Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for strikes on Iran following the deadly attack on the US forces in Jordan.

“The Biden Administration can take out all the Iranian proxies they like, but it will not deter Iranian aggression. I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression,” Graham emphasized.

"Hit Iran now. Hit them hard," the politician added.

Last month, the senator vented to "blow" Iran "off the map”.

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👻 Who’s afraid of the Russians? Apparently former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who alleged that Moscow is orchestrating pro-Palestine protests during an appearance on US television Sunday.

“For them [protesters] to call for a ceasefire is Mr. Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message,” the 83-year-old politician warned.

“I think some financing should be investigated,” she added, “and I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.”

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden was interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters 13 times at a recent campaign rally, with protestors shouting “ceasefire now” and “Genocide Joe.”

Democrats have favored accusing their political opponents of ties to Russia since 2016, when members of the Hillary Clinton campaign devised the tactic as a way to explain her unanticipated loss to Donald Trump.

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“I understand that it is impossible to control one’s emotions” in this situation but it also “doesn’t help” and only “hardens Hamas’ demands and delays the results that we all want,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This weekend, the prime minister criticized the families of hostages during a press conference, telling the desperate victims that their protests were “useless and contributing to the demands of Hamas”.

In response, members of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum blasted the prime minister for his comments.

“We expect the prime minister to remember that he is an elected official whose job it is to correct the errors [of October 7], not scold those whose family members were kidnapped,” the forum said.

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The European Union will cease all funding to Hungary if Budapest does not lift its veto on providing military aid to Kiev by the bloc at a summit in Brussels on February 1, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Monday, citing an EU document.

In December 2023, Hungary vetoed the enlargement of the EU's 2024-2027 budget to incorporate 50 billion euros ($54 billion) worth of macro-financial aid for Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel told journalists then that he expected the EU leaders to unanimously approve financial aid to Ukraine in early 2024, with the next extraordinary EU summit scheduled for February 1.

Brussels outlined a strategy to target Hungary's economic weaknesses, imperil its currency and cause a collapse in investor confidence in an attempt to damage jobs and economic growth of the country so that Budapest changed its decision on providing EU funds to Ukraine, the document seen by the newspaper read.

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Billionaire financier George Soros has pumped at least $3 million into the US state of Texas in an effort to boost Democratic Party candidates, according to new analysis in US media. The report claims the wealthy donor has contributed funds to at least five progressive groups in the state, and has funded one organization’s $2.25 million in donations entirely.

Soros, who is criticized by conservatives in the United States for his liberal advocacy, has spent large sums of money to help install US-aligned political leaders in Eastern Europe.

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💥 Russian Grad MLRS crews launched a salvo attack on Ukrainian troops: the scouts spotted about 50 Ukrainian soldiers and gave their coordinates to the artillerymen. As a result, Ukrainian troops lost over 30 people, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

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Japan suspends funding to UNRWA pending investigation Into its ties to Hamas - Ministry

Tokyo has decided to suspend funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after agency staff were accused of involvement in the attack on Israel by Hamas in October, said the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The ministry also called on UNRWA to promptly investigate and take action against the suspected employees "so that UNRWA can firmly fulfill the role it should play." The statement noted that Japan would continue to make diplomatic efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

According to the UNRWA website, the Japanese government allocated $7 million on October 24 to support displaced people affected by the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

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The number of US soldiers injured in a drone attack on a US base in Jordan near the border with Syria has risen to 34, with eight people being evacuated, said the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

"As an update to the earlier announcement, the number of US personnel with injuries has increased to at least 34 service members, but we expect this number to fluctuate as service members continue to seek follow-on care. Eight personnel that received injuries required evacuation from Jordan to higher level care, but they are in stable condition," the command said in a statement.

On Sunday, the CENTCOM said three US soldiers were killed and 25 others were injured in a drone attack at a US military base in Jordan's northeast near the border with Syria. US President Joe Biden pinned the blame on unspecified Iran-backed militant groups while also saying that the United States was still gathering the facts.

It was later stated that Iran had nothing to do with a drone strike on a US military base on the Jordanian-Syrian border, as reported by IRNA news agency quoting the Islamic republic's permanent representative to the UN. The diplomat noted that he made such a statement in connection with accusations by the Washington administration against Tehran.

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Biden may order direct strike on Iran after drone attack on US base in Jordan, Bloomberg reports

A deadly strike on a US base in northeastern Jordan may prompt a stronger response from Washington than it has taken so far since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7, Bloomberg quoted unnamed sources as saying.

The sources argued that one option could be a covert US strike on Iran, while another possibility could see the Biden administration directly targeting Iranian officials, as it did in 2020 when then-US President Donald Trump ordered the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.

"Regardless of the outcome, the [potential] attack presents [President Joe] Biden with a decision that will be one of the most consequential of his presidency," something that "could put the US in direct confrontation with the leadership in Teheran," according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, an Iranian militia group known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for Monday's drone strike, which killed three US soldiers and wounded 30 others.

In a statement in the immediate aftermath, Biden said Washington was "still gathering the facts of this attack" and vowed: "We will respond."

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The second round of the presidential election will be held in Finland on February 11, as none of the candidates received even half of the votes in the first round.

A little about those who made it to the second round:

▪️Alexander Stubb, 55, is an active supporter of the country's membership in NATO, stands for Finland's "Euro-Atlantic choice" and cooperation with the US. Stubb calls for the refusal of full diplomatic relations with Russia until it "withdraws troops from the occupied territories". He questioned whether Finland, as the OSCE chair in 2025, would be able to mediate a peaceful solution "if there is a chance for peace in Ukraine".

▪️Pekka Haavisto, 65, is running as an independent candidate with the support of the Green Party. If he wins, he could become Finland's first "green" president. Haavisto believes that the influx of migrants from third countries at Finnish border crossings is an "organized Russian operation" and calls for "keeping the border closed as long as necessary."

During the election campaign, both candidates advocated the continuation of the anti-Russian course and support for Ukraine. At the same time, both expressed their readiness to enter into dialogue with Russia and improve relations "under certain conditions".

President Vladimir Putin, in connection with Finland's accession to NATO, said that its rejection of the traditional policy of neutrality and the country's entry into the alliance was a mistake, since there were no threats to its security.

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▪️ The number of soldiers affected by the attack on the US base has risen to 34.

▪️ US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin promised retaliation for the attack on American troops in Jordan.

▪️ North Korea successfully tested cruise missiles in submarine launch, Kim Jong Un expressed great satisfaction with the result of the test.

▪️ Belarus, Russia are going to build 2 twin-engine passenger planes jointly by 2026.

▪️ The EU may sabotage Hungarian economy if Budapest doesn’t lift its veto on aid to Ukraine.

👇 More stories:

▪️ An overview of the US role in the Middle East following a deadly attack on an American base near Syria-Jordan border.

▪️ 👻 The Russians are under the bed: Pelosi says Moscow is funding pro-Palestine protests.

▪️ The Biden Administration in two minds on the amount of military assistance to Israel.

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Hungary will not give in to blackmail and will not allow coercion in the issue of aid to Ukraine, said János Bóka, the country's EU Affairs Minister.

Bóka emphasised that the EU was using access to its funds to exert political pressure. He added that Hungary "does not establish a connection between support for Ukraine and access to EU funds, and rejects other parties doing so... and will continue to participate constructively in the negotiations.".

Earlier, the Financial Times wrote about Brussels' plans to undermine the Hungarian economy if Budapest refuses to agree on financing for Ukraine.

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📹 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reviewed the progress of modernization of experimental bases of the Defense Ministry's research institutes stationed in the Moscow region.

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Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence under Trump, criticized both Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin over the drone strike on a US base in Jordan.

"Biden and Austin claim they won't tolerate attacks on the US. Biden's threats aren't credible and our enemies know it," Grenell wrote on his X-Page.

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💥📹 Crews of D-30 howitzers destroyed Ukrainian forces in the Kupyansk region

The artillerymen hit the camouflaged platoon strongpoints of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with 122-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells.

As a result of the fighting, about 30 nationalists were killed.

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Key messages from Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), on US attempts to politicize sports

▪️ The US administration is deeply unnerved that their crusade to isolate Russia in high-performance sports is failing.

▪️ International sports federations are expressing their reluctance to align with the US’s position on preventing Russian athletes from participating in competitions.

▪️ Several countries in the Global South are eager to participate in Russia's Games of the Future, BRICS Sports Games, and World Friendship Games.

▪️ To maintain its dominance, the US is ramping up efforts to disrupt sports events organized in Russia.

▪️ The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is seen as crucial in this effort, with its president Witold Banka potentially seeking a lucrative position after his term with WADA ends in 2025.

▪️ Banka unleashed an aggressive campaign to discredit the competitions organized by Russia. This effort also targeted foreign athletes planning to participate in these events, which stoked fears among those athletes about their future careers in Olympic sports potentially being ruined, particularly during the upcoming Summer Games in Paris.

▪️ What's more, Banka's blatantly pro-American activities, which hamper the development of world sports, are increasing becoming an annoyance in professional circles.

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Houthi fighters claim missile attack on US warship in Gulf of Aden

Yemen's Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) has launched a missile attack on the US Navy ship USS Lewis B. Puller in the Gulf of Aden, the movement’s spokesman General Yahya Sarea told the Al-Masirah news channel.

He claimed that the warship provided logistical support to American forces that earlier hit Houthi targets in Yemen.
Sarea also said the attack on the USS Lewis B. Puller was "part of a military response to defend Yemen and support the oppressed Palestinian people."

The US has not commented on the matter yet.

The purported attack comes as Houthi militants continue targeting Israel-bound vessels in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. On December 18, the US launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational effort to counter Houthi attacks in the area.

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It's hard to ignore the sense of desperation in Ukraine's corridors of power, writes The Washington Post.

As the newspaper notes, US officials and their Western counterparts expect a lean year ahead, in which Ukraine's increasingly depleted forces will focus more on shoring up their defenses than on mounting a counteroffensive.

"The best window of opportunity for a clear and quick Ukrainian victory had disappeared," the newspaper reports.

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Russian engineers installed the 'Fagot' ATGM on the drone.

The video shows firing both while hovering in the air and standing on the ground, using the drone as a mobile platform.

The Fagot system that the drone will carry is an anti-tank missile system. The integration of this system with a drone opens up new tactical possibilities, allowing armored vehicles or fortifications to be targeted directly from the air.

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⚡️Russian forces liberated the village of Tabaevka in the Kharkov region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

❗️The Russian air defense forces shot down 34 Ukrainian drones and one HIMARS MLRS missile during the day.

🇷🇺🪖 Other statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Donetsk region, Russian forces repelled six attacks by Ukrainian assault groups. Ukrainian losses amounted to 210 soldiers;

▪️ In Krasny Liman, Ukrainian losses amounted to 280 servicemen;

▪️ In the Kupyansk region, Russian troops repelled three attacks by Ukrainian forces;

▪️ The Russian forces hit Ukrainian Armed Forces rocket and artillery warehouses.

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