The U.S. military said Tuesday that nearly 25 operatives of the Islamic State group were killed or captured in Syria this month following an ambush that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said in a statement on X that 11 missions were carried out over the past 10 days and followed initial strikes against IS weapons sites and infrastructure on Dec. 19, which hit 70 targets across central Syria.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna251638

The UAE announced the withdrawal of its remaining counter-terrorism units in Yemen on Tuesday, citing recent developments and concerns over the safety and effectiveness of ongoing operations.
https://www.arabnews.jp/en/middle-east/article_161580/

Syrian arrested in Dutch port city suspected of Christmas terrorist attack plot in Europe

A Syrian man arrested two weeks ago in Vlissingen was under investigation for several crimes related to terrorism, including a possible plot to launch an attack around Christmas time, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Tuesday. The 29-year-old "may have been planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Europe and is believed to be a member of Islamic State (ISIS)," prosecutors stated.
https://nltimes.nl/2025/12/30/syrian-arrested-dutch-port-city-suspected-christmas-terrorist-attack-plot-europe

A 21-year-old Texas man accused of trying to support ISIS with bomb components and money has been ordered held pending his trial on an international terrorism offence
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/texas-man-accused-support-isis-ordered-held-pending/story?id=128782182

Iraqi army announced on Wednesday that the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State group will hand over the strategic Ain al-Assad airbase in western Iraq to the country’s security forces next week. 

“The coalition’s mission has ended, and the focus has shifted toward concluding bilateral international memoranda and understandings, whether with the United States or with France, Britain, and Italy at present,” said Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi, Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC), during a press conference.
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/311220252

U.S. and partner forces killed or captured nearly 25 Islamic State operatives in Syria in the days following a large-scale U.S.-led strike on Dec. 19, according to a new statement from U.S. Central Command, underscoring Washington’s assessment that ISIS remains an active and persistent threat inside the country.

CENTCOM said those forces conducted 11 follow-on missions between Dec. 20 and Dec. 29, killing at least seven ISIS members, capturing the remainder and eliminating four ISIS weapons caches. The operations followed Operation Hawkeye Strike, when U.S. and Jordanian forces hit more than 70 ISIS targets across central Syria using over 100 precision munitions, destroying infrastructure and weapons sites linked to the group. 
https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-exploiting-syrias-chaos-us-strikes-expose-growing-threat.amp

Armed Conflict Location & Event Data or ACLED, the nonpartisan conflict monitor, told Al Jazeera that the US had carried out – or been a partner to – 622 overseas bombings in all, using drones or aircraft, since January 20, 2025, when Trump took office.

US conducted strikes on three more narco vessels, killing three

https://x.com/southcom/status/2006474817076330557?s=46&t=irhoYgj_v1BiJLcnu6Sezw

As cities and towns across the U.S. prepare for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations, local, state and national law enforcement agencies are on the lookout for potential threats — concerns that are heightened in the wake of the recent Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia and the deadly attack on last year's celebrations on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/law-enforcement-security-measures-new-years-celebrations/#

On Dec. 31, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second

🇮🇷Breaking news: Iran is offering to sell advanced weapons systems including ballistic missiles, drones and warships to foreign governments for cryptocurrency, in a bid to use digital assets to bypass western financial controls
https://www.ft.com/content/d1ceb1a4-3493-4776-ae22-c94d76dc478f?utm_social_post_id=639621587&utm_social_handle_id=18949452

🇵🇭Government troops clashed with suspected communist rebels while on patrol on Thursday morning in Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog town, Occidental Mindoro, the Philippine Army said.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2161775/army-troops-clash-with-communist-rebels-in-occidental-mindoro?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=gallery#