December 19, 2024 (Thursday)

3.2 minutes to read

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein warns that ISIS cells in Syria have begun reorganizing and taking new land following the collapse of the Syrian Armed Forces and subsequent abandonment of weapons depots.

(Asharq News)

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Satellite imagery reveals that Russian forces are mobilizing heavy planes at Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia Governorate and are also mobilizing ships at Tartus naval base, indicating a potential withdrawal.

(BBC News)

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Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity of Libya, denounces the entry of Russian forces from Syria into the eastern part of Libya.

(The Libya Observer)

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Russian president Vladimir Putin says that Russia helped evacuate 4,000 Iranian fighters from Syria.

(Anadolu Agency)

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The Syrian Interim Government announces that they have begun preparing lists of people from the former regime who were involved in war crimes, torture, and murder.

(The Jerusalem Post)

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British defence secretary John Healey announces a proposal to send military advisors to train Ukrainian forces.

(BBC News)

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The United States Department of the Treasury announces sanctions on the governor of the Central Bank of Yemen in Sanaa, Yemen, and several Houthi officials and associated companies and vessels, accusing them of trafficking dual-use weapon components and Iranian petroleum to the Houthis.

(Al Jazeera), (JNS)

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A lawmaker is killed and another is injured in a shooting inside the Parliament in Sukhumi, Abkhazia. The perpetrator, identified as MP and former Sukhumi mayor Adgur Kharazia, flees the scene.

(Al Jazeera)

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Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of committing "acts of genocide" in Gaza by damaging water supply infrastructure and depriving civilians of clean water.

(DW), (Reuters), (Human Rights Watch)

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Two soldiers are killed after an explosion caused by a improvised landmine at a drug laboratory in Michoacán, Mexico. Three days ago, two other soldiers were killed and three more injured in Michoacán during a similiar incident.

(AP)

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The Baniyas Refinery, Syria’s largest oil refinery, stops operating after ceasing to receive the crude oil from Iran that previously made up the majority of the country’s input.

(Financial Times)

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Ahmed al-Sharaa, the emir of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, makes an announcement claiming that the country is exhausted by perpetual warfare and is no longer a threat to its neighbors or the Western world.

(BBC News)

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The Military Operations Command forces take control of several towns in Raqqah Governorate, Syria.

(SOHR)

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Iraq announces the repatriation of members of the Syrian Armed Forces who fled after the fall of the Assad regime through the Al-Qa'im border crossing, back to Syria.

(Al Arabiya)

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U.S.-backed SDF forces vow to fight Turkey and pro-Turkish rebel groups in Kobani, Aleppo Governorate.

(Reuters)

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Israel carries out a series of airstrikes against the Houthis in western Yemen, damaging the Ras Isa oil facility, the port of as-Salif and several power stations in Sanaa, and killing at least nine people.

(Al Jazeera)

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Disasters and accidents

The death toll from Cyclone Chido in Mozambique increase to 73, including 66 in Cabo Delgado Province.

(Al Jazeera)

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Nine people are killed during a fire at a warehouse building of PX Mart under construction in Taichung, Taiwan.

(AP)

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International relations

France's Directorate-General for External Security reports that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso on allegations of being foreign intelligence agents have been released following mediation by Morocco.

(ABC News)

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Indian national security advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi meet in Beijing, China, and reach a six-point consensus to maintain peace along the border, refine border management rules, resume cross-border exchanges, and work toward resolving border disputes. A follow-up meeting is planned to be held in India next year.

(CNN)

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The United Kingdom and the United States impose sanctions on Georgian officials, including Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, in response to alleged violent crackdowns on pro-European protests.

(EFE)

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Hungary grants political asylum to former Polish deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski, who faces allegations of corruption in Poland.

(Reuters)

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Law and crime

The Judicial Court in Avignon, France, finds Dominique Pelicot guilty of the aggravated rape of his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot, and imposes the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The 50 other defendants in the case are also convicted of crimes ranging from attempted rape to aggravated rape, and receive prison sentences ranging from three to 15 years.

(Reuters)

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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration bans the flying of drones over multiple cities in New Jersey citing "special security reasons".

(WPVI-TV)

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A Malaysian high court acquits Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, of 17 charges of money laundering and tax evasion due to insufficient evidence.

(Reuters)

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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency reports 271,484 deportations in the past fiscal year, the most since 2014 and almost double of the previous fiscal year.

(AP), (FOX News)

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Politics and elections

Aleksandar Šapić, the mayor of Belgrade, Serbia, announces the city will make all public transit free on January 1, 2025.

(DW), (Novinite)

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December 19, 2024 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Disasters and accidents

International relations

Law and crime

Politics and elections