For today, links to four reports: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Multinational Monitor and Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Gaza ceasefire talk swirls as officials push for deal, by Erin Banco and Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  WASHINGTON / CAIRO — Sources briefed on talks about a Gaza ceasefire said today a deal could be signed in coming days that would end the fighting and free hostages held by the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. READ MOVE . . .

–   –   –

Hamas says Gaza truce talks in Doha ‘serious and positive.’ From AFP. DOHA — Hamas said talks in Qatar today aimed at a truce and hostage-prisoner exchange in Gaza were “serious and positive,” a day after an Israeli delegation arrived in Doha to meet with mediators. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Israeli strike in Gaza kills at least 8 from the same family, Palestinians say. From AP. An Israeli strike in Gaza killed at least eight people from the same family, most of them women and children, Palestinian medics said today. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 16  Palestinians mourn dead after Israeli strike on Gaza’s Khan Younis. From Reuters. CAIRO / GAZA — Relatives of Palestinians killed by Israel in Khan Younis gathered around their white-shrouded bodies on Monday before carrying them to their graves. Health officials said on Sunday at least 20 people, including children, were killed in the strike at the school sheltering displaced families. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 16  The ouster of tyrant Assad paves the way for Palestine, not the other way round, by Amira Abo el-Fetouh | Multinational Monitor  I have said it many times: Palestine will not be liberated unless and until the Arab countries are liberated from their tyrannical and oppressive rulers. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Mahmoud Abbas is in his final act as betrayer of the Palestinian cause, by Sami Al-Arian | Middle East Eye  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been trying to stay relevant as events in Gaza, the West Bank and across the region have been moving at a much faster pace than the octogenarian politician is able to cope with. This week, his security forces . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor and Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.)

–   –   –

UN refugee agency expects 1 million Syrians to return in six months. From Reuters. GENEVA — A UN refugee agency official said on Tuesday that some 1 million Syrian refugees are expected to return to the country in the first six months of 2025, asking states to refrain from forcing them to do so. Reuters reports. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Syrians can finally tell their stories about Assad’s chemical attacks. Reported by Leila Fadel | NPR  Survivors of the Syrian regime’s chemical attacks are free now speak about how they lost their families. We meet people who endured attacks that Syria’s former president used to stay in power. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

Russian presence in Syria remains. But it’s unclear for how long, by Abby Sewell | AP  HMEIMIM, Syria — Whether and how long Russia’s military presence in Syria will last after the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar Assad is an open question. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 16  Assad gives account of last hours before leaving Syria. From Reuters. BEIRUT — Syria’s Bashar al-Assad issued his first statement since being toppled from power, saying he was evacuated to Russia from the Hmeimim base on Dec. 8 as it came under drone attack, after leaving Damascus that morning with rebel fighters closing in. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 16  The ouster of tyrant Assad paves the way for Palestine, not the other way round, by Amira Abo el-Fetouh | Multinational Monitor  December 6 was memorable for millions of Syrians all over the world who celebrated the liberation of their land from the Assad dynasty. Many raised the original flag used in Syria after it was . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 16  Blinded to Syria, by Patrick Lawrence | Consortium News / ScheerPost  I do not know anyone who has achieved the age of reason who does not recognize the U.S. hand in the stunning sweep through Syria of Hay`at Tahrir al–Sham, long-recognized as a terrorist organization. All one needs to grasp this is . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russia intensifies Kursk assaults, piles pressure in the east, Ukraine’s army chief says. From Reuters. KYIV — Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian forces battling to hold an enclave in Russia’s Kursk region and also increased pressure in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine’s top army commander said today. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Russian general in charge of chemical and biological warfare is killed in Moscow. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Michel Martin | NPR  The apparent assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov came a day after Ukraine’s security service charged him with using banned chemical weapons. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and AP.

–   –   –

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy tells allies Russia’s shadow fleet must be stopped. From Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to allies today to ensure the so-called shadow fleet of vessels used by Russia to circumvent sanctions no longer operated in the European waters. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 16  Trump says deal needed to stop Ukraine war, will talk to Putin and Zelenskiy. From Reuters. PALM BEACH, Florida — President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should be prepared to make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the nearly three-year-old Ukraine war. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to commentary from Middle East Eye, and to reports from National Public Radio, Middle East Monitor, and Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 11  Gaza is being wiped out. We need a permanent ceasefire now, by Eman Alhaj Al | Middle East Eye  Each time I hear about new negotiations for a ceasefire, I feel increasingly pessimistic, as these discussions never seem to lead anywhere. The reality is that the people of Gaza do not want a temporary truce; they long for a permanent ceasefire, which would . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

There’s renewed hope for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Reported by Michele Kelemen and Leila Fadel | NPR  A possible ceasefire in the 14-month long war between Israel and Hamas is gaining momentum. There are signs that the two sides are closer to making a deal, but many sticking points remain. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

Israeli forces kill ‘soul of my soul’ grandad Khaled Nabhan in air strike on Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. Khaled Nathan, a Palestinian grandfather who grieved for his three-year-old granddaughter after she was killed in an Israeli air strike last year, was himself killed in another Israeli attack on central Gaza today. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

For today, links to reports Middle East Monitor and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.)

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 15  Israel occupies 3 new villages in southern Syria. From Middle East Monitor.  Tel Aviv has deepened its military incursion into the country following the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime, seizing Jamlah in Daraa province and the villages of Mazraat Beit Jinn and Maghar al-Mir in the Damascus countryside, according to Anadolu reporters. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

What comes next for Syria after the Assad regime. Leila Fadel, Jane Arraf and Ruth Sherlock of NPR share their reporting from Syria more than a week after the fall of the Assad regime. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 15  We head inside a feared intelligence branch after the fall of Assad regime in Syria. Ruth Sherlock of NPR describes visiting an abandoned “dungeon prison,” site of torture and death, in Damascus. Click HERE to listen and read.    

For today, links to reports from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

At least 30 North Korean troops killed or wounded in Kursk Region, Ukraine says. From AFP. Ukraine said early today that its troops killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers deployed in western Russia’s Kursk region over the weekend. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 15  Ukrainian drone hits Russia’s Chechnya as Kyiv continues pushback after Moscow bombardment, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — A Ukrainian drone struck a campus belonging to Russia’s National Guard Sunday in the Russian region of Chechnya, as Kyiv continues to strike back after a mass air attack from Moscow. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Serial production of Oreshnik missiles to begin shortly — Putin. From Tass. MOSCOW — “As you know,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a board meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry, “the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile system has become . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to four reports: from Middle East Monitor, Wafa, Middle East Eye, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from Jonathan-Cook.net via Consortium News; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and SYRIA entries are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

At least 34 Palestinians killed in unabated Israeli attacks in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. At least 34 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in Israeli attacks targeting a school housing displaced families, homes, and tents in displacement camps across the Gaza Strip, medical sources said today, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Wafa.

–   –   –

Israeli strikes kill Palestinian journalist and rescuers in central Gaza. From Middle East Eye. The Qatar-based Al Jazeera media network reports that Israeli air strikes today killed three members of the Palestinian civil defence search-and-rescue team and one of its own cameramen,  Ahmad al-Louh, in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Corpses pile up in northern Gaza as Israel continues deadly onslaught, by Amer Solyman | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine  Citing “large numbers of dead bodies in the streets that can’t be reached,” a Palestinian medic today warned of an “environmental catastrophe” in northern Gaza. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 12  The day the media decided militant jihadism is OK, by Jonathan-Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  Here is a very strange thing. For years, Western media outlets and politicians have been recklessly indifferent to the fact that Hamas is not a jihadist movement, like . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to nine reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Common Dreams; to commentary from Common Dreams; to commentary from Jonathan-Cook.net via Consortium News, and, also via CN, to a three-way conversation on WBAI; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entry for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Israel plans to double population on occupied Golan, cites threats from Syria, by Howard Goller | Reuters  JERUSALEM — Israel today said it would double its population on the occupied Golan Heights while saying threats from Syria remained despite the moderate tone of rebel leaders who ousted President Bashar al-Assad a week ago. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 14  Syrian commander on Israeli frontline says invasion will go no further, by Daniel Hilton and Omar al-Aswad | Middle East Eye  DAMASCUS — Qatana, a town in the countryside 25km from Syria’s capital, today finds itself just 8km from invading Israeli troops. “We refuse to let anyone enter Syria,” says Abdallah Sheikh, the rebel commander now overseeing the town. READ MOVE . . .

–   –   –

One week into a new Syria, rebels aim for normalcy and Syrians vow not to be silent again, by Sarah el Deeb | AP  DAMASCUS — Rebels, suddenly in charge, have met a population bursting with emotions: excitement at new freedoms; grief over years of repression; and hopes, expectations and worries about the future. Some were overwhelmed to the point of tears. The transition . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters and NPR.

–   –   –

Rebels took over Damascus quickly, but the uprising has been decades in the making. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR talks with Mazen Gharibah of the London School of Economics about internal opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which started long before his ouster this month. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 14  One week into post-Assad rule in Syria — a view from Damascus. Reported by Scott Detrow and Leila Fadel | NPR  Detrow in the United States and Fadel in Syria talk about what it’s like in the latter country this weekend. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 14  Assad’s fall came too late for one NPR reporter’s father. Reported by Diaa Hadid | NPR  Assad’s fall came too late for the father of NPR’s Diaa Hadid, who was briefly detained by Syrian forces during their occupation of northern Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 9  U.S. bombs over 75 targets in Syria after Assad falls, by Brett Wilkins | Common Dreams  U.S. military forces launched dozens of airstrikes on more than 75 Islamic State targets in Syria on Dec. 8 after the fall of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and amid ongoing Israeli and Turkish attacks . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 12  How the U.S. and Israel destroyed Syria and called it peace, by Jeffrey D. Sachs | Common Dreams  Syria’s fall came swiftly because of more than a decade of crushing economic sanctions, the burdens of war, the U.S. seizure of Syria’s oil, Russia’s priorities regarding the conflict in Ukraine, and most immediately . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 12  The day the media decided militant jihadism is OK, by Jonathan-Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  Here is a very strange thing. For years, Western media outlets and politicians have been recklessly indifferent to the fact that Hamas is not a jihadist movement, like . . . READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 14  Listen: The two puppets. Joe Lauria of Consortium NWes and former CIA analyst Larry Johnson join Randy Credico’s “Live on the Fly” over-the-air radio program on WBAI in New York to discuss events in Syria and Ukraine, and the roles of the U.S., Israel and Turkey. How controllable is Abu Mohammad Jolani? Click HERE for audio.

For today, links to 10 reports: from Kyiv Post, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass, and via Consortium News to a WBAI radio conversation; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –

Russian forces hoist flag in Kurakhove, threatening key Ukrainian logistics hub, by Alisa Orlova | Kyiv Post  Russian military on Saturday reportedly raised the flag of the Russian Federation on the administration building in Kurakhove, a city in the Pokrovsky district of Ukraine’s Donetsk region. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from AFP and the Kyiv Independent.

–   –   –

40 tank cars destroyed: Ukrainian forces wreck Russian fuel train in Zaporizhzhia, by Alisa Orlova and Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  Ukraine’s Security Service and defense forces struck a significant blow to Russian logistics in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, SBU sources said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

–   –   –

Zelensky rejected opportunity to discuss Christmas truce with Orban, Hungarian minister claims, by Martina Sapio | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky has “forcefully but politely” rejected a call from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to discuss a Christmas ceasefire, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó claimed today. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 14  Ukrainian drones strike Russia as Kyiv reels from consecutive massive air attacks. From AP. KYIV — Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said Saturday, the day after Moscow launched a massive aerial attack on its neighbor that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

–   –   –

Russian forces down Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — The Russian military downed a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 14  Ukraine replaces commander as Russia advances fast in the east. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukraine’s military leadership has replaced the commander overseeing defenses in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian forces are making swift advances, a military official said on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DEC. 14  Listen: The two puppets. Joe Lauria of Consortium NWes and former CIA analyst Larry Johnson join Randy Credico’s “Live on the Fly” over-the-air radio program on WBAI in New York to discuss events in Syria and Ukraine, and the roles of the U.S., Israel and Turkey. How controllable is Abu Mohammad Jolani? Click HERE for audio.

For today, links to reports from the Australian Associated Press, Middle East Eye and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (UKRAINE and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

–   –   –  

At least 18 killed in Israeli Gaza strikes: medics. From Australian Associated Press. At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, medics say, while the Israeli military said it targeted gunmen operating from shelters and aid storages. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

10 killed in Israeli bombing in central Gaza municipality building. From Middle East Eye. Al Jazeera Arabic has reported that 10 people were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Deir al-Balah municipality building in central Gaza. The mayor of Deir al-Balah, Engineer Diab Al-Jaro, was among the fatalities, according to Quds News Network. 

–   –   –

Seven killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school, Palestinian emergency service says. From Reuters. CAIRO — At least seven Palestinians were killed and 12 wounded after an Israeli strike on a former school that was sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, the civil emergency service said today. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

TO BE CONTINUED