Hezbollah fired 62 rockets at northern Israel - reports.

"As part of the initial response to the crime of assassinating the great leader Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri... the Islamic resistance (Hezbollah) targeted the Meron air control base with 62 various types of missiles," the Lebanese organization declared in a statement quoted by the media.

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The news about US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's hospitalization a few days ago has been widely discussed on social media, with people guessing why the Biden administration chose not to disclose this until today and declined to comment on the seriousness of his condition or why he was unable to perform his duties.

Earlier, the Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said that Austin was admitted to hospital on January 1.

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Who stands to gain from the logistical crisis in the Red Sea?

The United States has seen a significant surge in oil exports amid disruptions caused by Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Robert Yawger, executive director for energy futures at Mizuho Securities USA, said, quoted by MarketWatch.

The tense situation in the Red Sea has prompted European customers to redirect their routes towards the US Gulf Coast, opting to load up on American oil. This shift in preference has distinctly favored the United States, Yawger opined.

In the week ending December 29, US exports experienced a sharp increase, rising by 1.377 million barrels per day to reach 5.292 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

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📹 Crews of "Akatsiya" self-propelled artillery systems are executing precise strikes on Ukrainian enemy targets in the Kupyansk region.

A reconnaissance group, utilizing drones, identified camouflaged positions housing personnel and a group of Ukrainian armored vehicles. The coordinates were transmitted to the command post for further destruction.

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Poland's plan for long-range missiles for Ukraine is all talk and no action

"One should bear in mind that neither Josep Borrell nor Radoslaw Sikorski has this kind of weapon," Mateusz Piskorski, a political observer and columnist for the Myśl Polska (Polish Thought) newspaper, told Sputnik, referring to plans of providing long-range missiles to Kiev announced by the EU chief diplomat and the Polish foreign minister.

Per Piskorski, the politicians' loud statements are just a PR stunt aimed at a domestic and international audience.

"Any escalation and continuation of the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine clearly contradicts Poland's interests and its security. Therefore, I personally believe that it is in Poland's existential core interest to actually end the conflict," Piskorski emphasized.

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Danish F-16 fighter jets destined for Ukraine will be delayed for months, Berlingske newspaper reports

In August, the Danish prime minister promised to send nineteen F-16 fighter jets to Kiev as part of the allies' efforts to arm Ukraine with advanced weapons.

The Russian air defense system will take only about 20 days to shoot down all the F-16s that the Ukrainian military will receive, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in early November.

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📹 Russian MoD releases footage of Russian servicemen effectively utilizing drones in South Donetsk

Every day, drone crews identify and attack targets, such as: Ukrainian observation posts, hideouts, lightly armored vehicles, posts and personnel concentration areas. This group of drone operators already hit over 500 targets.

The kamikaze drone is launched and controlled by a crew of two soldiers. One controls the drone with a remote control and VR goggles, and the other prepares the drone for launch, then acts as a locator, tracking the drone's flight direction on the map, orienting the operator and adjusting his work.

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🇷🇺🪖 Key points of Russian MoD briefing on progress of special military op in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Donetsk region, the Russian forces repelled two counterattacks of the Ukrainian troops and hit with drones the control point of the Ukrainian operational tactical group "Donetsk". Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 190 servicemen;

▪️ In Zaporozhye, Russian troops defeated three Ukrainian brigades. Ukrainian losses amounted to 25 soldiers and one tank;

▪️ In the Kupyansk region, four attacks were repelled. Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 80 servicemen;

▪️ In Krasny Liman, Ukrainian losses amounted to 100 servicemen;

▪️ Russian air defense systems destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones and intercepted four Ukrainian aircraft-guided missiles.

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🇹🇷🗣 During talks with Blinken, the Turkish foreign minister called for a ceasefire in Gaza and said that the fighting threatens the whole region, a source told Sputnik.

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