The Syrian Transport Ministry has announced the reopening of Syrian Airspace to International Commercial Flights, with work at Damascus International Airport for its opening on Wednesday now 90% Complete.

President-Elect Donald J. Trump stated earlier during a Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago, “There is a Light shining over the World. We are trying to help very strongly in getting the Hostages back, as you know, with Israel and the Middle East.” With him reiterating that if Hamas does not release the Hostages by his Inauguration on January 20th “all Hell is going to break out.”

According to a release from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), earlier today, 12 ISIS terrorists were killed in a number of precision strikes that targeted ISIS camps and individuals in Syria. Notably, the release mentions that the strikes were conducted in areas formerly controlled by regime and/or Russian forces where ISIS forces have since filled the void. The strikes were conducted as part of the Defeat ISIS (D-ISIS) mission subordinate to the broader Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).

Both Israeli and Hamas Sources have stated over the last 24 Hours, that they are as close as they have ever been to a Ceasefire and Hostage Deal in the Gaza Strip; with several Issues still being discussed, all of which are considered “Bridgeable” by Israeli Officials.

According to AFP and CGTN Africa (Chinese state-run media), an Israeli minister has said that they have ‘never been closer to a deal’ on the 100 hostages still held by Hamas. Additionally, Kann News is now reporting that an Israeli delegation has now left for Qatar with a “limited mandate.” It’s important to remember that we have heard rhetoric like this before, and after the failure of the last round of talks, Qatar claimed that both parties were ‘not acting in good faith.’ It still remains to be seen how effective this newest round of talks will be at achieving the goal of freeing the hostages. 

Pentagon Press Secretary, Major General Patrick S. Ryder states that the Department of Defense does not believe the Drones spotted Friday over Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, are related to other Drone Intrusions seen recently at Sensitive Sites across the Country.

Al-Arabiya reports that the remaining Russian Forces in Syria, located at the Naval Base in Tartus and Khmeimim Air Base near Latakia, are expected to depart in the coming days.

According to the U.S. State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller, the U.S. has had “more than one communication with HTS over the past week.” According to the spokesperson, these communications have been largely centered on two main issues: “Locating and returning Austin Tice to his family” and the principles of governance for Syria that the U.S. and other western powers have communicated in the past weeks. 
Austin Tice, a journalist who was believed to have been imprisoned by Bashar al-Assad’s regime back in August of 2012, has yet to be found as a result of the efforts of the U.S. and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The U.S. State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller has said that they are “not ruling out that we [U.S.] won’t send personnel to Damascus,” but as of right now “there’s no one there, and there’s no one on the way.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is considering resigning, according to CTV News; with him said to be preparing to address Parliament.

Canada’s Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned after clashing with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over spending and U.S. tariffs, calling his fiscal policies a harmful political gimmick. Freeland’s exit, following a demotion offer, leaves Trudeau’s struggling Government in crisis as Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre demands an Election, citing chaos and weak leadership amid looming 25% U.S. import tariffs.

According to Reuters, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder has said that they now “assess that North Korean troops have been killed and injured” in combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region. No further details were provided on the exact number of casualties sustained by North Korean elements deployed on the front lines. This comes after the recent release from Ukrainian intelligence that 30 North Korean forces were killed recently in the Kursk area of operations. While Ukrainian intelligence has made such claims, albeit unconfirmed and with little evidence, in the past, this is the first time that the Pentagon has confirmed that North Korean forces have sustained casualties.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on North Korean Banks, Generals, Other Officials, and Russian Oil Shipping Companies to disrupt North Korea's Financial and Military Support for Russia's War in Ukraine. North Korea has reportedly sent over 10,000 Troops and Military Equipment to aid Russia, escalating their Military Collaboration under a Mutual Defense Pact. The U.S. condemned these actions as Destabilizing and pledged to counter such Illicit Networks.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Richard Grenell, his former Intelligence Chief, as Presidential Envoy for Special Missions. Grenell has previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Special Envoy for Serbia-Kosovo Peace Talks, and Acting Director of National Intelligence. Although he was considered for other high-profile roles, Trump chose him for this position to address key international issues. Grenell has also previously interacted with Venezuelan Leader Nicolás Maduro. Senator Bill Hagerty expressed strong support for Grenell.

CNN reports that Russian Officials are attempting to determine if Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would be willing to Negotiate a Settlement, which would allow Russia to maintain some of its Bases in Syria, including Khmeimim Air Base near Latakia and the Naval Base in Tartus. Despite this however, preparations are being made for the Russian Navy to permanently leave Syria; with U.S. Officials stating that Russia has begun to move Naval Assets from Syria to Libya, as pressure has been placed on the Commander of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to secure Russia’s claim to a possible Naval Base in Benghazi.

Following reports over the last few days of Significant Progress in Ceasefire and Hostage Negotiations between Israel and Hamas; Polymarket’s Betting Market currently believes there is a 48% Chance that a Ceasefire occurs by the end of December. The Situation in Syria is expected to have pushed Hamas further towards agreeing to a Ceasefire, despite certain Unfavorable Terms.

President-Elect Donald Trump, alongside SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, announced that SoftBank would invest $100 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, aimed at boosting the economy. The investment is expected to create 100,000 jobs in Artificial Intelligence and related Infrastructure, with deployment before the end of Trump's term. Trump described the investment as a sign of strong confidence in America's future and jokingly encouraged Son to double the pledge to $200 billion. This announcement follows a similar pledge in 2016, when Son committed $50 billion and 50,000 jobs, though it is unclear whether the promised jobs were actually created.

Reports of several Explosions heard near the Southern Iraqi City of Basrah, near the Border with Iran.

According to an official from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, ”the ceasefire period with the Turkish factions has ended today” (Jennifer Griffin, Fox News). Prior to the ceasefire, the SDF was under heavy attack from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and their ability to hold key ground was becoming increasingly untenable.
The ceasefire, which began back on the 12th, largely relied on Turkey’s role the matter and SDF a recent SDF release (attached image) claims that two main points of contention were the reason for the breakdown of negotiations: the relocation of civilians and aligned fighters from the Manbij area to places in northern and eastern Syria and the relocation of Suleiman Shah’s (one of the original sultans of the Ottoman Empire) tomb back to its original location.