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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
SYRIA — U.S. RESPONSE
Three senior State Department officials, including top Middle East envoy Barbara Leaf, are in Syria today to meet with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, a State Department spokesperson said. Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.
SYRIA
Activity by the self-styled Islamic State (IS) “has increased significantly” since the Assad regime’s overthrow, with intelligence indicating IS fighters seized some arms and ammunition left by regime troops, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said yesterday. Orla Guerin reports for BBC News;
Non-Syrian Kurdish fighters will leave northern Syria if a total ceasefire with Turkey is reached, the SDF commander said yesterday. Orhan Qereman reports for Reuters.
Syrian villagers living near the Golan Heights buffer zone yesterday said Israeli forces have taken over an abandoned Syrian base and prevented local farmers from accessing their fields. Ghaith Alsayed and Hussein Malla report for AP News.
The United States has 2,000 troops in Syria, more than twice previously indicated, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said yesterday, adding that the additional troops are temporary forces supporting the mission against IS fighters. Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart report for Reuters.
The Iraqi military yesterday said it returned nearly 2,000 Syrian Army soldiers to the country, adding that the troops had requested to be returned after seeking refuge in Iraq as the Syrian rebel forces advanced. Muayad Kenany reports for Reuters.
Russia has sent at least a half-dozen cargo planes carrying military equipment to Libya in recent days, Tripoli military officials said. Nataliya Vasilyeva reports for the New York Times.
SYRIA — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said it was Iran’s failure to resist a rebel offensive that helped bring down Bashar al-Assad. He did not address Moscow’s decision not to help Assad. Anton Troianovski reports for the New York Times.
Israeli airstrikes and its presence in the Golan Heights buffer zone violate Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and “must stop,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
The International Monetary Fund is ready to assist Syria’s reconstruction “when conditions allow,” the Fund’s spokesperson said yesterday. David Lawder reports for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
CIA Director William Burns has departed Qatar and is no longer in the Middle East, a U.S. official said, as Gaza talks continue with no apparent breakthrough. Karen DeYoung, Claire Parker, and Miriam Berger report for the Washington Post.
Israeli airstrikes on two schools-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed at least 17 people yesterday, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said. Israel claimed Hamas operated command centers inside the shelters. Israeli strikes killed a total of 44 people across the enclave yesterday, according to medics. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Nine Palestinian-Americans yesterday filed a lawsuit alleging the U.S. government failed to rescue them and members of their families from Gaza with the same urgency afforded to evacuating U.S. citizens of different origins. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) report released yesterday says there are “undeniable” signs of “ethnic cleansing” in Israel’s north Gaza offensive. In an X post, Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the report is “entirely false and misleading.” The Times of Israel reports.
The U.N. General Assembly yesterday voted to ask the International Court of Justice for an opinion on Israel’s obligations to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza (137 votes in favor, 12 against, and 12 abstentions). Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
Sweden will no longer fund the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) and will provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza through other channels, the country’s aid minister said today, citing the difficulty of channeling aid through the agency in light of the Israeli ban. Terje Solsvik reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said he discussed with European leaders the possibility of sending European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire or peace deal. Jenny Gross and Constant Méheut report for the Washington Post.
A Russian ballistic attack on Kyiv early today killed at least one person and injured nine others, Ukrainian officials said. Illia Novikov reports for AP News.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The House yesterday rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) new funding plan supported by President-elect Trump. Despite Trump urging GOP members to support the revised bill, 38 Republicans voted against the measure. Jacob Bogage and Marianna Sotomayor report for the Washington Post; Michael D. Shear reports for the New York Times.
A government shutdown will cost troops their pay over the holidays and cause “serious disruptions” in the Defense Department, the Pentagon warned yesterday. Tara Copp reports for AP News.
A Chinese national was arrested yesterday over serving as an unregistered foreign agent for China while working as a campaign manager in a California local election, the criminal complaint says. Cate Cadell reports for the Washington Post.
Manhattan prosecutors yesterday charged New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ close aide and former chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering. Joe Anuta and Timmy Facciola report for POLITICO.
Federal prosecutors yesterday charged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione with murder, two stalking counts, and a firearms offense, adding to the already-existing state charges. Benjamin Weiser reports for the New York Times.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION AND NEW CONGRESS
A government shutdown would complicate the presidential handover and inauguration efforts, officials warn, with experts saying many staff working on the transition could be furloughed. Alice Miranda Ollstein and Gavin Bade report for POLITICO.
Trump on Wednesday met with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate, a Trump transition team spokesperson confirmed. Marianne LeVine and Meryl Kornfield report for the Washington Post.
A federal judge yesterday allowed a Missouri man who pleaded guilty to entering the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, to attend Trump’s inauguration next month. Piper Hudspeth Blackburn reports for CNN.
President Biden yesterday confirmed he will attend Trump’s presidential inauguration next month. Doina Chiacu reports for Reuters.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
A Georgia appellate court yesterday disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis from leading Trump’s criminal racketeering prosecution over accusations of an inappropriate relationship with an attorney she hired to lead the election interference case. Willis said she intends to appeal. Holly Bailey reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Biden administration will provide U.S. lawmakers by Jan. 17, 2025, with an assessment of the credibility of the United Arab Emirates’ assurances it is not providing weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Patricia Zengerle reports.
The United States yesterday imposed sanctions on several Iran and Houthi-related entities as well as officials related to the Georgia protest crackdown, the Treasury said. Costas Pitas and Timothy Gardner report for Reuters.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday announced $200 million in additional humanitarian aid to Sudan. Michelle Nichols and Daphne Psaledakis report for Reuters.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
Elon Musk said that only the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party “can save Germany” in an X post early today, wading into the country’s ongoing election campaign. Andrey Sychev reports for Reuters.
The Chinese government yesterday allowed European investigators to board the ship suspected of sabotaging two Baltic Sea data cables after weeks of secret talks, European law-enforcement officers said. Bojan Pancevski reports for the Wall Street Journal.