Residents of Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud district rise up against the YPG/PKK/SDF terror group presence in the area.

Iran is bracing for a tough year amid a looming confrontation with the incoming Trump administration, coupled with an unprecedented economic crisis, social unrest, and waning regional influence.

The Iranian rial plunged 40% in 2024, ending at 821,500 rials per dollar, while GDP per capita fell 45% since 2012 to $4,465.

Chronic energy mismanagement has led to power cuts, halting schools, offices, and industrial production. Factories operate at just 41% capacity, and food production is severely disrupted.

Strikes and protests highlight growing discontent:
• Tehran’s Grand Bazaar traders protested inflation.
• Oil workers at Abadan demonstrated over unpaid wages.
• Pensioners and teachers criticized delayed welfare payments.

Inflation hit 37% in November, with over 32 million Iranians living below the poverty line. Food prices have skyrocketed—meat prices quintupled, and potatoes doubled in three years.

Although Tehran has eased some restrictions, like lifting the WhatsApp ban, platforms like Instagram remain blocked.

While officials signal willingness for nuclear talks, doubts linger over Iran’s readiness to compromise as Trump faces domestic pressure to adopt a hardline stance.

Source: WSJ

Zelensky:

Lukashenko apologized in the first days of the war and said that he was not to blame for the missiles being launched from the territory of his country.

Zelensky:

We will agree to a ceasefire if we are provided with weapons to repel future attacks.

If the ceasefire works, no one is going to use these weapons. But they should remain, with all due respect to the United States. I don't want a repeat of the situation that happened with Biden.

New footage of Cybertruck explosion near Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.

- CNN

Zelensky:

Putin is like Voldemort. He who must not be named.

NEW: North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Seoul.

The South Korean military announced that the missile was launched at noon shortly after Blinken's meeting with South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok.

The Japanese Coast Guard announced that parts of the missile fell into the sea.

- Reuters

NEW: Sudanese leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has accepted Türkiye's mediation offer to resolve the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

The Turkish initiative aims to provide dialogue between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for a peaceful resolution.

Türkiye launched this initiative following mediation efforts led by the US and Saudi Arabia that failed to end the conflict. As a regional power, Türkiye hopes to play an important role in facilitating negotiations and promoting peace in Sudan.

NEW: Hamas has provided a list of 34 hostages it is willing to release as part of a potential ceasefire agreement with Israel. The list includes 10 women, 11 elderly men aged 50 to 85, and young children previously reported killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Ceasefire negotiations resumed in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend but have not yet made significant progress.

A Hamas official stated that any agreement to return Israeli hostages would depend on Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.

- BBC

The first Saudi humanitarian aid convoy arrived at the Nassib border crossing between Jordan and Syria.

- Levant 24

NEW: U.S. to ease aid restrictions for Syria in limited show of support for new government

The U.S. is easing some aid restrictions for Syria in a limited effort to support the country's new government, led by a coalition of opposition groups. This move allows humanitarian organizations to deliver essential supplies like water and electricity without case-by-case approvals.

However, it comes with conditions to ensure the aid isn't misused. While the U.S. continues to withhold broader sanctions relief, officials are seeking assurances from Syria's new leadership on protecting the rights of women and ethnic minorities. This limited step reflects cautious optimism about the future of Syria's reconstruction but maintains significant oversight over the situation​.

- WSJ

NEW: M23 rebels have seized a strategic eastern town near the provincial capital Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, local politicians said.

Fighting has flared in recent weeks, leading to territorial gains for M23, which is now in control of Masisi, a town and local administrative center about 80 km (50 miles) from Goma, provincial parliament member Alexis Bahunga told Reuters.

"The government will take measures to restore state authority over the entire territory," he said.

NEW: More than 20 killed in latest Israeli attacks on Gaza, report says

At least 24 people have been killed in the latest attacks carried out by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Sunday, citing medical sources.

Three people were killed in an attack in Bureij camp and there were deaths and injuries in the Nuseirat refugee camp and in the area around Khan Yunis, it said

NEW: Somalia's Puntland is rallying support from clans in the Bari region to tackle the growing ISIS threat, which has taken root in parts of the area.

This mobilization effort, led by First Deputy Speaker Mohamed Bari Shire, follows a deadly attack in Dharjaale village that exposed significant security weaknesses.

On December 31, 2024, Puntland forces thwarted an ISIS assault on a military base in Dharjaale, killing 12 militants, including foreign fighters. The attack, which involved a suicide bombing and fierce combat, left 20 soldiers dead and over 30 injured.

NEW: Assad regime executed dozens of Hamas members without trial, intelligence documents show

Dozens of leaders and members of the Hamas movement have been executed without trial in Syria by the ousted Assad regime.


Al-Quds Al-Arabi was told by Hamas sources that 94 members were executed in Syrian prisons without trial.

Intelligence documents found in the Syrian security services' headquarters after the fall of Assad's regime show that the order to arrest any cadre with proven links to Hamas remains in force.

Despite reconciliation two years ago, sources say Hamas remains designated as a traitor. The sources denied that any detainees had been released, including the Qassam Brigades' military commander, Mamoun al-Jaludi (Abu Jawdat).

- Al Quds

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev once again adopts a firm tone, holding Russia responsible for the crash of the AZAL passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan:

“The responsibility for the AZAL plane crash, which claimed the lives of Azerbaijani citizens, lies with Russian representatives.

We demand justice, accountability for those responsible, full transparency, and humane conduct.

The black box analysis is underway, and preliminary results will soon clarify everything.”