Thursday, December 25, 2025
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Afghan acting PM urges increased security cooperation with Iran

Mawlawi Mohammad Hassan Akhund, in a meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in Kabul emphasized Afghanistan’s readiness to exchange information and expand cooperation in this area.

Regarding water rights issues, he stressed Afghanistan’s commitment to Iran’s water rights, stating that ensuring Iran’s water rights from the Hirmand River is a religious, ethical, and humanitarian obligation for Afghanistan, even without a treaty.

He emphasized the need to use all capacities and resources to strengthen and expand relations in all areas, given the many common interests and affinities between the two nations.

Mawlawi Mohammad Hassan Akhund expressed gratitude to the Iranian people for hosting Afghan refugees and migrants for the past five decades.
He also praised the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attention to the importance of helping the respectful return of undocumented individuals.

For his part, Foreign Minister Araghchi referred to the Iranian administration’s determination to advance good neighborliness  policy.

He stated that his visit to Afghanistan aims to strengthen interactions with the country to ensure the interests of both nations and address concerns and challenges related to security, water, migration, and the expansion of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Araghchi described security as a common concern for both countries and emphasized the importance of increased cooperation to prevent and combat terrorist elements and groups, saying Iran is ready for this purpose.

He also highlighted the importance of ensuring the security of all ethnicities and groups in Afghanistan, particularly the Shia and Persian-speaking communities.

Araghchi also noted Iran’s hosting of Afghan refugees and migrants over the past five decades and stressed the importance of Afghanistan’s cooperation in organizing the issue.

He emphasized that the international community should assist in this regard.

Israel-Lebanon truce extended until February 18: White House

Lebanon War

“The arrangement between Lebanon and Israel, monitored by the United States, will continue to be in effect until February 18, 2025,” the White House announced in a brief statement.

A ceasefire agreement reached in November had originally stated that Israel’s forces were supposed to withdraw from Lebanon by 02:00 GMT on Sunday.

However, on that day, Israeli forces killed 22 people in southern Lebanon, according to health officials.

In a statement, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health noted that at least 124 people had also been wounded as the Israeli army opened fire as people tried to return to their homes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had slammed Lebanon for the delay, claiming Hezbollah had not pulled back sufficiently from the border region.

Lebanon denied that claim and urged Israel to respect the deadline.

Palestinian Authority rejects US plan to displace Gaza residents

Gaza War

“We will not allow the repetition of the catastrophes that befell our people in the years 1948 and 1967 … our people will not leave,” it said in a statement.

It added that such projects constitute “a violation of the red lines that we have repeatedly warned against”.

The Palestinian presidency called on Trump to continue his efforts to support the ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the transition of power to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The PA has expressed hopes that it will return to play a governing role in Gaza when Israel’s war ends, but a comprehensive solution to the Strip’s governance has yet to be found.

Trump on Saturday told reporters that it was time to “clean out” the besieged Gaza Strip, urging the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from the besieged enclave, either temporarily or permanently.

In a statement released Sunday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced it rejects the displacement of Palestinians or the encouragement of their transfer outside their land, whether temporarily or long-term.

Jordan’s rejection of any displacement of Palestinians is “firm and unwavering”, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed on Sunday.

US officials seeking to unfreeze aid for Ukraine: FT

Russia Ukraine War

Trump’s order potentially jeopardizes support for Ukrainian schools, hospitals, and infrastructure development, although military aid remains intact, according to the newspaper.

Acting on behalf of the US president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued instructions on Friday to suspend any new foreign aid expenditure for 90 days. Contracting and grant officers from the State Department and USAID were directed to “immediately issue stop-work orders… until such time as the secretary shall determine, following a review,” according to a leaked cable cited by the FT.

The daily claimed that by Saturday evening, several organizations in Ukraine had received orders to stop their operations until further notice.

However, USAID in Ukraine has generally chosen to defy Rubio’s decree to issue “stop work” orders until it receives more clarification from Washington, the FT claimed. American diplomats campaigning for aid to Kiev to be unfrozen reportedly hope that they will be able to win Rubio over.

“We do not know at this time whether this request will be approved — in whole or in part — but there are positive signals thus far out of Washington,” an email sent to USAID staff in Ukraine on Saturday said, according to the paper.

The outlet claims that Rubio’s order endangers support for the development of Ukrainian infrastructure, energy, and economy projects, while not affecting American military assistance. The FT quotes an unnamed Ukrainian government official as saying that “military aid to Ukraine is intact. At least as of now, and it is certainly not part of this 90-day freeze.”

The pause in US foreign development aid was announced by President Trump on Monday, just hours after his inauguration. The freeze aims to review the effectiveness and alignment of aid with US foreign policy objectives. The only exceptions are military financing for Israel and Egypt, as well as foreign emergency food aid. Ukraine was not part of the list of exceptions.

Since February 2022, the US has provided over $65 billion in military aid to Kiev, according to the State Department. However, Trump has been skeptical of the assistance, saying Ukraine has “had enough” and that it is time for a peace agreement to be reached with Russia. His team is reportedly aiming to end the conflict between Kiev and Moscow in 100 days, threatening Russia with more sanctions if it does not agree to negotiate. While Moscow remains skeptical about the timeline, it has signaled a willingness to engage in talks.

Israeli army continues deadly operation in West Bank city

West Bank Palestine Israel

A ministry statement said that a 26-year-old man breathed his last to serious injuries sustained on Tuesday from Israeli fire in the Jenin refugee camp.

According to Palestinian figures, at least 16 Palestinians have been killed and 50 others injured in an Israeli military operation in the Jenin camp since Tuesday.

Earlier, health officials announced that Israeli forces have shot and killed a two-year-old Palestinian girl in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced Laila al-Khatib died of “critical wounds” after being shot in the head on Saturday by Israeli forces in the Martyrs’ Triangle area of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.

Media reports said the girl’s pregnant mother was also lightly wounded in the attack.

Israeli media said the Jenin assault is part of a political maneuver by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appease far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who opposed a recent Gaza ceasefire. Reports suggest that Netanyahu promised the attack to prevent Smotrich from resigning, which could collapse the government.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s war on Gaza, where over 47,300 people were killed and 111,500 others injured since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 876 Palestinians have been killed and more than 6,700 injured by Israeli forces in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.

In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Trump’s idea to ‘clean out’ Gaza slammed by Palestinians

Gaza War

There was no immediate reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

After 15 months of war, Trump called Gaza a “demolition site” and said that he had spoken to Jordan’s King Abdullah II about moving Palestinians out of the territory.

“I’d like Egypt to take people. And I’d like Jordan to take people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that he expected to talk to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday.

Most Gazans are Palestinian refugees or their descendants.

For Palestinians, any attempt to move them from Gaza would evoke dark historical memories of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba” or catastrophe – the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation 75 years ago.

Egypt has previously warned against any “forced displacement” of Palestinians from Gaza into the Sinai desert, which el-Sissi said could jeopardize the peace treaty Egypt signed with Israel in 1979.

Jordan is already home to around 2.3 million registered Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations.

“You’re talking about probably a million and half people and we just clean out that whole thing,” Trump said of Gaza, whose population is about 2.4 million.

“I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” Trump continued, adding that moving Gaza’s inhabitants could be “temporarily or could be long term.”

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told AFP that Palestinians would “foil such projects” as they have done to similar plans “for displacement and alternative homelands over the decades.”

Gazans, he said, “will not accept any offers or solutions, even if their apparent intentions are good under the banner of reconstruction, as proposed by U.S. President Trump.”

Islamic Jihad, which fought alongside Hamas in Gaza, called Trump’s idea “deplorable” and said that it encourages “war crimes and crimes against humanity by forcing our people to leave their land.”

The vast majority of Gaza’s people have been displaced, often multiple times, by Israel’s genocidal Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The United Nations says close to 70% of the territory’s buildings are damaged or destroyed.

Israel kills 15, wounds dozens in south Lebanon despite ceasefire

Israeli Army

In a statement, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said on Sunday that at least 83 people were also wounded as the Israeli army opened fire as people tried to return to their homes.

The death toll included a Lebanese soldier, according to a statement by Lebanon’s army.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued a message earlier on Sunday to residents of more than 60 villages in south Lebanon, telling them not to return.

The Israeli killings violate a ceasefire agreement reached in November, under which its forces were supposed to withdraw from Lebanon at 02:00 GMT on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Lebanon for the delay, saying Hezbollah has not pulled back sufficiently from the border region. Lebanon denies the claim and has urged Israel to respect the deadline.

Under the terms of the truce, the Lebanese army was to deploy alongside the United Nations peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdrew from the area over the 60-day period.

Hezbollah agreed to pull back its forces north of the Litani River, about 30km (19 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

The deal, brokered by the United States and France in November, ended more than a year of fighting triggered by Israel’s war on Gaza.

Lebanon parliament’s Speaker Nabih Berri, whose Amal Movement party is allied with Hezbollah, said in a statement that Sunday’s bloodshed “is a clear and urgent call for the international community to act immediately and compel Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories”.

Berri had served as a mediator between the group and the US during ceasefire negotiations.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the UN envoy in Lebanon and the chief of the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon (UNIFIL) said conditions are “not yet in place” for the safe return of Lebanese citizens to southern Lebanon.

They stressed the timelines set under the ceasefire deal were not met, urging recommitment from both Israel and Lebanon.

President Joseph Aoun has also denounced Israel for failing to abide by the ceasefire agreement in which it promised to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon by Sunday.

Addressing residents of the Israeli-occupied south, Aoun wrote on X, “Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable, and I am following up on this issue at the highest levels to ensure your rights and dignity.”

He called on the Lebanese to “exercise self-restraint and trust in the Lebanese Armed Forces”.

EU military chief wants troops in Greenland, citing “tensions” with Russia and China

European Military Forces

”It would make perfect sense not only to station US forces in Greenland, as has been the case to date, but also to consider stationing EU soldiers there in the future,” Brieger told Die Welt, referring to a major US military base that has been there since the early 1940s.

Such a deployment would “send a strong signal and could contribute to stability in the region,” believes the former Austrian chief of staff, who currently leads a body that includes the chiefs of staff of EU member states.

Brieger added that although the autonomous Danish territory is not legally a part of the bloc, “the Europeans – just like the USA – have interests in Greenland.”

The general cited rich deposits of raw materials on the island and its proximity to international trade routes, calling it an area of “great importance from a geopolitical point of view.”

He also described the territory as “highly relevant from a security policy perspective.”

Referring to US claims on the island, Brieger stated that he expected Washington to respect the territorial integrity of other nations and the UN Charter. Instead, the general drew attention to potential “tension with Russia and possibly China” in the area if the polar ice caps continue to melt due to climate change.

Greenland has been grabbing headlines recently as Trump has repeatedly claimed that ownership of Denmark’s mineral-rich Arctic island is necessary for US national security. Earlier this month, he refused to rule out a military solution.

Brussels responded to Trump’s comments by describing a potential US attack as a “highly theoretical issue.” Trump’s desire to acquire the island has reportedly sparked concern in Copenhagen.

On Friday, Financial Times reported that the US president’s aggressive way of pushing the idea in a phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen earlier this month triggered panic in the Nordic nation’s capital. The paper’s sources described the 45-minute-long conversation as “horrendous” and compared it to “a cold shower.”

Frederiksen reportedly reiterated Denmark’s stance that the island is not for sale. Earlier this week, a Danish politician, Anders Vistisen, took the floor of the EU parliament in Strasbourg and told Trump to “f**k off,” voicing his opposition to the idea of the US acquiring Greenland.

Some Republicans in Congress have at least entertained the idea. GOP Congressman Andy Ogles introduced a bill to allow Trump to acquire Greenland, saying the US should be the “dominant predator.” He dubbed the bill ‘Make Greenland Great Again’. Carla Sands, Trump’s former ambassador to Denmark, has also publicly backed the proposal, arguing that Denmark cannot adequately defend the island and suggesting that US control would be a “common-sense solution.”

Zelensky believes Trump can end war, must include Ukraine in talks

Russia Ukraine War

While the specifics of a potential agreement under Trump remain unclear, Zelensky emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no interest in ending the war. Trump’s promise, made during his election campaign, to resolve the war within 24 hours of taking office was vague, and his aides have since indicated that such a resolution could take months.

Zelensky insisted that the war could not end unless Ukraine is part of the negotiations: “Otherwise it will not work. Because Russia does not want to end the war, while Ukraine wants to end it.”

He also expressed uncertainty about how a deal could materialize, noting that even Trump himself might not fully understand the details.

“I believe President Trump himself does not know all the details. Because I would say so much depends on what sort of just peace we can achieve. And whether Putin wants, in principle, to stop the war. I believe he doesn’t want to,” Zelensky added.

Despite the lack of clarity, Zelensky believed that Trump genuinely wants to see the war come to an end. He mentioned that the situation, nearing its third anniversary next month, remains complicated, but Trump has recognized the risks of prolonging the war.

“He is simply saying this has to end or it will get worse,” Zelensky said of Trump’s stance on the peace process.

Trump has indicated a willingness to engage in talks with Putin, contrasting with the Biden administration, which distanced itself from the Russian leader.

Zelensky also emphasized the importance of including European allies in future peace talks, especially as Ukraine seeks to join the European Union.

“As for what the set-up of the talks will be: Ukraine, I really hope Ukraine will be there, America, Europe and Russia,” Zelensky continued.

Both Ukraine submitted its EU membership applications shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, signaling their aspirations for closer ties with the West.

Trump proposes relocating Gazans to Egypt, Jordan

Gaza War

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One towards Miami, the president said he raised the matter during a telephone call with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and he might talk with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.

“I said to him (Jordan’s king) that I’d love you to take on more because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it’s a mess, it’s a real mess,” said Trump.

“I’d like him (Jordan’s king) to take people”.

“I’d like Egypt to take people. I’m talking to Gen. Al Sisi tomorrow sometime I believe. I’d like Egypt to take people. And I’d like Jordan to take people,” Trump continued.

“You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. You know over the centuries it’s had many, many conflicts. And I don’t know, something has to happen,” he added.

Describing Gaza as “a demolition site,” the US president said: “Almost everything is demolished and people are dying there. So l’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”

He added that the move “could be temporary or could be long-term.”

The Biden administration opposed relocating Gaza residents outside the enclave, advocating a return of Gazans to their homes in the aftermath of a potential peace and a two-state solution.

Israel’s genocidal war has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.

Since Jan. 19, a ceasefire is in place to bring respite to civilians in the Palestinian enclave, but Trump said last week he is not confident that the truce will hold.

“It’s not our war. It’s their war. I think they are very weakened on the other side,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site. That place is. … It’s really got to be rebuilt in a different way,” he said.

“Gaza is interesting. It’s a phenomenal location on the sea, best weather, you know, everything’s good. It’s like some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting, but some fantastic things could be done with Gaza,” Trump added.