Tuesday, December 23, 2025

World

At least 875 Palestinian killed near Gaza aid sites: UN

The United Nations human rights office has announced it has documented at least 875 Palestinians killed over the past six weeks near aid delivery points across Gaza, most of them in areas tied to the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Israel bombs Syria’s Suwayda hours after ceasefire accord

Israel has launched air attacks on Suwayda in southern Syria, as fighting returned to the predominantly Druze city hours after the Syrian government declared a ceasefire there

Israeli air attacks kill 12 in eastern Lebanon despite ceasefire

Israeli air attacks have killed at least 12 people, including five Hezbollah fighters, in eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media reports, in what Israel said was a warning to the armed group against trying to re-establish itself.

US believes Russia will win: Politico

US President Donald Trump believes that Russian victory in the Ukraine war is inevitable, Politico has reported, citing a senior White House official.

West Bank witnessing largest displacement since 1967: UN

The United Nations warned on Tuesday that mass displacement in the West Bank has reached levels not seen since the beginning of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory nearly 60 years ago.

Russia responds to Trump’s 50-day ultimatum

Moscow needs time to assess US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose severe sanctions on Russia’s trading partners if the Ukraine conflict is not resolved within 50 days, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated.

Lavrov says time for dialogue with Iran has come, emphasizes diplomatic solution to nuclear issue

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized the importance of resolving Iran’s nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

Israeli ultra-Orthodox party leaves Netanyahu government over conscription

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), has announced it is quitting the fractious right-wing coalition due to a long-running dispute over mandatory military service, threatening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power.

Syria DM announces ceasefire in Sweida

Syria's defence minister announced a ceasefire in the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Tuesday after government troops entered the city to end deadly clashes with Bedouin tribes.

Trump asked Zelensky if Ukraine could strike Moscow: FT

U.S. President Donald Trump asked President Volodymyr Zelensky whether Ukraine could strike Moscow if provided with long-range American weapons, the Financial Times has reported, citing two undisclosed sources familiar with the discussion.

Two drones fell in Iraqi Kurdistan’s oilfield: Counter-terrorism service

Two drones fell in the Khurmala oilfield in Iraqi Kurdistan, the regional counter-terrorism service has announced in a statement.

43 Israeli soldiers committed suicide after returning from Gaza war: Report

Nearly four dozen Israeli soldiers have taken their own lives in recent months due to the profound psychological trauma and exposure to unspeakable violence amid Tel Aviv's war in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Americans say Trump hasn’t been tough enough on Putin: Poll

Sixty percent of surveyed voters say they do not believe President Donald Trump has been tough enough on Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released on Monday.

Families of Israeli hostages reach out to Hamas over fate of ceasefire negotiations: MEE

The families of Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip reached out to Hamas through a representative to ask about the fate of stalled ceasefire talks, Middle East Eye has reported.

Washington offers to oversee disputed Armenia-Azerbaijan corridor: US envoy

The United States has proposed taking over the planned transport corridor between Armenia and Azerbaijan in an effort to advance long-stalled diplomatic negotiations between the two Caucasus nations, American ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, has told journalists.

Trump to slam Russia with ‘severe’ 100% tariffs if no agreement is made on Ukraine in 50 days

President Donald Trump has stated that the US is ready to implement 100% tariffs on Russia in response to President Vladimir Putin's lack of interest in ending his war in Ukraine, which could begin in 50 days.

Over 700 Palestinians killed by Israeli military fire while collecting water in Gaza: Report

More than 700 Palestinians, mostly children, have been killed by Israeli army fire while collecting water since October 2023, local authorities announced on Monday.

Former Israeli PMs slam Netanyahu’s plans for ‘concentration camps’ in Gaza

Two prominent Israeli politicians have criticised plans by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set up what it calls a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza Strip, stressing the proposal would amount to interning Palestinians in a “concentration camp”.

German president urges universal military conscription

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for a nationwide debate about reinstating military conscription, stressing that Berlin needs to strengthen its armed forces amid escalating security threats in Europe.

Macron says France to speed up increase in defense spending, to 64 billion euros in 2027

Paris intends to accelerate the increase in defense spending in the coming years, so that in 2027 they will amount to 64 billion euros, which is twice as much as in 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron has stated in an address to the country’s military.

Palestinian groups say Gaza talks must lead to ending war

The Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have stressed that any indirect negotiations with Israel must lead to a complete end to the war in the Gaza Strip, a full Israeli withdrawal, the reopening of border crossings, and the reconstruction of the war-torn enclave.

Over 30 killed in sectarian clashes in Syria

More than 30 people were killed and 100 injured in armed clashes in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, the Syrian interior ministry announced early on Monday, in the latest bout of sectarian clashes in the war-ravaged country.

US will send Patriot missiles to Ukraine: Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated he will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, adding they are necessary to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin "talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening."

Russia slams Axios report it backed ‘zero enrichment’ Iran nuclear agreement

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday described reports claiming that President Vladimir Putin had encouraged his Iranian ally to accept a "zero enrichment" deal on its nuclear programme as "defamation".

Gaza death toll surges past 58,000 amid relentless Israeli attacks

At least 58,026 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry announced on Sunday.

Latest news