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Lebanon urges Israel’s withdrawal from south

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israel Army

“In order for the army to be able to fully accomplish its missions, the committee must… put pressure on the Israeli enemy to bring an end to all the violations” of the ceasefire, Mikati said in the Lebanese border town of Khiam during a tour of the south on Monday.

“It is necessary to put pressure on the parties to the ceasefire agreement, namely the French and the Americans, to accelerate the process before the expiration of the 60-day period.”

Mikati added he wanted to resolve any questions over the Blue Line — the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and the occupied territories — “so there will be no justification for any Israeli occupation of our land.”

The Lebanese premier voiced concern over the daily ceasefire breaches, accusing Israel of “dragging its feet” to pull out of southern Lebanon.

Mikati also in remarks on Wednesday said that Israel was failing to comply with its commitments under the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, citing ongoing daily violations.

The premier emphasized the importance of global pressure on Israel to cease its ongoing violations of the agreement.

The truce agreement between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on the morning of November 27.

As part of the agreement, the Lebanese army and peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army pulls out over a period of 60 days.

The United States and France are part of the committee tasked with maintaining communication between the parties and ensuring ceasefire violations are identified and dealt with.

The ceasefire stipulates that Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from south of the Blue Line, a temporary line drawn after the withdrawal of Israel from the country’s territory in 2000, while the Lebanese army is expected to deploy its troops in southern Lebanon within a maximum of 60 days.

Since the ceasefire was implemented, Lebanon has documented dozens of violations, conducting airstrikes, advancing troops, and executing mass demolitions of homes and buildings in the southern region even in areas previously inaccessible during ground operations against Hezbollah.

Iranian martial artist Aliakbari sparks controversy with video of pet lion

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In the video, Aliakbari can be seen embracing a lion cub, with the caption, “A miracle called love makes a wild animal so kind.”

The video has garnered significant attention on social media, with many users calling for environmental authorities to intervene and address the potentially illegal action.

Iran sets new record with daily gas production of 865mn cubic meters

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Oil Gas

Mohammadreza Jolaei, Director of Coordination and Supervision at the National Iranian Gas Company, said on Tuesday that Iran is currently producing over one billion cubic meters of rich gas daily.

Seventy percent of the country’s gas supply comes from South Pars in the Persian Gulf, contributing approximately 590 million cubic meters daily.

South Pars also produces 700,000 barrels of gas condensate, 20,000 tons of liquefied gas, 1,500 tons of sulfur, and nearly 5,000 to 6,000 tons of ethane per day.

Jolaei emphasized the importance of maintaining the 13 gas refineries across 22 phases at South Pars, which requires high-tech components often sourced domestically.

He noted the rising demand for gas, which reaches 600-700 million cubic meters daily during the winter, compared to 150 million cubic meters in the summer.

With 75% of Iran’s energy basket reliant on gas, Jolaei stressed the need to diversify energy sources to mitigate the impact of gas supply imbalances.

Ukraine increasingly sees conflict with Russia ending in 2025: WaPo

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia Ukraine War

Trump promised on the campaign trail to end the conflict within a day of taking office, although he has since admitted that doing so may take longer. The US president-elect has revealed few details about how he plans to achieve this, but media leaks and comments from his closest advisers suggest that he will push to freeze the fighting along the current line of contact, using the leverage of US military aid to Ukraine to force Zelensky into talks with Putin.

“I wouldn’t believe we’re anywhere close to negotiations” were it not for Trump’s repeated comments on peace talks, the official continued, adding: “I just don’t think it’s possible to come to any agreement with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

Since 2022 Zelensky has maintained that no compromise is possible with Russia: first by insisting on restoring Ukraine’s 1991 borders by force, which would place Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as well as Crimea under Kiev’s control; and by pushing a punitive ‘peace formula’ that would involve Russia agreeing to such a territorial change, paying reparations, and handing its officials over to face war crimes tribunals. Moscow has rejected outright all of Zelensky’s proposals.

However, the Ukrainian leader has recently abandoned his talk of “victory”, claiming instead that he wants a “just peace” coupled with security guarantees from the West in the form of NATO membership, with the status of the former Ukrainian regions undetermined.

Moscow maintains that any settlement must begin with Ukraine ceasing military operations and acknowledging the “territorial reality” that it will never regain control of its former regions. In addition, the Kremlin insists that the goals of its military operation – which include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification – will be achieved.

After meeting Zelensky in Paris earlier this month, Trump claimed that the Ukrainian leader “would like to make a deal and stop the madness”. Zelensky immediately denied seeking a settlement, declaring that the conflict “cannot simply end with a piece of paper and a few signatures,” and that Putin “can only be stopped by strength”.

Trump has since confirmed that he may cut military aid to Kiev once he takes office in January.

“We’ve seen everybody’s narrative go from ‘As long as it [takes], blank check, don’t dare say anything else, or you’re somehow pro-Russian’ to ‘How do we get this to a deal?’” Trump’s nominee for national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said in an interview on Sunday.

Expecting “every Russian off of every inch of Ukraine, including Crimea?” might not be a “realistic goal at this point”, he added.

Tehran’s air quality in red zone, elementary schools closed

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Air Pollution

The Tehran Governor’s Office announced on Monday night that elementary schools, preschools, and kindergartens will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Forecasts from the Tehran Meteorological Department predict that air pollution will persist in high-traffic urban areas and central as well as southern parts of the province for the next five days.

Local dust, pollutant accumulation, reduced air quality, and occasional visibility reduction are expected.

Several other cities and provinces, including Mashhad, Isfahan, and Alborz, have also moved their schools online for Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health advises the public, especially vulnerable groups, to wear masks.

The Head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group at the Ministry stressed the importance of drinking sufficient water to maintain children’s health, warning some pollutants can even cross the placenta, posing risks to the fetus.

With the air expected to remain stagnant through the week, Friday is anticipated to bring rain, which may help alleviate the pollution in Tehran.

Advisor to Iran’s leader: Undermining President Pezeshkian is what enemies desire

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Masoud Pezeshkian

He emphasized that enemies are always trying to reduce public trust in the system by creating discord and division, which negatively impacts the people’s morale.

Mokhber, who is a member of the Expediency Council, stressed that unity and solidarity between the people and officials are key to countering upcoming challenges, adding that everyone should assist the government in overcoming problems and achieving set goals.

Mokhber pointed out the necessity for vigilance among the people and officials against psychological operations and enemy movements, highlighting the importance of forming a united front.

The advisor to Iran’s Leader urged all media and political parties and groups to support the current administration by maintaining cohesion and collaboration.

Jordan FM says Amman to stand by “Syrian brothers” after meeting with de facto ruler

By
IFP Media Wire
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“We stand by our Syrian brothers as they start the rebuilding process,” Safadi told Al Jazeera on Monday.

“We want a stable, secure, safe Syria that guarantees the rights of its people through a transitional process consistent with the aspirations of Syrian people,” Safadi added.

Mohammed al-Khulaifi, minister of state at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also arrived in the Syrian capital, days after Doha opened its embassy in Damascus after 13 years.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said al-Khulaifi will hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials “to embody Qatar’s firm position in providing all the support to the Syrian people”.

Monday’s high-profile diplomatic visit came a day after Turkiye’s foreign minister promised help with the political transition and rebuilding the war-torn country after meeting the new administration.

Hakan Fidan and al-Sharaa on Sunday stressed the need for unity and stability in Syria, as they called for the lifting of all international sanctions against the war-ravaged country.

Turkiye backed the Syrian opposition fighters led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s 54-year rule.

Safadi also pointed out that the security and stability of Syria are key to Jordan and the region.

“We share a 375km [230-mile] border with Syria. We want that border to be stable, free from terrorist organisations, free from drugs and weapon smuggling,” he told Al Jazeera.

In recent years, Jordan has tightened border controls in a crackdown on drug and weapon smuggling along its border with Syria. One of the main drugs smuggled is the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon, for which there is huge demand in the oil-rich Persian Gulf.

“We are working out the challenges and discussed the security of our common border with Mr Sharaa today,” Safadi continued.

The Jordanian foreign minister also condemned Israel’s attacks on Syria in recent days and said, “It’s an encroachment of Syria’s sovereignty.”

“Israel should withdraw from Syrian territory respecting the 1974 agreement,” he added.

Jordan also hosted a summit earlier this month where top Arab, Turkish, EU and US diplomats and called for an inclusive and peaceful transition after more than a decade of war.

Jordan also hosted hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, some of whom have returned home after al-Assad’s fall. Jordan claims it hosts some 1.3 million refugees but the United Nations says 680,000 Syrian refugees were registered with it.

Al-Sharaa has hosted Arab, as well as Western diplomats, as he aims for formal diplomatic recognition.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia is expected to send a delegation soon, according to Syria’s ambassador in Riyadh.

Israel acknowledges it assassinated Hamas chief in Tehran

By
IFP Media Wire
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Speaking on Monday evening at an event honouring Defence Ministry personnel, Katz said Israel had “dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organisation in Yemen, which remains the last to stand”.

“When the Houthi terrorist organisation is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran’s defence systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the [Bashar al-]Assad regime in Syria,” Katz stated.

Israel will “damage [Houthi] strategic infrastructure, and we will behead their leaders – just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon – we will do it in [Yemen’s] Hodeidah and Sanaa”, Katz added, referencing the subsequent killings of Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The Houthis have carried out numerous missile attacks on Israel in recent months, including a strike on Tel Aviv on Saturday using what the Houthis described as a hypersonic ballistic missile.

More than a dozen people were lightly injured when the missile evaded Israeli defence systems and struck a public park in Jaffa.

Haniyeh was assassinated on July 31 while visiting Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

According to Iranian state media reports at the time, the Hamas leader and his bodyguard were killed when an “airborne guided projectile” hit a special residence for military veterans, in which he was staying, in northern Tehran at about 2am local time.

Iranian and Palestinian officials blamed the assassination on Israel, but Israeli officials had until now neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

Haniyeh’s killing sparked anger across Palestine and stoked fears of a wider regional conflict as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised “harsh punishment” in retaliation.

In October, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at several Israeli cities in what it said was retaliation for the killings of the leaders of its allies, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Trump says Putin wants to meet him

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Trump Putin

Trump delivered the remarks to conservative activisits at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, where he celebrated his victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.

“President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible,” Trump claimed.

“So we have to wait for this. But we need to end that horrible, horrible war.”

Trump emphasized the heavy military losses incurred in the war and repeated his claims that Russia would not have launched the full-scale invasion if he had been president in 2022.

“Millions of soldiers have died,” he said, adding, “We’ve got to stop it, it’s ridiculous. That war would have never happened if I was president.”

Earlier this week, Putin said that he was prepared to meet with Trump at “any time” to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump will take office on Jan 20, 2025. His return to the White House is expected to mark a significant shift in US policy on Ukraine, with a focus on pressuring Kyiv to make a deal with Moscow.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump on Dec. 7 in Paris, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, in the leaders’ first in-person meeting since the election. Zelensky reported that he praised Trump during the meeting, telling him he was the only one Putin feared.

Following the meeting with Zelensky, Trump said the Ukrainian president appeared ready “to make a deal and stop the madness” and that Putin should do the same after incurring staggering losses in Ukraine.

Trump has nominated retired general Keith Kellogg as his special Ukrainian peace envoy, tasked with leading negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration.

Kellogg previously co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO’s accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia. The plan would also cut off military aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv agreed to enter negotiations.

The Financial Times reported on Dec. 20 that despite these proposals, Trump intends to continue sending US weapons to Ukraine when he becomes president.

Israel tells Syria its soldiers to remain in occupied territory: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Israeli Army

Israeli officials conveyed the message to Syria’s new leadership that their forces will not pull out from the usurped regions, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

“We will not accept any attempt by the militants to reach southern Syria. Once it appears that a responsible party is in office in Syria, we will consider transferring the buffer zone to it. But as long as there is not such a thing, we will continue to worry about our own security,” read the message.

This comes while the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group and Syria’s de facto ruler, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, asserted about a week ago that his group “will not engage” in a conflict with Tel Aviv.

Israeli military forces captured the buffer zone in the Golan Heights hours after armed groups took control of the Syrian capital of Damascus on December 8, which was led to the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The Israeli army occupied the Syrian Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel refused to withdraw its forces or return the territory amid demands by the UN Security Council Resolution 242.

The Tel Aviv regime set up about 30 illegal settlements in the occupied Golan over the past decades, accommodating more than 25,000 settlers.

The buffer zone in the Israeli-occupied Golan region was created by the United Nations after the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. A UN force of about 1,100 troops – the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) – had patrolled the area since then.

Earlier, Julani stated Syria’s new administration would abide by the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement with Israel even after the fall of Assad’s government, calling on the international community to ensure that Israel would uphold it.

Israeli troops have now occupied the summit of Jabal al-Shaykh which provides an observation point for areas in Syria and Lebanon. It rises to 9,232 feet (2,814 meters) and is the highest point on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

They have advanced beyond the so-called buffer zone toward Damascus, while the regime’s warplanes have conducted hundreds of aerial assaults on Syria.

Since the downfall of Assad, Israel has wiped out Syrian naval vessels, sea-to-sea missiles, helicopters and planes, including the entire fleet of MiG-29 jets, and stockpiles of ammunition in attacks on at least five air bases.

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