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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
SYRIA — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Israel said it has destroyed chemical and other weapons caches in Syria and seized areas along the countries’ shared border, including a demilitarized buffer zone. The U.N. said yesterday that Israel’s presence in the buffer zone violates the 1974 Agreement. Meanwhile, a Syrian security source says the Israeli military has reached about 16 miles southwest of Damascus, though Israel denies its forces are advancing beyond the buffer zone. Anat Peled, Carrie Keller-Lynn, and Dov Lieber report for the Wall Street Journal; Richard Roth reports; Maya Gebeily and Michelle Nichols report.
Iran urged the U.N. Security Council to respond to Israeli attacks in Syria and the expansion of its occupation in the Golan Heights. Irene Nasser reports for CNN.
Qatari diplomats yesterday spoke with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel faction and will today speak with its leader, a day after he was appointed to lead Syria’s transitional administration, a source told Reuters. Andrew Mills reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said his country had “reshaped the Middle East,” claiming the “blows” Israel dealt to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran had triggered the events that led to the Assad regime’s downfall. The Washington Post reports.
SYRIA — U.S. RESPONSE
The Justice Department has charged two senior Syrian military officials with war crimes committed against Americans and other civilians at an infamous Damascus prison during the Syrian civil war, according to an indictment filed in November and unsealed yesterday. Katie Benner and Adam Goldman report for the New York Times.
The United States is debating lifting its terror designation for HTS, the main Syrian rebel group, sources told POLITICO. Robbie Gramer, Nahal Toosi, and Eric Bazail-Eimil report.
Washington’s top hostage negotiator is in Beirut seeking information on the whereabouts of Austin Tice, a U.S. journalist missing in Syria for 12 years, the State Department said yesterday. AP News reports.
SYRIA — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Germany and France have agreed to cooperate with the Syrian opposition groups that took power in Damascus “on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities,” Berlin said yesterday. Sasha Schroeder reports for POLITICO.
EU states including Austria, Germany, Italy, and the U.K., yesterday paused asylum claims from Syrians until further notice. Germany currently hosts the largest Syrian community in Europe. Riham Alkousaa reports for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are quietly advancing behind the scenes following the Israel-Hezbollah truce and pressure from Trump, sources say. Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign minister said his country is more optimistic about a possible hostage deal, amid reports that Hamas had requested lists of all hostages still held by militant groups in Gaza. Adam Rasgon, Aaron Boxerman, and Ronen Bergman report for the New York Times; James Mackenzie and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report for Reuters.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A murder charge was filed in New York yesterday against the suspect accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare’s CEO last week, online court documents show. Luigi Mangione, 26, has appeared in court for a preliminary arraignment in Pennsylvania. Tom Winer and Minyvonne Burke report for the NBC News.
A Virginia man accused of funneling tens of thousands of dollars to the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group was targeted by FBI sting operations, a defense lawyer told jurors yesterday, in the opening of Mohammed Chhipa’s terrorism trial. Matthew Barakat reports for AP News.
President Biden has been urged to commute all federal death sentences before President-elect Trump takes office, according to letters by civil rights advocates, religious leaders, and former prison officials made public yesterday. Mark Berman, Ann E. Marimow, and Yasmeen Abutaleb report for the Washington Post.
Congressional negotiators are facing roadblocks over “divisive, culture war amendments” on a 1,800-page $883.7 billion National Defense Authorization Act. Brad Dress and Ellen Mitchell report for The Hill.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Netanyahu will today begin his long-awaited testimony at the Tel Aviv District Court in his corruption trial. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva is doing “well” and being monitored in the intensive care unit after undergoing brain surgery, a medical note published by the government said today. Reuters reports.
Australia yesterday announced a AU$140 million ($89 million) deal with Nauru, granting it veto power over the Pacific nation’s agreements with third countries, including China. The pact, set to begin next year, includes AU$40 million ($26 million) for policing and security. Rob Mcguirk reports for AP News.
Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni resigned unexpectedly in parliament yesterday, just before a scheduled no-confidence vote against his leadership. His successor has not been determined. AP News reports.
British police have charged six people with belonging to the banned Kurdish militant group, the PKK, following their arrest in London on Nov. 27. The suspects are due in court for an initial court hearing today. AP News reports.
The U.K. will reduce its support and engagement with the Georgian government following the “violence towards protesters and journalists by the Georgian authorities,” the foreign office announced yesterday.
Taiwan today announced that China is carrying out its largest maritime operations in nearly 30 years, deploying around 90 naval and coast guard ships across waters from Japan’s southern islands to the South China Sea. David Pierson and Amy Chang Chien report for the New York Times.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION AND NEW CONGRESS
Trump yesterday said he will nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon, former vice chair of the California GOP, to be Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Justice Department. Trump also picked Christopher Landau, a lawyer and former ambassador to Mexico, to be Deputy Secretary of State. Rachel Bluth and Melanie Mason report for POLITICO; Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) became the latest lawmaker targeted by a bomb threat after her local police department received an email targeting her yesterday. Raquel Coronell Uribe reports for NBC News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán yesterday met with Trump, his incoming national security adviser, and tech billionaire Elon Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. Brett Samuels reports for The Hill.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine will soon receive another €4.2 billion ($4.4 billion) in funds after EU member states approved the planned payment, the EU Council said yesterday. Reuters reports.