International Court of Justice has the opportunity to stop the war in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Local Development Minister Ahmed Majdalani told Sputnik in light of the ICJ hearing of South Africa against Israel in the case of Gaza genocide.

"South Africa has provided the International Court of Justice with a range of convincing factual and material evidence that the Israeli government has committed genuine genocide in Gaza. We hope that the trial outcome will at least put serious pressure on Israel, and stop its aggression against the Gazans. And if several more countries support South Africa’s claim, then the chances of ending hostilities will be even higher.”

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russian pilots receive new PP-2000 submachine guns

Airmen from the Aerospace Forces are now testing the PP-2000 submachine guns - enhancing their weapons beyond traditional pistols and grenades.

🔹 What's new?
Previously, Russian combat aviation pilots were limited to carrying just pistols and grenades. The inclusion of rifles was impractical due to space constraints in both the cockpit and the portable emergency reserve (PER). Now, with the compact and precise PP-2000, pilots have a weapon boasting better accuracy and a longer lethal range than a pistol.

🔹 Pilot feedback:
The initial response from pilots is overwhelmingly positive. The PP-2000's compact size and enhanced capabilities have made it a welcome addition to their emergency kits.

🔹 PER upgrade:
The portable emergency reserve (PER) is essential for pilot survival in case of ejection. It typically contains a first aid kit, food, a knife, and portable radio communication gear. The addition of the PP-2000 is a significant enhancement to this survival kit.

This marks a significant upgrade in pilot equipment, especially for those involved in the special military operation in Ukraine.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Family values or good old fashion corruption? French PM's gay husband named foreign minister.

Stephane Sejournet, husband of French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, has become the new head of the country's Foreign Ministry, local media report.

*LGBT has been recognized by the Russian Supreme Court as an extremist movement

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Ukrainian military command abandons soldiers in fields full of corpses - PoW

Fields covered with soldiers' bodies unevacuated from Ukrainian positions, massive losses in units all over the fronts, corpses left even in trenches - that's how Ukrainian soldier Roman Kalinichenko, now a Russian POW, describes the situation on the Zaporozhye front.

"As I walk through the battlefield, I haven't seen a single dead Russian soldier. Our guys – plenty of them. They are lying everywhere," he said.

According to the soldier, the military command does not evacuate the bodies to avoid compensating their relatives, rather taking this money for itself through corrupt schemes.

Kalinichenko also shared the story of his fellow soldier's suicide after having opted not to fight. The unit's command attributed the suicide to battle losses.

"He was very young – 26 or 27 years old. He shot himself – didn't want to go. Do you think there was a fuss? No, there wasn't... In our 128th [territorial defense brigade], they arranged it so that it counted as combat casualties," he said.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Watch Russian T-72B3M tanks destroy enemy in Donetsk direction

In combat operations, the 1st Army Corps use small unmanned aerial vehicles to search for targets when the enemy is using anti-tank weapons.

After receiving target assignment, the crews deliver devastating strikes on enemy firing points and strongholds.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ British PM Rishi Sunak is holding an emergency meeting

The subject is expected to be "UK and US military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen", which might involve the Royal Air Force and Navy, as reported by British media.

William Patey, the former UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Iraq, has said that the strikes could result into a conflict between the UK and Iran, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

Previously today, the US Central Command said that it recorded Houthis’ 27 attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea, adding the attack was unsuccessful.

In November, the Houthis vowed they would continue to prevent the passage in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea of ships linked to Israeli companies or bound for Israel until the latter's military actions in the Gaza Strip end.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇨🇫 On the night of January 10, the first ship with free Russian grain for the Central African Republic began unloading in the Cameroonian port of Douala

The Russian ship with humanitarian aid arrived at the port on December 18.

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

🔸 Sputnik Africa | TikTok | Twitter 🔸

🛢️ US reopens ports to Russian oil despite sanctions

The US imposed a ban on the import of oil, gas, and other energy resources from Russia in March 2022 as part of sanctions related to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Нowever, specific licenses from the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) have now made such imports possible.

According to the data, the US purchased Russian oil for consumption in both October and November. At the same time, one barrel of Russian oil cost the US $74 in October and $76 the following month. This is significantly higher than the "price cap" set by the country at $60 per barrel.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US has stopped supplying weapons and military equipment to Ukraine due to the lack of budgetary funds for such programmes

"We have issued the last package of available stocks, for which we had funding to support," John Kirby, the White House spokesman, said, commenting on the issue of Washington's arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Russia has consistently warned against further arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying they would be regarded as a legitimate military target.

The West should prepare for a tough response to its attacks on Yemen, which will not take long, said Nasruddin Amer, media spokesman for the Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement, to Sputnik.

"America and all those who stand on its side are enemies and they will be dealt with based on their crimes in the region... Houthis are only targeting those ships that are related to Israel and those who commit criminal acts to protect them," said Amer.

He also acknowledged that the "US-British attack on the Yemeni navy" had resulted in the deaths of a number of Houthi supporters, but pointed out that "the West, with its battleships, must prepare for a tough Yemeni response... We did not start the war with America - it came to the region and attacked Yemen."

He said accusations against Ansar Allah that it is affiliated with Iran have no ground and it is tjust a "pretext that the West always uses, but... only Yemenis make decisions and choose their path."

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Journalist Stephen Swinford has reported that Britain and the US may tonight launch air strikes against Ansar Allah military facilities in Yemen.

The UK's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle have been notified of the government's plans to join the US in striking Houthi positions, Mr Swinford claimed.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US reveals surveillance state nature by trying to form 'fifth column' in Russia

America’s efforts to expand its recruitment efforts among Russian graduates of US academic exchange programs may signify the return of the CIA and other US intelligence agencies to the practices of human intelligence (HUMINT), says retired US Air Force Lt. Col and former Pentagon analyst Karen Kwiatkowski.

She also notes that it may hint at expectations of “future funding for HUMINT, which has been weak for years in the US and is less costly and more easily hidden within the larger budget,” as well as pointing at “the expanded and pervasive nature of the US surveillance state, and its ability to not only track and identify but surreptitiously engage these young people among Americans.”

Most foreign exchange programs’ graduates make good candidates for HUMINT recruitment since they are “already bi or trilingual, academically smart, have excellent social IQ’s and are comfortable with and can perform well under higher than normal stress,” not to mention the prospects of them rising to leadership roles in their countries, Kwiatkowski points out.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️❗️ US and Britain have launched a military operation against the Houthi targets in Yemen, Al Arabiya reported, citing sources.

Sputnik sources reported airstrikes on the city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast and the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Strikes were carried out overnight on targets in the city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast in western Yemen, as well as in the capital Sanaa, sources in authorities in the Yemeni province of Hodeidah and the northern province of Saada told Sputnik.

"The strikes are being carried out on targets in Hodeidah," the local authority source said, with "four airstrikes were carried out on Yemen's capital Sanaa"

Earlier, Al Arabiya TV channel quoted sources as saying that the US and Britain launched an operation on Friday night against the facilities of the ruling Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement in northern Yemen.

The sources noted that the strike particularly targeted the vicinity of the port of Hodeidah. They also added that five airstrikes hit Houthi targets east of Hodeidah.

Social media publishes video of alleged explosions in the vicinity of Hodeidah Harbour.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Pentagon confirmed the strikes on Yemen

According to the representative of the US Defence Ministry, it hit drone production centres and weapons depots.

Strikes on the positions of the Houthis were carried out from aircraft, ships and submarines, writes Reuters, citing a US official.

📹 Russian paratroopers from Novorossiysk assault Ukrainian positions near Verbovoye

Winged infantry under the cover of an armored group entered a wooded area Ukrainian units were defending. The Russian paratroopers suppressed the enemy's resistance.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US said that as of 3:20am, they and UK have stopped carrying out strikes in Yemen, adding that they might resume the strikes if threats and attacks from the Houthis continue.

Houthis continue to launch missiles at US ships right at this time, according to media reports.

The strikes targeted more than 12 Houthis facilities in Yemen, a US official told Sputnik.

The attack was carried out with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, as reported by the Politico newspaper citing a Pentagon official.

London and Washington should be ready to pay a high price for massive strikes on Yemen, stated country's Deputy FM Hussein al-Azi.

At the same time both Republican and Democratic congressmen are expressing concerns about strikes on Yemen by a US-led coalition of countries, in response to attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi militants.

"These airstrikes have not been authorized by Congress. The Constitution is clear: Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts. Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorization, regardless of party," Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle said on social media platform X.

House Dem. Ro Khanna reiterated Hoyle’s concerns, stating Biden must seek congressional approval before involving the US in another Middle East conflict.

GOP Senator Mike Lee replied to Khanna’s statement and expressed his agreement. The US Constitution applies regardless of political affiliation, Lee said.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Pentagon denies reports that a warship and the US embassy in Iraq were attacked in retaliation for strikes on Houthi targets

At the same time Russia has called for a UN Security Council meeting for 12 January over US and British strikes on Yemen.