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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
SYRIA
The prime minister of Syria’s new transitional government said yesterday it is time for people to “enjoy stability and calm” following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Mohammed al-Bashir chaired a meeting in Damascus yesterday attended by members of his new government and Assad’s former cabinet to discuss the transfer of power. David Gritten reports for BBC News.
Russia is providing sanctuary to Assad, Russia’s deputy foreign minister told NBC News yesterday. Keir Simmons and Natasha Lebedeva report.
The rebel alliance that overthrew Assad has vowed to punish senior officials of the previous regime responsible for atrocities but said rank-and-file conscripted soldiers would receive amnesty. Ben Hubbard, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Qasim Nauman, and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times.
SYRIA — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today said that the overthrow of Assad was “mainly planned in the command rooms of America and Israel.” Reuters reports.
Israel yesterday said it had conducted around 480 strikes across Syria over the past two days, hitting most of Syria’s strategic weapons stockpiles, and attacking Syria’s naval fleet. Mick Krever reports for CNN; Jacqueline Howard reports for BBC News.
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. said Israel does not intend to stay in Syria permanently, but “will not allow the Iranians” to return to their borders. Andrea Mitchell reports for NBC News.
SYRIA — U.S. RESPONSE
The United States would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from “an inclusive and transparent [transition] process,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday.
The United States is working with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key partner in the ongoing fight against the self-styled Islamic State, as the group faces attacks from Turkey-backed fighters, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. An SDF commander yesterday said the troops had agreed to withdraw from a Kurdish-controlled city in northern Syria after reaching a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. Jessie Yeung reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 29 people overnight and into today, including one that hit a home sheltering displaced people in the north, Palestinian medical officials say. Samy Magdy and Wafaa Shurafa report for AP News.
Dozens of wounded patients in hospitals in north Gaza are at risk of dying because of a lack of food and water, local health authorities say. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to travel to Israel, Egypt, and Qatar this week in a final attempt to reach a hostage-release and ceasefire deal before President-elect Trump’s inauguration, sources told Axios. Barak Ravid reports.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Israel’s arrest of almost 30 Jewish citizens who allegedly spied for Iran after being recruited via social media has caused alarm in the country and is Tehran’s biggest infiltration in decades, sources told Reuters. Jonathan Saul reports.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Justice Department during Trump’s first term failed to comply with its own procedures when it secretly obtained phone and email records of lawmakers and journalists, according to a DOJ watchdog report released yesterday. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.
A man was arrested yesterday after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said she was “physically accosted on Capitol grounds over [her] fight to protect women.” Lauren Irwin reports for The Hill.
A two-year Justice Department investigation found patterns of “outrageous” behaviour by police in Worcester, MA, including the use of excessive force and sexual contact between undercover officers and women suspected of prostitution. Jenna Russell reports for the New York Times.
White House officials yesterday said President Biden would veto the bipartisan bill aimed at creating 66 new federal judicial seats over the next three presidential administrations. Carl Hulse reports for the New York Times; Andrew Solender reports for Axios.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Sudan’s military has been accused of carrying out a “horrific massacre” after a Monday airstrike killed over 100 people in a Darfur marketplace. Separately, a company with links to the UAE has reportedly deployed contractors to support the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. Anne Soy and Lucy Fleming report for BBC News; Benoit Faucon, Gabriele Steinhauser, Kejal Vyas, and Summer Said report for the Wall Street Journal.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to formally request a vote of confidence in parliament today, a necessary step toward calling new federal elections following the collapse of his coalition last month. Scholz is expected to lose the vote. Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke report for Reuters.
France has begun its military withdrawal from Chad in the latest blow to its decreasing influence across its former African colonies. It follows Senegal recently requesting the departure of French troops, saying their presence was “not compatible” with the country’s sovereignty. Eromo Egbejule reports for the Guardian.
A trial has begun into the November attacks on Israeli soccer fans by five suspects in Amsterdam, including one charge of attempted manslaughter. Agence France-Presse reports via the Guardian.
Police yesterday said they had arrested three people in connection with Saturday’s explosion at an apartment building in the Hague that killed at least six people. Claire Moses reports for the New York Times.
A Paris court has found a writer and his publisher guilty of illegally denying an officially recognized genocide, ruling that passages in Charles Onana’s book denied the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Adam Nossiter reports for the New York Times.
SOUTH KOREA MARTIAL LAW CRISIS
South Korean police yesterday raided President Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential office as part of an investigation into whether his declaration of martial law last week was insurrection. Jin Yu Young reports for the New York Times.
Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted to take his own life while in custody, the head of the country’s correctional service said today. Kim has reportedly been moved to a “protective cell.” Gawon Bae and Helen Regan report for CNN; Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION AND NEW CONGRESS
Trump announced yesterday he would nominate former Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle and his billionaire friend Tom Barrack to be the U.S. ambassadors to Greece and Turkey, respectively. Zoë Richards reports for NBC News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
A drone yesterday struck a U.N. atomic watchdog armored vehicle traveling to inspect a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, with President Volodymr Zelenskyy blaming Russia for the attack. No injuries were reported. Daria Tarasova and Michael Rios report for CNN.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States has given $20 billion to Ukraine funded by the profits of seized Russian assets, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. Maia Davies reports for BBC News.
The Biden administration is launching an investigation into labor and human rights abuses in Nicaragua after reports suggested the government is engaging in “repressive acts that harm [its] own workers and people.” Joshua Goodman and Josh Boak report for AP News.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT / U.S. SECRET SERVICE AGENCY
The bipartisan House task force investigating the July assassination attempt on Trump concluded in its final report released yesterday that the attack followed multiple Secret Service agency failures and should have been prevented. Justine McDaniel reports for the Washington Post.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Manhattan prosecutors have said the judge overseeing Trump’s hush money case could “abate” his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, effectively terminating the matter while maintaining the record of his conviction. Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.