🏴‍☠️ 🇺🇸 🚢 The BELLA 1 oil tanker has REFUSED to be boarded by the U.S. Coast Guard, who is now in “active pursuit” of the vessel. - Christiaan Triebert

The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday tried to intercept an oil tanker linked to Venezuela that is now fleeing in the Caribbean Sea, according to three U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation, days after President Trump said he would crack down on sanctioned vessels involved in the country’s oil trade.

The tanker, called the Bella 1, was en route to pick up oil in Venezuela and was not carrying cargo, according to one of the officials and ship-tracking data. The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions since last year for transporting Iranian oil, which federal authorities say is sold to finance terrorism.

When U.S. forces approached the Bella 1 late on Saturday, it was not flying a valid national flag, the officials said, making it a stateless vessel liable to be boarded at sea under international law.

American authorities had obtained a seizure warrant from a federal magistrate judge, which would allow them to take possession of the ship, two of the officials said. The warrant had been sought because of the Bella 1’s previous involvement in the Iranian oil trade, not because of its links to Venezuela.

But the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued sailing, one of the officials said. A second official referred to the situation as “an active pursuit.” The Coast Guard had successfully boarded another tanker earlier on Saturday, and the United States had taken possession of a third tanker on Dec. 10 that is now at port in Texas.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/us/politics/us-coast-guard-venezuela-oil-tankers.html

🇺🇸 JD Vance: “You don’t have to apologize for being White anymore.”

📎 AF Post

🇺🇸 🇵🇦 🇨🇳 "Because the Centuries is not under U.S. sanctions, a U.S. official told The Washington Post, the Coast Guard relied on a maritime law called “right of visit,” which allows a warship to board and inspect a vessel it suspects is engaging in illicit activity. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that were not yet public.

The U.S. got permission from the government of Panama to board the vessel, the official said."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/20/venezuela-boats-coast-guard/

👮‍♂️ 🇮🇹 🚭 Italian police arrest 384, seize 1.5 tons of drugs in nationwide crackdown

Italian police said on Saturday they had arrested 384 people and seized 1.4 tonnes (1.54 tons) of drugs in a large-scale operation against drug trafficking.

In addition to the arrests, officers had put under investigation 655 individuals, including 39 minors, and confiscated 35 kilograms of cocaine and more than 40 firearms, police said in a statement.

The operation, concluded on Friday in several provinces, led to the temporary closure of five cannabis shops in three cities after 312 inspections.

During the checks, the police said they had seized 296 kilograms of cannabis products, which initial tests had shown to be illegal drugs.

Italy in June approved a security decree banning so-called “legal” cannabis and outlawing the trade of “cannabis light,” or hemp, which unlike marijuana has no psychoactive effects.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/20/europe/italian-police-arrests-drugs-intl

🇸🇴 Al Shabaab has increased the scale of its attacks on Somali federal government (SFG) facilities in Mogadishu in December amid rising tensions between the SFG and opposition over electoral reforms.

The group carried out suicide bombings on two separate military bases in Mogadishu on December 10, which were part of at least seven total al Shabaab attacks on SFG facilities from December 10 to 13.

Growing tensions over upcoming federal elections in 2026 could create additional security gaps and high-publicity targets for al Shabaab to exploit.

Al Shabaab has previously increased activity in Mogadishu amid political tension, including elections, and has already threatened to target election sites as the SFG has rolled out a contentious new direct election system for Mogadishu’s municipal elections in late December 2025.

Al Shabaab has consolidated support zones outside of Mogadishu in the Middle Shabelle region and the Afgoi corridor despite earlier SFG and African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) gains in the lower Shabelle River valley in 2025.

📎 Critical Threats

🇸🇾⚡- Large SNA convoys are leaving the cities of Azaz and Mare' towards Aleppo, where fighting is ongoing between the SNA and SDF.

🇹🇷🇸🇾⚡- The high-level Turkish delegation has arrived in Damascus, Syria.

The delegation includes Foreign Minister Fidan, Defense Minister Guler, and MiT Chief Kalin.

🇸🇾⚡- Ongoing clashes between the Syrian government forces and the SDF in Aleppo. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

🇸🇾 Security Situation Deteriorates in Northern Aleppo Amid Clashes Between Syrian Army and SDF

The security situation in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo has sharply deteriorated in recent days, as sporadic clashes erupted between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in several strategic neighborhoods, raising concerns over civilian safety.

Field reports indicate that intermittent fighting has taken place around the Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, where Syrian army units clashed with SDF elements. At the same time, SDF snipers have been deployed near the Sheihan Roundabout, disrupting movement and targeting security forces, according to Syrian media sources.

The escalation follows an announcement by Aleppo’s Internal Security Forces, which reported that a joint checkpoint with the General Security Forces at the Sheihan Roundabout came under attack, injuring two personnel. While internal security officials blamed armed opposition groups for the incident, official Syrian media outlets and field reports pointed to direct confrontations between the Syrian army and the SDF.

Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya are predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods controlled by the SDF and lie adjacent to areas under Syrian government authority. The Shihan roundabout serves as a critical junction between these zones, making it a frequent flashpoint for tensions.

Syrian Democratic Forces: "Two members of the Internal Security Forces – Aleppo were injured after an attack carried out by factions affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Damascus Government on a checkpoint at the Sheihan Roundabout in Aleppo. This represents a clear continuation of an uncontrolled escalation that threatens the city’s security and civilians’ lives, and exposes the Damascus Government’s inability to control its factions."

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/882913/security-situation-deteriorates-in-northern-aleppo-amid-clashes-between-syrian-army-and-sdf

📢 🇨🇳 🇺🇸 China Says US Seizure of Ships ‘Serious Violation’ of International Law

China’s foreign ministry on Monday said the United States’ seizure of another country’s ships was a serious violation of international law, after the U.S. intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

Venezuela has the right to develop relations with other countries, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily press briefing, adding that China opposes all “unilateral and illegal” sanctions.

On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a second oil tanker in international waters off the Venezuelan coast, days after President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

The tanker, Centuries, loaded in Venezuela under the false name “Crag” and was carrying some 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil bound for China, documents showed.

The crude was bought by Satau Tijana Oil Trading, one of many intermediaries involved in Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA’s sales to Chinese independent refiners, the documents showed.

A White House spokesperson said the “falsely flagged vessel” carried sanctioned oil and was part of Venezuela’s shadow fleet.

The Venezuelan government called the tanker interception a “serious act of international piracy.”

China is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude, which accounts for roughly 4% of its imports.

https://gcaptain.com/china-says-us-seizure-of-ships-serious-violation-of-international-law/

🇺🇸 🇬🇱 🇩🇰 Angering Denmark, Trump Appoints Special Envoy to Greenland

President Trump, who has long said he wants to “get” the semiautonomous Danish territory, tapped Louisiana’s governor for the new position. Officials in Greenland and Denmark expressed outrage.

Mr. Trump announced on social media on Sunday that he was appointing Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana, a political ally, to the position. Denmark’s foreign minister quickly criticized the move as “totally unacceptable” and said he would summon the American ambassador in Copenhagen for an explanation.

It appeared to be the first time the United States had appointed a special envoy to Greenland. That gives the territory — a gigantic frozen island inhabited by fewer than 60,000 people — something in common with the war in Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East, and a handful of other issues; Mr. Trump has tapped someone close to him to manage all of these as priorities.

Mr. Landry quickly made it clear that he understood what Mr. Trump wanted from him, writing on X: “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.”

In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump wrote that “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security.”

“You cannot annex other countries,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark and Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Greenland said in a joint statement on Monday. “Not even by invoking international security. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the United States must not take over Greenland.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/world/europe/trump-special-envoy-greenland-denmark-landry.html

📢 🇹🇷 🇸🇾 Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after talks in Damascus that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) did not appear to have any intention to advance a process for the group to integrate into Syria's state structures.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani, Fidan said it was important for the group to stop being an obstacle to Syria's unity, adding coordination between the SDF and Israel was posing an obstacle to implementing the integration agreement.

📎 Guy Elster

📢 🇸🇾 Director of Media at the Aleppo Governorate:

The Syrian state’s decision to preserve the unity of Syrian territory is irreversible. Restricting weapons to the hands of the state is a demand of the entire Syrian people.

There are forces within the SDF that reject the idea of a unified Syria. We are witnessing displacement in the city of Aleppo due to indiscriminate SDF attacks targeting civilians.

Source: Al Jazeera

📎 Levant24

🇨🇾🇬🇷🇮🇱⚡- "Against the backdrop of tensions with Turkey: Netanyahu with the leaders of Cyprus, Christodoulides, and Greece, Mitsotakis – Israel's new regional alliance," - Israel Hayom.

🇮🇱 🇬🇷 🇨🇾 In move to deter Turkey, Israel explores creation of rapid-response force with Greece, Cyprus

🇹🇷 The initiative is part of a broader effort to deter Turkey’s military and strategic activities in the eastern Mediterranean.

Senior officials from Israel, Greece, and Cyprus are discussing the possibility of establishing a rapid-response force composed of units from the armed forces of the three countries, three people familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post.

It is intended to strengthen strategic military cooperation among the three countries amid rising regional tensions. The force would not be a permanent standing unit but one that could be deployed quickly in times of crisis on land, at sea, or in the air.

🇸🇾 Ankara is seeking to turn Syria into a Turkish satellite state, including the deployment of air-defense systems aimed at aircraft and missiles in Syrian territory.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-880714

🇮🇱 🇬🇷 🇨🇾 The planned "Xenophon" Rapid Response Force is about to shift the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

📎 Alexandros Itimoudis