❗️A residential building was attacked in the Mezzah neighborhood of Damascus, the Syrian state agency SANA says the attack seems to be an act of 'Israeli aggression'

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Slovakia stripped of air defense, fighter jets after helping Ukraine – Defense Minister

Slovakia handed over its only S-300 complex to Ukraine, but did not procure a replacement. The country is looking for a new air defense system, but in general the process of providing air defense can take years, Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said in an interview with local media.

"The previous government left us without air defense systems, without military aviation, we don't even have 700 million [euros] that were promised in exchange for MiG [fighter] jets, which were also given to Ukraine by the [previous] government," he stressed.

Western countries promised Slovakia a Patriot air defense system in exchange for the S-300s, as well as 700 million euros in monetary compensation for a squadron of fighter jets. However, neither of these promises has yet been fulfilled.

In 2023, after the parliamentary elections, the new Slovak government took a different stance on the Ukrainian conflict and decided to stop military supplies to the Kiev regime, citing its inability to win. PM Robert Fico repeatedly emphasized that aid to Ukraine makes Slovakia defenseless and only prolongs hostilities.

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❗️Al-Mayadin, citing sources, confirmed the deaths of 3 people, including 2 IRGC intelligence officers, as a result of an Israeli airstrike on a house in southern Damascus, Syria.

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What is known so far about the alleged Israeli strike in Damascus, Syria?

▪️ Two members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed as a result of an Israeli strike on Damascus, Al-Mayadeen reported, citing its sources.

▪️ The building destroyed in the strike was used by Iranian advisers who support the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Reuters reported, citing a security source that is part of a network of groups close to the Syrian government and its main ally, Iran, adding that it was completely flattened by "precision-guided Israeli missiles". So far, there is no independent confirmation for this claim.

▪️A spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad told Reuters that no members of their group were wounded in the strike, following reports that some were at the bombed-out building.

▪️ Essam Al-Amin, head of Al-Mowasat Hospital in Damascus, told the local Syrian outlet Al-Watan Online that his hospital had received one body and three wounded, including a woman, after the attack.

▪️ There was no immediate comment from Israel.

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❗️IRGC confirms death of four military advisers

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Is Israel preparing military action against Lebanon?

Israel has stated that if a long-term agreement on the Israeli-Lebanese border is not reached in the next few weeks, the Israeli state plans to escalate its confrontation with the Lebanese Hezbollah, according to the Washington Post.

The Biden administration has previously told the newspaper that Israel may face challenges in waging a two-front war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Nevertheless, the Israeli military has stepped up its attacks on the militia group in recent weeks, including targeting senior commanders near the border.

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Iran has successfully launched a home-made Sorayya satellite into orbit.

The Iranian Space Agency said the satellite was launched by the Qaem 100 satellite carrier developed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

This is the first time that an Iranian domestically-made satellite has been successfully placed in an orbit above 500 kilometers.

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❗️Russian forces hit a US-built М109 "Paladin" self-propelled artillery unit and the German-built IRIS-T radar station.

🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the Russian MoD briefing on the progress of special military op in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Donetsk region, Ukrainian losses amounted to 320 soldiers, a MSTA-B howitzer and a D-20 gun;

▪️In the Krasny Liman region, the Russian Army repelled four attacks by Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian losses amounted to 280 soldiers;

▪️In the South Donetsk region, Russian forces repelled two attacks by Ukrainian troops and hit enemy personnel near Konstantinovka, DPR;

▪️The Russian Army shot down 20 Ukrainian drones, as well as one HIMARS missile.

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😳 Britain’s famous fish and chips threatened by collapse of UK-Russia fishing deal

Russia’s move to withdraw from an agreement that allows British trawlers to fish in the Barents Sea may threaten one of the most iconic dishes in the UK, British media lament.

According to the Daily Mail, a large portion of the hundreds of thousands of tons of cod and haddock fished by British ships in these waters goes towards making the fish and chips sold in stores all across the UK.

Moscow has moved to revoke this fishing deal in response to Britain’s unfriendly actions towards the country in recent years, prompting the media outlet to voice concerns that Russian warships may soon begin warning off British fishing boats trying to ply their trade in the Barents Sea.

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📹🎯 Russian artillerymen continue to destroy fortifications and personnel of the Ukrainian assault brigade in the village of Spornoye, Donetsk region.

The Russian Defense Ministry released footage recorded by drones flying over Ukrainian positions.

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🇸🇰 Slovakia's prime minister has said he would block Ukraine's membership in NATO

“I know what I’m going with (to the meeting with the Ukrainian prime minister - ed.), I’m going with humanitarian aid, we’ll confirm that they will not receive any weapons from the Slovak Army and from state warehouses, I’ll say that there are things that our views are completely different. As for their entry into the European Union, we respect that, but they must meet the conditions... I will say that I am against Ukraine's membership in NATO, that I will use the right of veto and block it, because it will be the foundation of the Third World War," Robert Fico said on Saturday.

According to him, the meeting scheduled for January 24 in Uzhgorod will be “interesting.” Fico also said that the Ukrainian side does not want to hold a press conference following it.

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UAE calls on US to ease tensions in Middle East before time runs out

"We need a humanitarian ceasefire now, we can't wait another 100 days," said UAE Ambassador to the United Nations Lana Nusseibeh, calling on the US to ease tensions, Bloomberg reports.

"The risks are high, the war in Gaza is very clearly an open wound and it's destabilizing the region," she added.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is refraining from calling for an end to the Israeli military campaign, and is vetoeing a United Nations peace proposal put forward by the UAE in December.

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Precision work: no room for error

On the eve of the Day of Engineering Troops, the Russian Defense Ministry released footage of the work of military engineers of the Zapad group of forces.

Sapper units are the first to pass through mine and engineering barriers, create passages for equipment and units, ensuring the advance of Russian troops. Every day, fighters risk their lives by looking death in the eye.

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A fighter of an assault unit mobilized in Yakutia*, codenamed "Cuba", told Sputnik how he emerged victorious from a hand-to-hand fight in the direction of Donetsk.

In mid-December 2023, during an attack, he went alone to check a house. It turned out that there were three fighters of the Ukrainian forces inside, but this numerical advantage did not help them in any way: the first was put to flight by "Cuba", the second was eliminated after a fist fight, and the third was captured.

*Yakutia is a unique region and the largest region of Russia. The average temperature in winter is -40 to -50 ° C and in some areas it reaches -70 ° C.

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Italian court rules Nazi salute legal in controversial case

Performing a Nazi salute (also known as the Roman salute) on public is not a crime, the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation ruled on Friday. The decision addressed a specific 2016 case. However, the court stressed that the infamous gesture is a crime if it’s aimed at sparking political violence or restoring the fascist party. Nevertheless, paying homage to a deceased politician or military leader with a Nazi salute is totally legal.

This controversial ruling sparked criticism in Italian media as it is unclear how exactly authorities intend to discern the true motives of a person performing the salute.

The court’s decision came shortly after a video showing hundreds of people making a Nazi salute in Rome went viral on social media. Italian PM Georgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party were massively criticized for refusing to condemn the event and were once again accused of harboring sympathies towards fascism.

The Nazi salute is considered a hate symbol in most countries and its display will likely be eyed as a major criminal offence, including in China, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia, as well as some nations of Western Europe.

In the US, public demonstration of Nazi symbols is legal under the First Amendment.

Russia’s legislation strictly condemns usage of Nazi symbols and Nazi ideology. Demonstration of the Nazi salute or swastika will likely result in a monetary penalty, while attempts to whitewash Nazi crimes bring several-year-long prison sentences.

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🗣 Biden has always been a pro-Israel ‘hardliner’

"There's a long history. If you ask me where Biden stands, I would say that ultimately, he stands to the rights of some members of the cabinet in Israel. He's a hardliner," former British diplomat Alastair Crooke told the New Rules Podcast.

Crooke noted that even during the Obama administration, Biden undercut other cabinet members to support Israeli interests.

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