DC think tank: Israel's Beirut bomb forces Hamas, Hezbollah & Iran to retaliate

Per the think tank, the odds of an Israeli-Hezbollah clash have risen in the short term. The two had already been exchanging artillery and rocket fire across the border.

"The drone that killed Arouri struck far from that border, in a portion of southern Beirut that is considered a Hezbollah stronghold," wrote Paul R. Pillar, a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute.

Pillar believes that the Hezbollah leadership is not seeking a repetition of the 2006 war with Israel, which led to significant human and material losses. However, given that the Shiite group has long committed to protect the Lebanese people from Israeli attacks, it "may have now been pushed closer to carrying out more of the threats of retaliation it has been voicing since Israel began its assault on Gaza," the scholar argued.

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IAF's Chopper Procurement Takes Turn: Russian Mi-26 Helicopters Replace Chinooks

🇮🇳 India's helicopter procurement strategy is undergoing a significant change as they decide against acquiring US-manufactured Chinook helicopters.

🇷🇺 Instead, they are showing preference for Russia's Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopters, which corresponds with the positive trajectory of their bilateral relations.

🚁 Furthermore, India's existing fleet of Mi-26 helicopters is scheduled for maintenance in Russia.

IAF Chief Hints at Stopping Import of Combat Helicopters

"The need for a very agile attack helicopter was felt immediately after the Kargil conflict, and this indigenous development of the LCH or Prachand has given a tremendous boost to our warfighting capability in this area of helicopter combat operations," AF chief Vivek Ram Chaudhari told reporters in New Delhi in November.

HAL's IMHR and Mi-26 to Form Bulwark of IAF's Heavy-Lift Chopper Fleet

🇺🇸 🚫 Instead of acquiring the American-made Chinooks, the IAF has reportedly opted for the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) being developed by state-owned aeronautics giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

▪Although the proposed IMHR would be slightly smaller than the Chinooks, it is being touted as India's next-generation helicopter.

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A report released by House Democrats on Thursday revealed that businesses owned by former US President Donald Trump were being paid millions of dollars by foreign governments and businesses.

According to the report, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and others made payments to Trump-owned businesses, with China being the largest contributor by spending $5.5 million while Trump was in office.

The corruption alleged by the report is similar to accusations by Republicans against US President Joe Biden over foreign business deals made by his family members, including his son and brother.

👉 Read more in the full article

The United States is reportedly preparing contingency plans for the chance the war in Gaza turns into a regional conflict.

US officials are concerned that the risk of the Gaza conflict escalating into a regional conflict is growing, US media reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

US intelligence officials are reportedly looking into ways to deter attacks by ‘proxy militants’ against US forces in Iraq and Syria.

According to the sources, a possible escalation could result in President Joe Biden’s deeper involvement in the Middle East as his 2024 election campaign is seeking to focus on domestic issues. The insiders warned that the scenario of a wider conflict in the Middle East is “perilous” for Biden’s “reelection chances.”

👉 Read on for more details

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Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk asserted on Thursday in a social media post that the Biden administration is actively facilitating illegal immigration.

"At this point, there is no question that this administration is actively facilitating illegal immigration," Musk said. "The numbers speak for themselves."

Musk also said that the reason behind this was that the administration views the illegal immigrants as "potential Dem voters."

👉 Hit the link to get the full rundown

So-called "decapitation drills" held by South Korea and the US for a potential assassination of North Korea's Kim Jong Un suggest the Biden administration may be "looking to start another firefight," journalist and activist George Koo told Sputnik.

“All hell would break loose if they try it, whether they are successful or not. That is obviously a declaration of war,” Koo said, noting most northern US cities would be in range of a retaliatory ICBM attack.

👉 Read more in the full article

Pro-Palestinian activists protest near the home of Secretary Blinken in Virginia.

Local police told Sputnik that no arrests were made, and in the meantime a video of protesters pouring red paint over an official car has been published on social networks.

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🇦🇷The new President of Argentina, Javier Milei, believes that the positive results of his government's reforms will be visible in 15 years.

The presidential term in Argentina lasts 4 years (with the possibility of re-election 1 time)

"You will be able to see two thirds of the improvements in 15 years. So you will see them, your children will enjoy them, and your grandchildren will live wonderfully," Milei replied to the host of FM Delta radio station, who doubted that he would have time to see "a prosperous Argentina."

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📹 Crews of anti-tank missile systems "Fagot" and "Kornet" of Russian paratroopers destroyed the infantry of Ukraine in the Artemovsk region

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South Korea orders evacuation on Yeonpyeong Island over North's shelling – reports

"We announced the evacuation after receiving a call from a military unit saying it was carrying out a maritime strike on Yeongpyeong Island as it has a situation with a North Korean provocation," the official was quoted as saying.

Earlier it was reported that the North Korean military fired 200 artillery shells into its own territorial waters near South Korean islands of Baengnyongdo and Yeonpyeong.

No civilians or South Korean military personnel were reportedly injured, and the shells fell north of the de facto maritime border.

The shelling came in the wake of reports that the US and South Korean militaries were conducting "decapitation drills" - in other words, training to assassinate North Korean leaders, including Kim Jong Un himself.

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Germany has supplied another batch of military assistance to Ukraine, including ammunition for Leopard 2 main battle tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Skynex air defense system and other equipment, the German government said.

Germany's arms exports increased by 40% in 2023 and reached a record 11.71 billion euros ($13 billion) as of mid-December 2023, the DPA news agency reported, citing the German Economy Ministry. More than a third of approved arms exports, or 4.15 billion euros worth of weapons, were intended for Ukraine, followed by Norway with 1.2 billion euros, Hungary with 1.03 billion euros and others, the news agency reported.

Western countries, including member states of the European Union, have been providing military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict.

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US funds for Ukraine run dry

The US has no additional funds for Ukraine and cannot replace weapons sent there, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

"We're out of money," he admitted.

The Pentagon does not want to jeopardize the preparedness of US forces, so there will likely be a pause in support, Ryder noted.

Russia has repeatedly stressed that Western aid will not affect the course of the special military operation in Ukraine and warned that expensive military equipment supplied to the Kiev regime will be destroyed.

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US B-1 Lancer bomber crashed during a training mission in South Dakota, US military officials have confirmed.

According to a statement by the Ellsworth Air Force Base, the crash occurred at around 5:50 p.m. local time while attempting to land at the base during a training operation.

The statement confirmed all four crew members on board managed to safely eject from the aircraft. The bomber reportedly exploded after it crashed. Unverified emergency transmissions shared across social media described officials working to control an active fire at the scene.

The B-1 bomber is a nuclear-capable, jet-powered aircraft. With the largest payload of guided and unguided bombs, high speed and impressive handling, it is considered the backbone of the US bomber fleet. Of the 100 originally built, less than 60 remain in active service.

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Epstein's brother claims notorious financier was killed by Washington

Mark Epstein, the brother of the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, believes that his relative did not commit suicide in a prison cell, but was killed by the US government.

He cites a doctor who attended the autopsy and claimed that Epstein's death looked "more like a "homicide than a suicide."

Epstein, a convicted sex criminal, died in 2019 while awaiting a trial on new sex trafficking charges. The disgraced figure's ties to a number of celebrities and politicians sparked speculation that his death was staged to hide an ugly truth about important public figures.

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A delegation led by an American military expert, former Marine and US Air Force intelligence officer Scott Ritter, arrived in Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechen Republic, the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, said.

"During a casual conversation [with the chairman of the Chechen parliament], we discussed the situation in the world and the special military operation in Ukraine.

Scott Ritter is widely known for his consistent criticism of US foreign policy, as well as the actions of the Ukrainian side," Kadyrov stated.

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❗️Russian air defense systems destroyed a Ukrainian anti-ship missile "Neptune" over the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"At about 12:30 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack with the Neptune anti-ship missile on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped."

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The US finds itself in a situation where its 50-year hegemony in the Middle East is "now being challenged," Scott Bennett, a former US Army psychological warfare officer and State Department counter-terrorism analyst, told Sputnik.

According to him, America is currently facing "further deterioration across the Middle East: the terrorist attack in [Iran's] Kerman, the ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and other threats to increase tensions in the region."

Bennett added that over the past 20 years, the US has "substituted diplomacy for military interventionism, and as a result, offended and ostracized the majority, if not the totality, of Middle Eastern peoples, nations, and cultures."

Politico previously reported that the US is preparing for a possible new war in the Middle East, a scenario that could prove "perilous" for US President Joe Biden's "re-election chances."

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🇮🇶 The Iraqi government is forming a committee to prepare the closing down of the US-led international coalition’s mission in the country, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s office said on Friday.

Sudani’s statement came a day after a US strike killed a militia leader in Baghdad, prompting anger among Iran-aligned groups which demanded the government end the presence of the coalition in Iraq.

“Government is setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

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