Along the snowy forest road, pristine white blankets draped over the treetops create a mesmerizing spectacle.
Israel says carried out about 800 strikes in Syria since fall of Assad
The Israeli military launched dozens of air raids on Syria within on Saturday, bringing the total number of attacks in a week to about 800.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has lashed out at Israel for launching strikes on Syria and expanding its territory further into the occupied Golan Heights after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
Guterres described Israel’s actions as “deeply concerning” and called for the Israelis to stop firing into Syria and respect its sovereignty.
“The secretary-general is particularly concerned over the hundreds of Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Syria,” the UN said in a statement, calling for urgent de-escalation “on all fronts, throughout Syria”.
“He stresses the urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts, throughout Syria.”
Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since the 1967 war with Syria.
Between 1974 and 2024 the territory was divided between areas controlled by Israel and areas controlled by Syria, split by a buffer zone.
The secretary-general also called on Israel to adhere to the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria, which ended the Yom Kippur War.
The agreement established a UN-monitored buffer zone in the Golan Heights to prevent further conflict.
It delineated areas of control for each side and included provisions for the return of displaced civilians.
But after the Syrian government collapsed after fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took control of Damascus, Israel began infiltrating the UN buffer zone and occupied Mount Hermon.
The Israelis claimed it was establishing a “buffer zone” by taking further control of areas near the occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli forces has also launched hundreds of air raids and bombed parts of Damascus it claimed were chemical weapons factories and Syrian military infrastructure over the last week – including large chunks of the Syrian navy and air force.
The UN special envoy for Syria has also called the Israeli attacks a deeply troubling development, describing the current situation in the Arab country as highly fluid.
Geir Pedersen said tensions remain unresolved and urged other countries to avoid actions that could impede the ongoing transformation.
North Korean soldiers joining Russian attacks in Kursk: Zelensky
Ukrainian and Western officials in fall 2024 warned that over 10,000 North Korean troops had amassed in Kursk Oblast, ready to aid Russia’s attempt to oust Ukrainian forces in the region. The move represents an unprecedented escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Today, we already have preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults — a significant number of them,” Zelensky said in a video address.
“The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in Kursk Oblast.”
North Korean troops have not yet joined Russian forces in any other areas of the front, but this could change, Zelensky added
Zelensky also reported that North Korean units have sustained “noticeable losses”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has “dragged another state into this war”, Zelensky stated.
“And if this is not escalation, then what is the escalation that so many have been talking about?”
The first clashes between North Korean and Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast were reported in early November. Zelensky reported in early December that North Korean soldiers had already been killed fighting for Russia, but did not specify figures.
Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened their alliance over the course of the full-scale war. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June, requiring either state to render military aid to the other in the event of an attack.
North Korea has reportedly provided Russia with over 100 ballistic missiles and 5 million artillery shells. In exchange, Moscow has allegedly given Pyongyang economic support and assistance with its nuclear weapons program.
Ukrainian forces launched a shock offensive into Kursk Oblast in August. Russia began a counterattack in September and has reportedly taken back 40% of the territory initially captured by Ukraine.
IRGC chief predicts Syria to be liberated
Speaking during a ceremony on Sunday, Major General Hossein Salami said foreign powers are today tearing apart Syria like “hungry wolves”, with the Zionists operating in the south and others in the north and east of the country.
“The Zionists can see with the naked eye inside families in Damascus; this is truly intolerable. We must stand firm, as our beloved Leader said, Syria will be liberated by the grace of God by its strong and experienced youth,” he added.
He was referring to Ayatollah Khamenei’s Wednesday remarks, during which he said Syrian youth will rise up, resist, make sacrifices, and overcome the situation as was the case with Iraq.
“The occupied areas of Syria will be liberated by the zealous Syrian youth. Do not doubt that this will happen,” the Leader stated, adding, “America’s foothold will not last either. By God’s grace and power, the US will also be expelled from the region by the resistance front.”
Also in his comments, Salami warned that the Zionists will pay a heavy price for their illegal actions in Syria.
“They will be buried in this land, but this will require some time,” he said.
The IRGC chief commander further noted that Iranian military advisors went to Syria to preserve their dignity not in pursuit of annexation or ambitious interests.
During the presence of Iranian advisors in Syria, its people lived a dignified life, he pointed out.
Iran was the first country to rush to Syria’s aid following the 2011 outbreak of foreign-sponsored violence in the Arab country.
In 2017, Syrian forces, backed by Iran and Russia, scored a monumental victory over the Daesh terrorist group.
However, the country’s northern parts remained under the control of militants and foreign occupation forces.
On November 27, foreign-backed militants, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), announced the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government following a rapid two-week onslaught.
Shortly afterward, Israel launched a bombing campaign on Syria’s infrastructure and expanded its occupation of the Arab country.
Several regional countries said Israel is taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Syria to grab more land.
More regions could be added to Russia: Ex-president
Commenting on the ruling party’s endeavours in helping to incorporate and develop the new regions that have joined the country, Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the nation‘s security council and the head of the United Russia party, suggested that this experience could one day come in handy again.
“This experience may be in demand in the future if new regions very close to us appear in our country, because this is possible,” he noted.
In 2022, four former Ukrainian territories, including the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, held public referendums where they decided to break with Kiev and become part of Russia.
Before that, in 2014, the citizens of Crimea, a historically Russian region, had voted to leave Ukraine and return to Moscow.
Ukraine and its Western backers have refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of these referendums; Kiev has continued to claim authority over these territories and vowed to retake all of them.
Moscow however, has repeatedly urged Kiev to accept the new realities “on the ground,” with President Vladimir Putin calling the complete withdrawal of all Ukrainian forces from all Russian territories a key prerequisite for peace talks.
Britain calls on G7 to intensify pressure on Russia with sanctions
Talking during a video conference with G7 leaders, Starmer highlighted Putin’s unwillingness to make concessions and argued for bolstered aid to Ukraine to position the country as strongly as possible for the future.
He noted that the international community must increase economic pressure and military assistance to achieve this goal.
The remarks come amid ongoing efforts by G7 nations to finalize a $50 billion aid package for Ukraine using Russian assets, as recently noted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The UK has recently announced new sanctions targeting the illicit gold trade, which it says finances Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Russia uses the illicit gold trade to launder money and evade sanctions, in doing so bolstering Putin’s war efforts,” the UK government announced in a press release.
The measures include asset freezes on five individuals, including Anto Joseph, CEO of Paloma Precious, which has reportedly purchased over $300 million worth of Russian gold.
The British government reported in 2023 that gold brought $15.5 billion to the Russian economy in 2021, making it one of the country’s most valuable commodities after energy exports.
Russia to pull back military from northern Syria: Reuters
The ousting of Assad, who along with his late father, former President Hafez al-Assad, had forged a close alliance with Moscow, has thrown the future of Russia’s bases – the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartous naval facility – into question.
Satellite footage from Friday shows what appeared to be at least two Antonov AN-124s, among the world’s largest cargo planes, at the Hmeimim base with their nose cones open, apparently preparing to load up.
At least one cargo plane flew out on Saturday for Libya, a Syrian security official stationed outside the facility said.
Syrian military and security sources in contact with the Russians told Reuters that Moscow was pulling back its forces from the front lines and withdrawing some heavy equipment and senior Syrian officers.
But the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said Russia was not pulling out of its two main bases and currently had no intention of doing so.
Some equipment is being shipped back to Moscow as are very senior officers from Assad’s military but the aim at this stage is to regroup and redeploy as dictated by developments on the ground, a senior Syrian army officer in touch with the Russian military told Reuters.
A senior rebel official close to the new interim administration told Reuters the issue of the Russian military presence in Syria and past agreements between the Assad government and Moscow were not under discussion.
“It is a matter for future talks and the Syrian people will have the final say,” stated the official, adding that Moscow had set up communication channels.
“Our forces are also now in close vicinity of the Russian bases in Latakia,” he noted without elaborating.
The Kremlin has announced Russia is in discussions with the new rulers of Syria over the bases. Russia’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Reuters reporting.
A Russian source who spoke on condition of anonymity said discussions with the new rulers of Syria were ongoing and Russia was not withdrawing from its bases.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose 2015 intervention in the Syrian war helped prop up Assad when the West was calling for him to be toppled, granted Assad asylum in Russia after Moscow helped him to flee last Sunday.
Moscow has backed Syria since early in the Cold War, and had recognised its independence in 1944 as Damascus sought to throw off French colonial rule. The West long regarded Syria as a Soviet satellite.
The bases in Syria are an integral part of Russia’s global military presence: the Tartous naval base is Russia’s only Mediterranean repair and resupply hub, with Hmeimim a major staging post for military and mercenary activity in Africa.
Russia also has eavesdropping posts in Syria which were run alongside Syrian signals stations, according to Syrian military and Western intelligence sources.
The Tartous facility dates from 1971, and after Russia intervened in the civil war to help Assad, Moscow was in 2017 granted a free of charge 49-year lease.
Yoruk Isik, a geopolitical analyst based in Istanbul who runs the Bosphorus Observer, stated that Russia was probably sending cargo planes out of Syrian via the Caucasus, and then on to the Al Khadim airbase in Libya.
On the highway linking the Hmeimim air base to the base in Tartous, a Russian convoy of infantry fighting vehicles and logistics vehicles could be seen driving toward the air base, a Reuters journalist said.
The convoy had stopped due to a malfunction on one of its vehicles, with soldiers standing by the vehicles and working to repair the issue.
“Whether it’s Russian, Iranian or the previous government who was oppressing us and denying us our rights … we don’t want any intervention from Russia, Iran or any other foreign intervention,” Ali Halloum, who is from Latakia and lives in Jablah, told Reuters.
At Hmeimim, Reuters saw Russian soldiers walking around the base as normal and jets in the hangars.
Satellite imagery taken on Dec. 9 by Planet Labs showed at least three vessels in Russia’s Mediterranean fleet – two guided missile frigates and an oiler – moored around 13 km (8 miles) northwest of Tartous.
Lawyer: Female Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi released from detention
Ahmadi was detained for violating Iran’s laws banning female singers from performing publicly without Hijab.
Panahipour confirmed her release at 3 a.m. to Sharg network.
Ahmadi’s arrest, along with two musicians from her band, Hypothetical Concert, occurred late Saturday.
Initially, Panahipour said he was unaware of the detaining authority. Later, Tasnim News Agency, citing the head of the Intelligence Unit of the Mazandaran Provincial Police Command, reported that Ahmadi was summoned by the Public Security Police due to an unconventional video she posted on social media. She was instructed to refer to the judiciary.
After a briefing session, Ahmadi was released and left the police building with her family.
The release of the video “without adhering to legal and religious regulations” led to a legal case against Ahmadi and her band.
The Iranian Judiciary announced that the video lacked legal authorization and did not comply with the country’s legal and cultural norms.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has enforced specific regulations on female solo performances and certain genres of music. These rules, based on religious and cultural norms, carry legal consequences for violations.
Iran faces aging crisis: Elderly population to reach 33.4 million in 32 years
Mojgan Rezazadeh noted on Sunday that from 1956 to 2016, the population of Iranians aged 60 and above increased from 1.4 million to 7.4 million.
She stressed that while the elderly population grew slowly over the past six decades, it is expected to increase rapidly, reaching 33.4 million by 2056. Similarly, those aged 65 and above will rise from 5 million to 23 million.
Despite the growing elderly population, the issue of aging has not been addressed in the country’s development plan, Rezazadeh regretted and urged for the inclusion of a budget for the aging population in next year’s budget proposal to address the social issue.
She emphasized that effective management and planning can provide opportunities to utilize the experience of the elderly and ensure equal and dignified conditions for them.
Currently, 9.866 million elderly individuals in Iran, 52.27% women and 47.73% men, make up the total population of about 85 million in the country.
Pictures: A serene dance of snow at Imam Reza’s shrine
Below you can find the images of the snowfall at the holy shrine of Imam Reza:
