

A Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s residence could have triggered a response involving special weapons.

Trump told WSJ his administration is “reviewing everything” about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis but declined to say whether the officer acted appropriately.

He criticized Pretti for carrying a gun at a protest and suggested immigration agents would eventually leave the area, without giving a timeline.