Iran’s Leader hails Yemeni Houthis's 'great achievement' in Red Sea

“The Yemenis and the Ansar Allah did a great job. They damaged the vital channels of Israel. The US threatened them, but they were not afraid of the US,” Iranian leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stated, commenting on the Houthis naval operations in the Red Sea.

He also noted that "these efforts, acts of resistance and activities will continue until victory."

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❗️Key points from Putin's statements at the meeting with the heads of municipalities in Russia:

▪️"We have always cherished our Motherland; this tradition is passed from heart to heart."

▪️"Ukraine has refused negotiations with Russia - fools, it should have ended long ago."

▪️Putin declared a complete and absolute failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' counteroffensive.

▪️The strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on peaceful Russian citizens are an attempt to divert attention from their complete failure on the front.

▪️The sovereignty of Ukraine may suffer an irreparable blow, and it is the responsibility of the current authorities in Kiev.

▪️ Putin thanked the residents of border regions in Russia for their courage and unity, assuring that the authorities would support them.

▪️The unity of Russians and the development of their economy are a complete surprise for Russia's adversaries.

▪️Putin described the strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on peaceful residents in Russia, including from MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System), as barbaric.

▪️The strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on peaceful residents in Russia aim to demonstrate to sponsors an alleged ability to resist Russia.

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⚡️Putin: Nationalistic ideas prevailed in Ukraine after the collapse of the USSR, leading to the current situation.

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Zelensky meets his master in Davos: will Stoltenberg give him "the precious" this time?

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📹 "Ukraine failed its counteroffensive. If this continues, then its statehood will be put into question," said Putin.

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"Everything could have ended long ago, but Ukraine refused negotiations with Russia," said Putin.

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🤷 Climate change, the green economy & Zelensky’s standup routine

How far has the World Economic Forum in Davos sunk? Join us in rating them!

🔊Our little advice: turn up the sound.

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📬 "It’s clear what kind of voting by mail this is: they bought ballots for $10, filled them out and, without any supervision from observers, threw them into mailboxes - and that’s it," Putin said.

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🇷🇺🇰🇵 Kremlin says Putin held meetings with foreign ministers of Russia and North Korea following their talks in Moscow.

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⚡️The IRGC launched missile and drone strikes on Jaish al-Adl positions in Pakistan's Balochistan — Tasnim

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💥 Russian tank crew destroy a temporary position of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel

After receiving coordinates from a UAV operator pinpointing a house where a group of 12 Ukrainian nationalists had gathered, the crew of a T-90M tank of the Russian Armed Forces swiftly moved into position. Using direct fire, they struck at the provided coordinates.

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Kalashnikov steps up production of pistols, universal latches, and kamikaze drones

The Kalashnikov Concern (part of the Rostec State Corporation) has summarized its work for 2023. Here are some of the key achievements:

▪️security forces received 10,000 Lebedev (PLK) pistols;

▪️production capacity of Yarygin (PYa) pistols doubled;

▪️production capacity of MR-27 and MR-43 civilian hunting weapons, as well as MR-512 and MR-654 pneumatic guns increased;

▪️production of components for S-13 unguided aircraft rockets doubled, thus ensuring timely and complete fulfillment of the state defense order for such munitions;

▪️Kalashnikov supplied Vikhr-1 and Strela high-precision air-launched missiles, as well as components and assemblies for guided artillery shells to its customers;

▪️special equipment production climbed by 45%. Kalashnikov special machinery division completed a state contract for the supply of loitering munitions and the KUB UAV ground-based launch systems. The division modernized ad upgraded this kamikaze drone;

▪️Kalashnikov launched mass production of active protection systems for the BMP-3 infantry-fighting vehicle (already adopted in service). Plus, 2023 saw the start of the serial production of new elements for dynamic protection;

▪️serial development begins for the equipment that enhances stealth technology, helping to conceal T-90M, T-80 BM and T-72B3 tanks, such systems were under further development for other types of military equipment;

▪️Kalashnikov launched batch production of two new products: the Egida fragment-resistant blankets and the Elbrus-T titanium helmets; the demand for the two grows by the day;

▪️machine tool output surged 65%.

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🇮🇷 IRGC Uses ‘Fortress Buster’ to Trounce Terrorists: What Other Ballistic Missiles Does Iran Possess?

Iran used its new Kheibar-Shekan (lit. ‘Castle Buster’ or ‘Fortress Buster’) medium-range ballistic missile during Monday night’s strikes against terror targets in Syria, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has revealed.

First unveiled in 2022, the Kheibar-Shekan is a 4.5 ton, 10.5 meter long ballistic missile with a 1,450 km range. The missile has a 500-kilogram conventional high-explosive warhead.

The missile is just one of an array of medium-range missile in Iran’s arsenal – which includes nearly three dozen different types of home-grown ballistic and cruise missiles. Others include the Ashura, the Fajr-3, the Fattah 1, the Ghadr-110, the Kheibar, the Shahab-3 ER, and the Sejjil.

Iran also possesses shorter-range missiles, including the Fateh-110 ballistic missile, the Abu Mahdi cruise missile, the Fatah-313 and Qiam 1 ballistic missiles. The latter two were used in 2020 to target US forces in Iraq in response to the US assassination of a senior Iranian commander, and left 110 American troops with traumatic brain injuries.

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❗️ The US does not have another military package for Ukraine in the works right now as funding has run out, White House spokesman John Kirby said.

"There isn't another one in the works right now or being scheduled for announcement or delivery. We meant it when we said it at the time that that was the last one for which we had replenishment authority," Kirby stated during a press briefing.

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US seems to have lost track of 40,000 weapons sent to Ukraine

The US was unable to fully account for nearly 40,000 pieces of military equipment worth almost $1.7 billion, The New York Times (NYT) reports citing an obtained Pentagon report.

The comprehensive evaluation is based on classified data analyzed by the US Department of Defense (DoD) that was forwarded to Congress and the NYT. A redacted version was later released to the public.

The report puts the potential loss at about $1 billion of the total $1.69-billion worth of the weapons sent, though no specifics regarding the 39,139 high-risk pieces considered “delinquent” were given.

Under the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the supplied weaponry should have been closely monitored. Their battlefield impact, sensitive technology and relatively small size makes them sought after by arms smugglers.

The findings raise major concerns whether the arms could be stolen or smuggled at a time when Congress is debating sending even more aid to Kiev.

Numerous reports suggest that some of the gifted weapons already ended up on the black market around the world. There are also serious fears of NATO arms trickling back to the EU, fuelling a spike in terrorist activity.

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❗️ Israel has decided to allow entrance of medicines and humanitarian aid to the most war-torn areas of the Gaza Strip in exchange for delivery of medicines to the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

“Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the success of a Qatari mediation in cooperation with the friendly Republic of France, in reaching an agreement, between Israel and (Hamas), where medicine along with other humanitarian aide is to be delivered to civilians in Gaza Strip, in the most affected and vulnerable areas, in exchange for delivering medication needed for Israeli captives in Gaza,” the ministry wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

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Germany will provide military assistance to Ukraine worth more than seven billion euros ($7.6 billion) in 2024, the German government said on Tuesday.

"In 2024, Germany will support Ukraine with military goods worth more than 7 billion euros," the statement read.

Germany, the economic powerhouse of the EU, has fallen on hard times following Berlin’s 2022 decision to join in on the US-led economic warfare campaign against Russia.

Western sanctions intended to cripple the Russian economy have backfired against the very countries that introduced them, with Germany especially suffering from the loss of access to cheap Russian energy that long has been vital for its industry.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted that Russia’s economy has become the number one in Europe and the fifth in the world based on purchasing power parity.

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Why does Netanyahu want control of Gaza’s border with Israel?

“Israel has no alternative rather than having total control over this border, because it seems that [it] has not achieved any goals in Gaza,” Mehmet Rakipoglu, a Middle East affairs specialist at the London-based Dimensions for Strategic Studies think tank, told Sputnik.

Egypt “will not allow Israel to have full control over the corridor,” Rakipoglu believes. “Egypt is the most powerful country in the Arab world in terms of military and also in terms of population. Egypt’s population is over 80 million. Until the normalization process of 1978-1979, Egypt has been on the front[line] in the fight against Israel. So it seems that Egypt has the power, has a capability to confront Israel.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to seize the 14 km-long Philadelphi Corridor separating Gaza and Egypt on Saturday.

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