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A curated weekday guide to most recent major news and developments. Here’s today’s news:
SYRIA
Syria’s rebel administration gave some foreign jihadist fighters senior roles in Damascus’ new armed forces, according to Syrian sources. An Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) source said the appointments are a “token of recognition” of the “sacrifices” of Islamist jihadists in the struggle against former president Bashar Assad. Timour Azhari, Khalil Ashawi, and Suleiman Al-Khalidi report for Reuters.
Elections in Syria may not be held “for up to four years,” HTS head and the country’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Sunday, citing the need to prepare the infrastructure. Nadeen Ebrahim and Mostafa Salem report for CNN.
France carried out missile strikes last weekend on the self-styled Islamic State group’s sites in Syria, the country’s armed forces minister said on Tuesday. Sudip Kar-Gupta reports for Reuters.
The ceasefire between Turkey and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces is holding in northern Syria, the Pentagon said on Monday. Idrees Ali reports for Reuters.
SYRIA — U.S. RESPONSE
The United States “expressed concern” to the country’s new foreign minister about reports of violent militant group attacks on Syria’s minorities, U.S. officials said. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The Palestinian Authority yesterday temporarily suspended Al-Jazeera’s West Bank broadcasts and operations, accusing the network of “provok[ing] strife and interfer[ing] in Palestinian internal affairs,” the official Palestinian news agency said. Abeer Salman, Hira Humayun, and Kareem El Damanhoury report for CNN.
An Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people sheltering in a southern Gaza tent camp for displaced families early today, according to medics. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
At least 6 babies died from the cold in Gaza in the past week, the UN aid agency for Palestinians said Tuesday, as the plummeting temperatures deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. Amanda Coletta reports for the Washington Post.
Gaza’s population dropped by 6% in 2024, with 100,000 Palestinians leaving the territory and 45,553 killed by Israeli attacks, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said in a report released Tuesday. Nadeen Ebrahim, Dana Karni, and Kareem El Damanhoury report for CNN.
Israel’s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant yesterday announced he is resigning from parliament. Maayan Lubell reports for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Israeli attacks on hospitals pushed Gaza’s healthcare system to “the brink of total collapse” and may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report published Tuesday. The report covers the conflict from Oct. 7, 2023 to June 30, 2024. David Gritten reports for BBC News.
The World Health Organization’s chief on Tuesday called for the immediate release of Kamal Adwan Hospital’s director detained last week during the Israeli forces’ raid on the facility. Leo Sands, Kelly Kasulis Cho, Kelsey Baker, and Hajar Harb report for the Washington Post.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. military said on Tuesday it carried out a series of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. A Houthi spokesperson said the group will “confront any escalation by escalating.” Adam Rasgon reports for the New York Times.
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. on Monday issued a “final warning” to Houthi militants to halt missile attacks on Israel, saying they risk the same “miserable fate” as “Hamas, Hezbollah, and Assad.” Daphne Psaledakis and Jonathan Landay report for Reuters.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Treasury Department on Monday told lawmakers a state-sponsored actor in China hacked its systems last month, adding the actor accessed some workstations and unclassified documents and there is “no evidence” they have continued access to Treasury systems. Connor Hart and Dustin Volz report for the Wall Street Journal.
A U.S. army veteran’s killing of at least 15 people in New Orleans using a pickup truck bearing an Islamic State flag is being investigated as an “act of terrorism,” the FBI said, adding the attack may have been carried out with the help of others. Brian Thevenot reports for Reuters.
A Pentagon appeals court on Monday upheld the validity of the plea deals in the Sept. 11 case, agreeing with the military judge’s ruling that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not have the authority to retroactively withdraw them. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
The FBI arrested a Virginia man who stored more than 150 explosive devices at his home, the largest cache of “finished explosive devices” found in the bureau’s history, court documents posted Monday show. Rebbecca Beitsch reports for The Hill.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts criticised the “specter of open disregard for federal court rulings” and “regrettable” attempts to intimidate judges “by suggesting political bias” by officials in his annual report released Tuesday. John Fritze reports for CNN.
Around 15% of Puerto Rico is still without power after an “island-wide” blackout on New Year’s Eve. Avery Lotz reports for Axios.
Federal authorities indicted a U.S. soldier over alleged sales of stolen confidential phone records, according to court records made public on Monday. A.J. Vicens reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
President Biden on Monday announced the United States is sending nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. Separately, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the administration had released $3.4 billion in budget aid to Ukraine, in what she said was the final disbursement of appropriated funds. Helene Cooper reports for the New York Times.
Ukraine halted the flow of Russian gas through its pipeline network yesterday, following the expiry of a pre-war transit deal at the end of 2024. Hanna Arhirova reports for AP News.
Russia and Ukraine on Monday announced they exchanged more than 300 prisoners of war, the largest in months, in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. Nataliya Vasilyeva reports for the New York Times.
The Treasury Department on Tuesday issued sanctions against a Russian judge over her role in human-rights activist Alexei Gorinov’s detention under Moscow’s censorship laws over his opposition to the war in Ukraine. Doina Chiacu reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Pentagon on Monday repatriated a Tunisian Guantánamo detainee who was held at the prison since the day it opened. The U.S. government had deemed him eligible for release in 2010. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
The Treasury Department on Tuesday announced new sanctions on Iranian and Russian entities over alleged attempts to influence the 2024 U.S. election. Jeff Stein reports for the Washington Post.
Montenegro extradited a South Korean charged with fraud over a $40 billion cryptocurrency crash to the United States on Tuesday. Predrag Milic reports for AP News.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
A South Korean court on Tuesday approved the arrest of President Yoon Suk-Yeol requested by prosecutors in the criminal investigation into his martial law decree. Josh Smith and Joyce Lee report for Reuters.
Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government said it will not escalate its attacks after launching a series of strikes on Pakistani military posts over the weekend. Eltaf Najafizada and Ismail Dilawar report for Bloomberg.
The Islamic State yesterday claimed responsibility for a Tuesday attack on a military base in northeastern Somalia. A local counter-terrorism officer said nine suicide bombers had been killed and several soldiers had been injured in the attack. Muhammad Al Gebaly reports for Reuters.
Kenyan police have arrested dozens of protesters on Monday, including an opposition lawmaker, in nationwide clashes over alleged abductions of government critics. Larry Madowo and Christian Edwards report for CNN.
The president of Ivory Coast on Tuesday announced French forces will withdraw from its territory, further reducing France’s waning power in West Africa. Ruth Maclean reports for the New York Times.