Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israeli troops occupy Syria buffer zone in defensive step Records seized by Israel show Hamas presence in U.N. schools Risk of Iran building nuclear weapons grows, U.S. intelligence says Fall of Assad in Syria deals serious blow to Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ Middle East forum research director Jonathan Spyer: Assad falls thanks to a weak Tehran Inside Ukraine’s battle for the skies as Russian bombardments hit records The 11-day blitz by Syrian rebels that ended 50 years of Assad rule WSJ Editorial: After the fall of Syria’s Assad WaPo’s Josh Rogin: For the first time in decades, Syria is free. Now it’s time to help. With Syria in flux, Turkish forces attack U.S.-backed forces ‘Come back!’: A surprise boycott saves South Korea’s president from impeachment Taiwan raises alert as China deploys 90 ships in likely drillsIn The News
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to seize the demilitarized buffer zone between Israel and Syria to defend villages in Israel’s north, and warned Syrians in the area to stay home for their safety. – Wall Street Journal
When Israel ordered more than 143,000 of its citizens to evacuate border regions more than a year ago, it allowed migrant farmworkers, mostly from Thailand, to stay put — to water crops, prune trees and harvest fruit as rockets fell around them. Thousands of Thai workers have been laboring in Israel’s frontiers for months, some inside closed military zones where they’re the only civilians present alongside Israeli soldiers, authorities say. – Washington Post
Mr. al-Khatib, an employee of the U.N. agency since 2013, was among them: Secret internal Hamas documents shared with The New York Times by the Israeli government say that he held the rank of squad commander, was an expert in ground combat and had been given at least a dozen weapons, including a Kalashnikov and hand grenades. The refugee agency, known as UNRWA, operated schools across Gaza before they were shuttered in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing war. – New York Times
Israeli shelling hit a hospital in northern Gaza, wounding several people, damaging equipment and disrupting surgeries, Palestinian health officials said on Sunday, but Israel’s military denied carrying out strikes in the area. – Reuters
Israel conducted three airstrikes in the Syrian capital on Sunday against a security complex and a government research centre which it has said in the past was used by Iran to develop missiles, two regional security sources told Reuters on Sunday. – Reuters
Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 34 Palestinians on Saturday, health officials in the enclave said, as Qatar voiced hope of fresh momentum in efforts to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. – Reuters
Hamas released a video claiming to show Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker in captivity on Saturday. In the video a man who introduces himself as Matan Zangauker, 24, can be seen pleading with the Israeli leaders to make a deal that would bring captives being held by Hamas in Gaza back to Israel. – Reuters
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it struck a Hezbollah fighter in southern Lebanon who posed a threat to its troops, adding it was operating within ceasefire agreements while remaining deployed to address threats to Israel. – Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take to the witness stand Tuesday for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a pivotal point in the drawn-out proceedings that comes as the leader wages war in Gaza and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges. – Associated Press
Sources within various Palestinian terror groups in Gaza said Sunday that Hamas has told them to compile information on the hostages they hold in preparation for a potential ceasefire and hostage deal with Israel. – Agence France-Presse
A drone that likely crossed into Israeli territory from Yemen crashed in the city of Yavne in central Israel, with no sirens sounding, the military confirmed on Monday, adding that the incident was under investigation. – Jerusalem Post
Representatives of the Syrian Kurds have recently appealed to Israeli officials via various communications channels seeking assistance and protection. This comes as the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was crumbling, and the country was taken over by Islamist rebels. – Jerusalem Post
Editorial: Now is the time for Jerusalem to grasp the opportunity and push forward for a deal – whether it’s a partial release, as detailed last week, including women, children, the elderly and infirm; or optimally, a comprehensive package that will release all of the hostages, install a new government in Gaza, and bring our troops home. If Assad’s downfall turns out to hasten the return of Israeli hostages, it will be an ironic – and wonderful – twist to the legacy of a man who will go down in history as a bloodthirsty mutation and stain on humanity. – Jerusalem Post
Editorial: What happens in Syria will most definitely have an impact on Israel in the future, which is why Jerusalem must keep a vigilant eye there, sending messages to all concerned that there are two developments it will not tolerate. The first is chemical weapons depots falling into the hands of jihadist or Islamist rebels, and the second is the mass deployment of Iranian troops into the country. Those are redlines that, if crossed, would severely compromise Israel’s national security and would necessitate immediate Israeli action to prevent. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
The danger of Iran choosing to build a nuclear weapon is increasing, even though it isn’t yet doing so, the U.S. intelligence community said in its sharpest warning yet about Tehran’s nuclear work. The intelligence report, released late Thursday, comes at a critical time ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration and echoes warnings from other Western capitals. – Wall Street Journal
The rapid fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, coming hard on devastating losses suffered by Hezbollah, has dealt a serious blow to Iran’s “axis of resistance,” a central pillar of Tehran’s foreign policy, forged over decades. – Washington Post
Iranian leaders and military commanders said in public statements that it was up to Syrians to decide what kind of government should replace Mr. al-Assad, who resigned and fled Syria on Sunday after rebel forces stormed the country’s capital. – New York Times
Iran’s acceleration in its enrichment of uranium to close to bomb grade is “extremely serious”, has no civilian justification and contradicts Tehran’s assertions on wanting serious nuclear negotiations, a Western diplomatic source said on Saturday. – Reuters
Iran is “dramatically” accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level that is weapons grade, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters on Friday. – Reuters
Iran has opened a direct line of communication with rebels within Syria’s new leadership after Tehran’s key ally Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, in a bid to “prevent a hostile trajectory” between the two countries. – Reuters
Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief Ziyad al-Nakhalah fled Syria a few weeks ago, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported on Sunday. Nakhalah reportedly escaped to Tehran, fearing Israeli elimination. – Jerusalem Post
Iran’s embassy in Syria was “attacked” on Sunday, Iranian state TV said, after Islamist-led rebels declared the fall of Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad following a sweeping offensive that culminated in Damascus. – Agence France-Presse
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Hamas leaders at the terror group’s office in Doha on Saturday for talks on the situation in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war there. – Times of Israel
Jonathan Spyer writes: In each case, Israel’s response laid bare the profound inferiority of the Iranians and their allies in direct confrontation. The result: Hamas and Hezbollah are decimated, Gaza is a smoking ruin, Southern Lebanon is a pile of rubble, and Iran is exposed as helpless before Israeli air power. The region now sees Iran and its misnamed axis of resistance as a paper tiger. The rebels’ assault in Syria and the stunning collapse of the Assad regime are the first fruits of this new look. More will doubtless come. – Wall Street Journal
Masoud Zamani writes: Following Trump’s victory, Iran’s current foreign minister—known within the regime’s inner circles as a more pragmatic figure—posted on X: “Attempting ‘Maximum Pressure 2.0’ will only result in ‘Maximum Defeat 2.0.’ Better idea: try ‘Maximum Wisdom’—for the benefit of all.” Yet “maximum wisdom” remains far removed from the reality of an ideological regime whose foundational commitments limit its flexibility. As long as the Islamic Republic’s decisions are dictated by rigid ideological imperatives, any shift toward pragmatism will likely be superficial at best, leaving the regime constrained in a world that demands adaptability. – Washington Institute
Russia & Ukraine
Russia fired more than 6,000 explosive drones and missiles against Ukraine over September, October and November, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of daily data from the Ukrainian Air Force Command. That was over three times the number it fired over the previous three months, and more than four times the number fired during the same fall months in 2023. – Wall Street Journal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday strode into the Élysée Palace here to meet with President-elect Donald Trump, marking their first in-person discussion since Trump secured the White House while promoting an isolationist agenda that could limit aid to the embattled country. – Washington Post
Around 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since Russia invaded in 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, in apparent response to President-elect Donald Trump’s claim hours earlier that Kyiv had “lost” some 400,000 soldiers in battle “and many more civilians.” – Washington Post
As Russia has continued gaining ground on the battlefield with high-attrition-style combat, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing increased pressure to deploy more younger people to the front lines. With future aid from Washington uncertain, U.S. officials have warned that Ukraine’s personnel shortage is perhaps more critical right now than its arms deficit. – Washington Post
The Kremlin said on Sunday that Russia was open to talks on Ukraine after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called for “an immediate ceasefire and negotiations”. – Reuters
The United States unveiled a $988 million aid package of new arms and equipment to Ukraine for its ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion on Saturday. – Reuters
Janusz Bugajski writes: While NATO is bolstering its military spending in preparation for outright confrontation with Russia, China is benefiting from Russia’s weaknesses. It is insisting on cheap energy supplies, introducing the yen as Russia’s main foreign currency, and tying Moscow into economic contracts that will primarily benefit Beijing. Facing multiple domestic and international pressures, Moscow will need to focus on preventing another slide into economic chaos and social unrest, as witnessed before the Soviet collapse. – Washington Examiner
Theodore Bunzel and Elina Ribakova write: Ultimately, cracking down on Russia’s economy and war machine is the most cost-effective way to give Trump what he most wants: a durable deal between Russia and Ukraine for which he can justifiably claim credit. Ramping up economic leverage over Moscow is less risky than dramatically escalating military support to Kyiv, and without additional pressure Russia has no incentive to play ball in 2025. If Trump gets Moscow to accept reasonable armistice terms by squeezing its vulnerable economy, then his election won’t turn out to be the miracle that Putin was hoping for. – Foreign Affairs
Hezbollah
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said the situation in Syria, where rebels are pressing a rapid advance that is threatening President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power, was creating a new weakness for militant Lebanese group Hezbollah and for Iran. – Reuters
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah sent a small number of “supervising forces” from Lebanon to Syria overnight to help prevent anti-government fighters from seizing the strategic city of Homs, two senior Lebanese security sources said on Friday. – Reuters
Iran has long needed Hezbollah in neighbouring Syria, too, where the Lebanese group, together with Russian forces, were instrumental in the Assad regime’s survival when it was on the brink of falling to assorted rebel forces in 2015. But bled dry by the wars with Israel and Ukraine, neither side was willing or able to come to Damascus’s aid this time. – The Guardian
Syria
The toppling of Assad’s regime, ending 50 years of his family’s rule, revealed how badly Syria’s army had been hollowed out by years of corruption, defections to the rebellion and the country’s economic crisis. Recruitment had declined, and Syrian men dodged conscription. – Wall Street Journal
The outcome of this tectonic shift is bound to have a profound impact on the Middle East, and on the global balance of power. Much will depend on how orderly the transition to a new rebel-led administration will be, and to what extent the rival Syrian factions—including the Kurdish and Alawite minorities—will be able to avoid further conflict. – Wall Street Journal
Syrian rebels said they had freed the capital Damascus from Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad early on Sunday after a week of stunning military advances against his forces. “We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani of the rebel military command in a social-media post early on Sunday local time. – Wall Street Journal
The lightning advance of rebels, culminating in the fall of Damascus early Sunday, saw prison guards abandon their posts in cities from north to south. Now, Syrians are bracing to learn who among the country’s more than 100,000 unaccounted-for detainees are still alive. – Washington Post
President Joe Biden announced Sunday that U.S. forces had conducted dozens of airstrikes targeting Islamic State camps and operatives in Syria as his administration tries to stabilize the region following the extraordinary fall of deposed president Bashar al-Assad’s regime. – Washington Post
President-elect Donald Trump signaled on Saturday that he believes the United States should not get involved in the conflict in Syria, sending a signal about possible future U.S. policy toward the region as rebel groups made stunning advances to encircle the Syrian capital of Damascus. – Washington Post
The mother of Austin Tice, an American freelance journalist and Washington Post contributor who has been missing in Syria since 2012, said Friday that she has “no doubt” that Austin is alive and well, citing a “significant” source she did not name. – Washington Post
U.S. intelligence agencies are closely monitoring suspected chemical weapons storage sites in Syria, looking for indications that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are preparing to employ them against the collection of rebel groups fighting to depose him, officials said Saturday. – New York Times
Iran began to evacuate its military commanders and personnel from Syria on Friday, according to regional officials and three Iranian officials, in a sign of Iran’s inability to help keep President Bashar al-Assad in power as he faces a resurgent rebel offensive. – New York Times
Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow with his family after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies on Sunday, and a deal has been done to ensure the safety of Russian military bases. – Reuters
Syria should have an 18 month transition period to establish “a safe, neutral, and quiet environment” for free elections, Hadi Al-Bahra, the head of Syria’s main opposition abroad, said to Reuters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum on Sunday. – Reuters
Suspected Israeli airstrikes hit Mazzeh district of Damascus on Sunday, one Lebanese and one Syrian security source said. Additionally, jets believed to be Israeli bombed the Khalkhala air base in southern Syria that was evacuated by the Syrian army overnight, two regional security sources told Reuters. – Reuters
Syrian rebels entered the residence of the Italian ambassador in Damascus on Sunday, but did not harm him or his security staff, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, calling for a peaceful transfer of power in the country. – Reuters
Turkey-backed Syrian rebels entered the northern Syrian city of Manbij after taking control of most of the surrounding area from U.S.-allied Kurdish forces there, a Turkish security source said on Sunday. – Reuters
Editorial: The rebel charge into Damascus was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization. But its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, broke with ISIS in 2012 and al Qaeda in 2016 and has been saying he wants a diverse government that tolerates minorities. The U.S. can engage with Mr. Jawlani and test his sincerity. A stable Syria that wants to rebuild rather than export revolution would be a welcome development. – Wall Street Journal
David Ignatius writes: HTS, leading the battle that just toppled Assad, is a descendant of the group I glimpsed 12 years ago. As a senior administration official told me Sunday, along with the White House’s exhilaration over Assad’s demise, there’s a recognition that “we have a counterterrorism problem.” In the Middle East, there is no silver lining that does not have a cloud. – Washington Post
Josh Rogin writes: But the collapse of Assad’s regime should be a cause for global celebration, not hesitation. Dictatorships offer the illusion of stability, but as Syria has shown, they are brittle structures, propped up by fear and violence. And this triumph should give those who doubt that Ukraine can repel Russia or that Taiwan can withstand Beijing’s aggression some reason for second-guessing. Dictatorships might endure for a time, but they cannot silence the human spirit forever. – Washington Post
Nicholas Kristof writes: Anyone who values human rights has to feel relief at the departure of the Assad regime. But we’ve also seen how hard-line Islamists can rule in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and I fear revenge attacks in Syria. So two cheers for the overthrow of al-Assad, but be vigilant about what comes next. One hard lesson I’ve learned from covering the world: Sometimes what follows a terrible regime is just as bad, or even worse. – New York Times
Hal Brands writes: That’s not to say the Middle East is entering a bright new era of peace. The collapse of Assad’s regime could cause a revival of the Islamic State, the emergence of a jihadist regime in Damascus, or a descent into chaos that affects the entire region. The fate of Assad’s remaining chemical weapons is uncertain, which is why the Israeli air force is hunting them right now. US-Turkey relations could get very tense, if the Turks seize the opportunity to attack Syrian Kurdish groups loosely allied to Washington. And although Iran is in parlous position, it still has cards to play. – Bloomberg
Adam Rubenstein writes: Assad’s fall is a body blow to the Iranian regime. They have been exposed by the Israelis (and Americans) as being far more vulnerable than anyone knew. And the loss of Assad, Hezbollah, and Hamas reveals them to be cowardly and impotent. [Ayatollah] Ali Khamenei’s life work—the Axis of Resistance—is in ashes. He’s 85. He, and everyone around him, must be worried indeed. – The Free Press
Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann write: For too long, Syria has been neglected by the United States and its Western allies, which deemed the Assad regime unmovable, until they discovered it wasn’t. Now, Syria is on the verge of becoming a failed state. Along with the legacy of years of international sanctions and economic mismanagement, the prospect of a new civil war and yet further instability across the region cannot be discounted. Preventing further tragedy will require Western countries and Gulf Arab states, in particular, to reach out to the new leaders in Damascus, and steer them toward pragmatic, if not democratic, governance. Having at last regained hope from the fall of the House of Assad, the Syria people expect no less from the countries that have for so many years allowed the country’s agony to continue at their expense. – Foreign Affairs
Turkey
A rapid advance by Syrian rebels in recent days is giving the NATO member Turkey more power to limit Russian and Iranian influence in the region, but also risks triggering new instability on Ankara’s doorstep. – Wall Street Journal
The Turkish military fired on U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria this weekend, a war monitoring group and a spokesman for the Kurdish group said on Sunday, illuminating the tangle of competing interests and alliances in Syria in the wake of the government’s collapse. – New York Times
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that Syria’s new administration must be inclusive because Syrian people would determine their own future after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad by rebels. – Reuters
Lebanon
They poured by the thousands into the street outside Lebanon’s main border crossing with Syria, celebrating the toppling of the Assad regime — and their long-awaited return home. People, many of whom had fled Syria during the country’s 13-year civil war, cheered, honked their cars’ horns and set off fireworks into the air as they inched toward the Masna’a border crossing. – New York Times
Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese villages killed six people and wounded five, the Lebanese health ministry said on Saturday, in the latest potential challenge to a fragile ceasefire that has been in place for less than two weeks. – Reuters
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck several border crossings and land routes between Syria and Lebanon overnight on Thursday that the military said were used to transfer weapons to Hezbollah. – Times of Israel
Arabian Peninsula
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will begin a multi-day visit to the Gulf on Sunday, his first trip to the region since taking office, seeking stronger economic and defence ties with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. – Reuters
The U.S. government has approved the export of advanced artificial intelligence chips to a Microsoft-operated facility in the United Arab Emirates as part of the company’s highly-scrutinized partnership with Emirati AI firm G42, Axios reported on Saturday, citing two people familiar with the deal. – Reuters
Qatar is engaging with the incoming Trump administration on Gaza after sensing fresh momentum for ceasefire talks following the U.S. election, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Saturday. – Reuters
Qatar has no concerns about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to lift a cap on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said on Saturday, adding his country would cope with any competition. – Reuters
Middle East & North Africa
An Egyptian military agency has taken over the country’s import of strategic commodities, a letter seen by Reuters showed, replacing a decades-old state institution to take over international buying tenders and also conduct direct purchases which have in recent weeks shaken the wheat market. – Reuters
Saudi Arabia has been communicating with all regional actors on Syria and is determined to do what is possible to avoid chaos following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, a Saudi official said on Sunday. – Reuters
After African countries struggled to get testing kits during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials vowed to make the continent less dependent on imported medical supplies. Now, in a first for Africa, a Moroccan company is filling orders for mpox tests as an outbreak continues. – Associated Press
Korean Peninsula
South Korea’s embattled president will no longer be involved in running the country or diplomacy, according to the ruling party’s leader, who argued the move was made to stabilize state affairs after Yoon Suk Yeol briefly instituted martial law this past week. – Wall Street Journal
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol eluded impeachment on Saturday, as allied lawmakers walked out before a vote and stalled efforts to punish him for declaring martial law earlier this week. – Wall Street Journal
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol promised to not declare martial law again, explaining that his stunning move this week was made out of desperation. The conservative Yoon, in a brief televised address Saturday morning, apologized to the nation and said he would not evade legal and political responsibility for enacting martial law. – Wall Street Journal
As South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol fights for his political life following his decision this week to declare martial law, one person looms over the scandals that have engulfed his presidency: his wife. – Wall Street Journal
Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister of South Korea, was taken into custody early Sunday as prosecutors investigated his role in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived effort last week to impose martial law. – New York Times
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been banned from leaving the country over a failed attempt at imposing martial law, a justice ministry official said on Monday, amid growing calls for him to step down and a deepening leadership crisis. – Reuters
South Korea’s opposition-led parliament on Saturday rejected a bill proposing a special investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee, a televised parliament session showed. – Reuters
Andreas Kluth writes: Enough small talk; what about America? Intellectuals are already in the weeds trying to figure out whether its Insurrection Act, say, does or does not resemble South Korea’s martial law, and whether Trump will pull a Yoon. The answer is: If Trump installs enough cronies (he’s certainly trying), he could. The more pertinent question then becomes how the immune system of the oldest continuous democracy will react. Will conservatives — in the media, Congress and electorate — join with other Americans, even ones they’ve become accustomed to loathe, and resist? Will Republicans in the Senate and House, will Fox News, veto the coup as their analogs in South Korea did this week? – Bloomberg
Donald Kirk writes: The deep divisions in the South all play into the hands of North Korea. Kim Jong Un, having totally cut off any prospect of dialogue with Yoon, declaring the South “the enemy,” is now watching silently. He may want to talk again to Trump, and he might conceivably be open to communication with Seoul, but he will insist on no one’s terms but his own. Whoever leads the South, Kim can only gain strength from the ruckus, knowing that he has both Russia and China on his side, waiting for the time when he can reunite the entire peninsula. – The Hill
China
The Biden administration had spent more than a year trying to forge a deal with Beijing to let several imprisoned Americans leave China. Now it looked like a swap was coming together—and that it would include Chinese Uyghurs like Mamut as well. – Wall Street Journal
Taiwan raised its alert level on Monday saying China has set up seven zones of reserved airspace and deployed naval fleets and coast guard boats in what a security source described as the first military drills across a broad swathe of the region’s waters. – Reuters
China’s foreign ministry on Monday called for a “political solution” to be found in Syria as soon as possible to restore stability and order, after rebels seized the Syrian capital over the weekend and its president fled to Russia. – Reuters
China’s top leaders signaled more stimulus for next year with the first shift in their monetary policy stance in some 14 years, as Beijing braces for a second trade war when Donald Trump takes office next month. – Bloomberg
South Asia
Relations between India and neighboring Bangladesh reached a perilous new low this week as Indian politicians and Hindu extremists intensified accusations that minority Hindus in Bangladesh are being persecuted. – New York Times
At least 40 schools received a bomb threat by email in Delhi on Monday demanding $30,000, ANI news agency said, while police officials conducted initial searches on school premises. – Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the State Department and “deep state” elements in the U.S. of trying to destabilise India in conjunction with a group of investigative journalists and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. – Reuters
Six Pakistani soldiers and 22 militants were killed in armed clashes in a northwestern region near the Afghan border on Saturday, the army said, as Islamist fighters increase their attacks on security forces in the area. – Reuters
Pakistan International Airlines said on Friday it will resume flights to Europe in January, starting with Paris, after the EU aviation regulator lifted a ban on the national flag carrier. – Reuters
BRICS countries have no interest in weakening the U.S. dollar at all, India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at an event in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday. – Reuters
Indian police on Friday used tear gas against hundreds of farmers taking part in a march to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices in a repeat of 2021 protests. – Associated Press
A Baloch separatist group is becoming as big a threat to Pakistan’s national security as the Pakistani Taliban, according to a think tank. – Associated Press
Andy Mukherjee writes: The other option is to find a different model for renewable energy. There is speculation Mukesh Ambani, the only other Asian richer than Adani, may try to upend power distribution by letting customers install micro-grids free of cost, and recovering the capital expenditure from them through monthly payments. Such a model, copied from his market-leading telecom foray, could be disruptive, “with the potential to pull away both large power consumers (who pay high power tariffs) and rural folks (who get erratic power),” the website Carbon Copy noted recently. For Adani to forestall a reordering of India’s business landscape, his legal troubles will need an early resolution. Pending that, cement producers may enjoy a breather, and the solar-power industry could end up inventing a new template to sell electricity. – Bloomberg
Asia
Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has resigned “for the good of the country and moving Tonga forward”, the Pacific Island nation’s parliament said on Monday. – Reuters
Australia on Monday launched an antisemitism task force following an arson attack at a synagogue in Melbourne which police say was likely terrorism. – Reuters
Australia struck an economic and security treaty with Nauru on Monday, pledging A$100 million ($64 million) in direct budget support over five years and A$40 million to boost security in the remote Pacific Islands nation that is also being courted by China. – Reuters
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday called a deliberately lit fire in a Melbourne synagogue an act of “terrorism” and warned about the “worrying rise in antisemitism” in Australia, pushing back against criticism that his government’s policies had helped ignite the attack. – Agence France-Presse
Europe
Sabotage, hacking and terrorist-type attacks in the U.S. and Europe are escalating, Western security officials say. Politicians and intelligence agencies finger Russia, China, Iran and the West’s other adversaries for most of the incidents, but attributing blame is often difficult. Responding can be even harder. – Wall Street Journal
Romania canceled its presidential election after an alleged Kremlin influence campaign on TikTok vaulted an obscure politician with pro-Russian views to be a lead contender in a vote that had been slated for this weekend. – Wall Street Journal
It’s been more than five years since fire consumed the roof, toppled the spire and threatened to bring down the beloved landmark that has stood at the heart of Paris for centuries. The cathedral reopened on Saturday with a ceremony attended by French officials, the heads of state or government of dozens of nations, clergy, donors — and President-elect Donald Trump. – Washington Post
Supporters of the Syrian rebels that ousted President Bashar al-Assad entered the Syrian embassy in Athens on Sunday and hoisted the rebel flag from the rooftop, police and a Reuters reporter said. – Reuters
Germany’s conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who is in pole position to become the country’s next chancellor, arrived in Kyiv on Monday for talks with the Ukrainian leadership about how to fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion. – Reuters
Reducing Britain’s trade barriers with the European Union will improve the growth prospects of both, finance minister Rachel Reeves will tell her euro zone counterparts on Monday when she meets the group for the first time. – Reuters
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Saturday nominated co-leader Alice Weidel as its first chancellor candidate in the party’s 11-year history, setting out its bid for power ahead of a snap election due in February. – Reuters
Georgia’s capital Tbilisi has resounded with the crackle of fireworks late into the night for the past week – their eruptions becoming a symbol of the large pro-EU protests that have plunged the South Caucasus country into crisis. – Reuters
The European Union’s multiyear clampdown on some of the largest American companies is set to force President-elect Donald Trump to decide which bothers him more: Europe or Big Tech. – Bloomberg
Mattia Ferraresi writes: Mr. Trump’s disdain for Europe is legendary. He reportedly vowed not to defend the continent if it’s attacked and recently referred to it as a “mini China” — about as far from a compliment from him it’s possible to get. Punishing tariffs and belligerent demands to spend more on security could soon make that antipathy manifest. But Europe is not what it was during Mr. Trump’s first term. Ms. Von der Leyen now leads the most right-wing European Commission in history and the bloc is shifting more and more toward conservative positions. – New York Times
Martin Ivens writes: Britain’s predicament is like and unlike that of France. The UK’s national debt is also greater than 100% of GDP, growth is stuttering, millions are on sickness and welfare benefits and migration has shot to the top of voters’ concerns. Yet Starmer’s commanding 170-strong majority in the House of Commons has allowed him to push through unpopular tax rises in his government’s first budget. For now, the UK looks like an island of political stability. The French take to the streets when they are angry; the British mostly resign themselves sullenly to their collective fate. But disillusionment with conventional politics is spreading, and Reform UK looks hungry. – Bloomberg
Tom Rogan writes: To be sure, it is positive that Macron and Trump are now meeting up. Both countries are better served by an honest dialogue and, where possible, cooperative engagement. It’s also true that Trump’s nomination of an election fraud felon as the ambassador to Paris is an undue insult to this oldest ally. But just as Macron will be understandably wary of Trump’s ego and unpredictability, so also should Trump pinch himself amid the par excellence Elysee fanfare. Macron might not share the hostile intent of Iago in William Shakespeare’s Othello. But Iago’s warning warrants Trump’s attention nevertheless: “I follow him to serve my turn upon him. We cannot all be masters, nor all masters Cannot be truly followed.” – Washington Examiner
Africa
John Dramani Mahama, a former president of Ghana who was voted out of office eight years ago, staged a dramatic political comeback on Sunday after his main opponent conceded defeat in the West African country’s presidential election. – New York Times
Burkina Faso’s military government has appointed Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo as prime minister of the transition after it fired Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela, and dissolved the government on Friday, a statement said on Saturday. – Reuters
The World Health Organization said Friday it was deploying experts to investigate a mystery flu-like illness that has killed dozens of people in southwest Congo in recent weeks. – Associated Press
A court in Mali has freed 11 opposition leaders who were arrested in June on charges of plotting against the ruling military junta after calling for a return to civilian rule. – Associated Press
Hundreds of people marched in Chad on Friday to call for the withdrawal of French troops from the country, a week after the Central African country ended a military agreement with its former colonial ruler. – Associated Press
The Americas
The political deal between the EU and the four countries that founded the Mercosur customs union—Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay—would become the EU’s largest free-trade agreement if it is ratified. It comes amid pledges from President-elect Donald Trump to impose new tariffs on trading partners that could redefine global trading patterns. – Wall Street Journal
The Dominican Republic on Friday reported its largest ever cocaine seizure, saying it found some 9.5 metric tons of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment that arrived at a port in Santo Domingo, the capital. – Reuters
A motorcycle loaded with explosives detonated at a police checkpoint in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, killing the driver and injuring 14 others, authorities said. – Associated Press
Jose Chalhoub writes: The path is narrow, but myriad factors point to a change of direction in U.S.-Venezuela relations. Indeed, a détente on realist lines, based on mutual gains in energy and border security, is backed by powerful private sector forces as the cure to the current malaise. If nothing changes, Venezuelan instability will remain an open wound in the Western Hemisphere. The president-elect would soon regret not acting swiftly to end the psychodrama in both sides’ interest. – The Hill
North America
According to a senior Canadian government official who was at last week’s dinner, Trudeau and his team took the ribbing in stride, but they were conscious of the deeper message: that Trump, as always, is America first—and he didn’t much care what happened to Canada’s economy as a consequence. – Wall Street Journal
Nearly 20 of the roughly 400 Kenyan police officers serving in Haiti on a U.N.-backed anti-gang force have submitted letters of resignation from the mission over the past two months because of pay delays and poor conditions, three officers told Reuters. – Reuters
Mexico is doing everything it can to protect a regional trade agreement with the U.S. and Canada, the Latin American nation’s deputy economy minister said in an interview published on Friday. – Reuters
At least 110 people were killed over the weekend in Haiti’s Cite Soleil slum when a gang leader targeted elderly people he suspected of causing his child’s illness through witchcraft, the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH) said on Sunday. – Reuters
Mexican authorities will investigate an incident at a gold mine in the Pacific coastal state of Guerrero which killed three workers, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday. – Reuters
Canada plans to work more closely with the United States in the Arctic to ensure regional security in the face of an increasingly aggressive Russia, Ottawa said on Friday. – Reuters
Pinar Cebi Wilber writes: These are only a few examples highlighting the importance of the two trading partners for the U.S. economy. If the president’s goal is to increase the economic growth, employment and investment for the country and to lower the cost of living for the U.S. citizens, keeping friends like Canada and Mexico on our side, rather than antagonizing them, might be a good move in an increasingly uncertain world. – The Hill
United States
The unexpectedly rapid downfall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria has turned the country’s future from a back-burner issue to a suddenly high stakes concern for the departing Biden administration—and almost certainly for Donald Trump. – Wall Street Journal
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide the legality of a 2019 federal statute meant to facilitate lawsuits against Palestinian authorities by Americans killed or injured in attacks in Israel and elsewhere. – Reuters
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he has chosen former Senator David Perdue to be ambassador to China, tapping a former politician with business experience to help steer relations riven by deep mistrust and trade tensions. – Reuters
Donald Trump said he had an exchange with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in recent days, the first clear indication of direct contact between the two men since the former US president’s reelection in November. – Bloomberg
President-elect Donald Trump said he would use his powers on his “first day” in the White House to grant pardons to rioters involved in the attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. – Bloomberg
Cybersecurity
The U.S. believes that an alleged sweeping Chinese cyber espionage campaign known as Salt Typhoon targeted and recorded telephone calls of “very senior” American political figures, a White House official said on Saturday. – Reuters
The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote next week on an annual defense bill that includes just over $3 billion for U.S. telecom companies to remove equipment made by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE (000063.SZ) from American wireless networks to address security risks. – Reuters
Palantir and Anduril, two leading defense technology firms, announced today they’re creating an industry consortium to address what they see as hurtles impeding the Defense Department’s adoption of AI. – Defense News
Defense
The U.S. severely lags behind China in shipbuilding capacity, lawmakers and experts have warned, as the Biden administration tries to build up the country’s ability to develop and produce weapons and other defense supplies to fend off war. – Defense News
The first guided-missile destroyer fitted for conventional hypersonic missiles is back in the water after more than a year of modifications. Ingalls Shipbuilding undocked USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) and the ship is now pierside at the Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard, HII announced in a Friday statement. – USNI News
Editorial: All this means the U.S. should start spending massively on recruiting, retention, and equipment. This doesn’t mean the net defense spending should simply grow. The Pentagon is notorious for procurement waste and inefficiency, so cost-saving procurement reforms should occur simultaneously with the buildup of weaponry and manpower. The best way to ensure peace is to be strong enough that, from the start, foreign warmongers will be deterred from aggression. – Washington Examiner
Peter Suciu writes: Although the U.S. Navy and CENTCOM didn’t identify the merchant shipping that came under attack, a Houthi spokesperson claimed the commercial vessels included the Stena Impeccable, which Captain reported is “a tanker participating in the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Tanker Security Program,” while the other merchant ships were the containership Maersk Saratoga and bulk carrier Liberty Grace. The Houthi militants have vowed to carry out the attacks as long as Israel remains involved in its campaign in Gaza, which was launched following the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. – The National Interest
Brandon J. Weichert writes: It is believed that the Oreshnik could carry six to eight conventional or nuclear warheads. Thankfully, no immediate escalation occurred as a result of the Russian launch of this system. But that was only because it is believed that the Russians alerted the Americans through nuclear deconfliction channels that the attack was coming and that it was non-nuclear. When the Russians decide that they can no longer tolerate the Americans and their allies’ continuing escalation and opt to instead launch a nuclearized Oreshnik at European or American targets, no warning will come. – The National Interest