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Defense Policy / Programs

• MND Issues Statement on the Impact of the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures on National Defense ROC MND 25 Dec 2024
• Taiwan defense ministry warns of deep cut in 2025 budget Radio Free Asia 25 Dec 2024 -- Taiwan's ministry of national defense is warning a potential cut in the island's defense budget for 2025 would have grave consequences.
• Taiwan seeks tenders to upgrade C-130 aircraft CNA 25 Dec 2024 -- Taiwan's military on Wednesday issued a public notice to invite tenders to upgrade its existing C-130 military transport aircraft, as part of a six-year project to overhaul its aging C-130 fleet.
• Iran capable of producing advanced vessels domestically: IRGC Navy commander IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri has announced that Iran is now capable of manufacturing advanced vessels domestically, thanks to the expertise of its local specialists.
• Iranian ships sailing safely in international waters: IRGC Navy chief Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- The Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has dismissed claims there have been threats to Iran's commercial shipping activities, saying ships owned or operated by the country are sailing safely in international waters thanks to the protection provided by the Iranian military forces.
• Iran's Army, IRGC to stage 'powerful' inclusive military drills in coming days: Commander Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- A senior Iranian commander has announced that the country's armed forces will stage "powerful" complex and inclusive military drills enlisting the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
• North Korean Troops Take Pounding As Kim Reportedly Doubles Down RFE/RL 25 Dec 2024 -- If North Korea's elite troops were expecting an easy campaign against Ukrainian forces entrenched in Russia's Kursk region, they faced a harsh reality on the ground.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News

Operation Iron Swords / Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

• PM Netanyahu: "The Houthis will also learn what Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and others have learned, and this will also take time. This lesson will be learned across the Middle East." Israel - Prime Minister 25 Dec 2024
• Third baby dies of cold in Gaza, doctor says VOA 25 Dec 2024 -- A baby girl froze to death in southern Gaza, the head of the enclave's Ministry of Health said Wednesday. The newborn was at least the third baby to die in recent days in the cold.
• Dec. 24: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation Press TV 25 Dec 2024
• Hamas says Israel's 'new conditions' delaying ceasefire agreement in Gaza IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has announced that imposing "new conditions" by the Israeli regime is the reason for delaying agreement on the Gaza ceasefire.
• Fresh Israeli attacks kill 15 Palestinians across Gaza IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- Fresh attacks by the Israeli regime's army on different areas of Gaza have left at least 15 civilians martyred and several others injured or missing.
• Hamas says Israel created new obstacles to Gaza truce deal Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says Israel has created new obstacles to a ceasefire agreement, despite progress in negotiations in Doha.
• Lebanese PM calls for immediate withdrawal of Zionist regime from border areas IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for an end to the aggression of the Zionist regime and the immediate withdrawal of this regime from the border areas and to prevent the violation of the ceasefire by Israel.
• Israel attacks eastern Lebanon in yet anther violation of ceasefire Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- Israel has carried out airstrikes against Lebanon in violation of a ceasefire reached last month between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah.
• Syria, Lebanon and Jordan Emergency Appeal 2025 UNRWA 25 Dec 2024 -- In 2025, Palestine refugees across Syria, Lebanon and Jordan will face the impacts of a sharp rise in interrelated conflicts, deep economic crises, and layered displacements within and across their borders. These interconnected challenges demand a cohesive regional humanitarian and protection response.
• Iran condemns Israel's brazen admission of murdering of Haniyeh in Tehran Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- Iran has strongly condemned Israel's "brazen admission" of the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year, calling it a "heinous crime."
• Yemeni army says it carried out fresh missile attack on Tel Aviv IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- The Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman says that a new missile attack has been launched on an Israeli military position in Tel Aviv.
• No red line to target US interests if Yemen invaded: Ansarullah IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- A member of the political bureau of Yemen's Ansarullah movement has said that there will be no red line for Yemenis or the resistance group in targeting American interests in the region if the US invades the Arab country.
• It's Yemen again: Drone operation targets Israeli industrial zone Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- Yemen's army says it has conducted another drone operation targeting the "industrial zone of the Israeli enemy" in the occupied Asqalan area.
• Yemen fires second hypersonic missile at Israeli targets in as many days Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- The Yemeni Armed Forces claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a military target within the Israeli-occupied territories in support of Gaza, marking the second attack in just two days.

Other Conflicts

• Curfew declared in Damascus, several cities after violent clashes Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- Syria's security forces have clashed with armed men in the western city of Tartus, leaving several people dead and injured.
• Syrian Islamist Rulers Shun The Taliban Governance Model RFE/RL 25 Dec 2024 -- Afghanistan's Taliban rulers were quick to congratulate fellow Islamists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.
• Kurdish-led SDF beats back Turkish militants in Syria, says will 'thwart' Ankara's ambitions Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-sponsored, Kurdish-led militant group, have engaged in clashes with the Turkish-backed militants of the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA), in northern Syria to regain control over areas close to the border with Turkey.
• Erdogan threatens to eliminate Kurdish militia in Syria if they refuse to surrender weapons Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed Kurdish-led militant group, will "be buried" if they do not lay down their arms.
• "Our sole purpose is the establishment of peace and stability in our region" Presidency of The Republic of Turkey 25 Dec 2024 -- Addressing AK Party's parliamentary group meeting, President Erdoğan said: "Our sole purpose is the establishment of peace and stability in every inch of our region, starting from Syria, in a strong manner. Syria's security and peace might be of secondary concern for others. We, on the other hand, cannot have such a luxury with a country with which we have a 910-kilometer-long border."
• Iran FM: 'Too early' to predict Syria's future for those thinking 'victories' achieved Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says it is "too early" to make any predictions for Syria's future as there are a multitude of developments in the making in the Arab country following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad's government.
• Israeli occupation forces expand aggression in SW Syria, seize local weapons Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- The Israeli military has expanded its invasion of the province of Quneitra in southwestern Syria, forcing the locals there to hand over their weapons to the regime's occupation forces.
• Pakistani military conducts airstrikes on militant hideouts in eastern Afghanistan Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- The Pakistani military has conducted a series of airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, targeting hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group.
• More Than 40 Killed In Pakistani Strikes Inside Afghanistan, Taliban Claims RFE/RL 25 Dec 2024 -- Pakistani air strikes killed 46 civilians in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban-led government in Kabul said on December 25, while Islamabad claimed it targeted suspected militant hideouts in border areas.
• Taliban allege Pakistani military strikes kill dozens in Afghanistan VOA 25 Dec 2024 -- Taliban officials in Afghanistan reported Wednesday that at least 46 people were killed in an eastern border region because of an overnight aerial bombing that allegedly was conducted by Pakistan.
• Call for safety in Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camps after fatal fire VOA 25 Dec 2024 -- Sitting before a pile of dilapidated shacks and ashes in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, 80-year-old Rohingya refugee Amena Khatun began weeping as she talked about her 60-year-old son, Abul Hair.
• Kosovo Panel Overturns Commission, Clears Serbian List Party For February Vote RFE/RL 25 Dec 2024 -- A special panel in Kosovo overturned a decision by the election commission that had barred the country's largest ethnic-Serbian party from participating in upcoming elections due to its strong links with Belgrade.

News Reports

• General Assembly approves $3.72 billion UN budget for 2025 UN News 25 Dec 2024 -- The General Assembly wrapped up the main part of its 79th session on Tuesday, approving a $3.72 billion budget for the United Nations for 2025 and adopting a new programme to support landlocked developing countries.
• Yemen says it foiled US-Israeli espionage plot IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- Yemeni security services say they have neutralized an espionage plot hatched by the intelligence services of the United States and the Israeli regime amid the Arab country's ongoing support for Palestine.
• Informal CIS heads of state meeting President of Russia 25 Dec 2024 -- The Leningrad Region hosted an informal meeting of the leaders of countries − members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with 60 Minutes television programme, Moscow, December 25, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 Dec 2024
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on December 25, 2024 PRC MofA 25 Dec 2024
• Chinese FM refutes smearing of HKSAR police's legitimate law enforcement actions Global Times 25 Dec 2024 -- Refuting the remarks made by certain countries regarding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), which misrepresent the actions taken by the HKSAR police against Kwok Fung-yee and 12 other anti-China disruptors, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday said "we strongly deplore and firmly oppose individual countries blatantly attacking and vilifying the legitimate law enforcement activities of the Hong Kong police."
• Resolving Taiwan question is a matter for Chinese across Straits, no room for external interference, says spokesperson in response to Blinken's remarks Global Times 25 Dec 2024 -- In response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's claim that "Taiwan is not just China's business but the world's business and it is because the world would be influenced if there were to be a crisis over Taiwan," Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, reiterated that Taiwan is China's Taiwan.
• Macao's achievements demonstrate robust vitality of 'one country, two systems'; we will actively explore Two Systems solution to Taiwan question: mainland spokesperson Global Times 25 Dec 2024 -- Since Macao's return to the motherland, its remarkable achievements have demonstrated to the world that "one country, two systems" possesses significant institutional advantages and robust vitality, said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday.
• No one should underestimate China's ability to safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity, Taiwan Affairs Office on Pentagon's China report Global Times 25 Dec 2024 -- In response to the Pentagon's recently released 2024 report on "Military and Security Developments Involving the PRC," which claimed that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has a range of capabilities to "compel Taiwan to the negotiation table" and that Taiwan is developing asymmetric strategies, capabilities, and defensive resilience through a whole-of-society approach to counter the PLA, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, stated at a regular press conference on Wednesday that the so-called "report" deliberately stirs up hostility and confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, incites Taiwan to purchase weapons and prepare for war, and constitutes gross interference in China's internal affairs.
• Taiwan Affairs Office vows no tolerance on external interference, NPC Foreign Affairs Committee expresses strong opposition over US NDAA Global Times 25 Dec 2024 -- The State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Wednesday joined ranks to slam the US' signing into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 that contains negative content related to China, following the Chinese Foreign Ministry's serious protests on Tuesday.
• China pledges vigorous exploration of "two systems" solution for Taiwan People's Daily 25 Dec 2024 -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday that the implementation of the "one country, two systems" in Taiwan would fully take into account the island's realities, and vigorous efforts will be dedicated to exploring a "two systems" solution to the Taiwan question.
• China's propaganda office taps Taiwanese god of cities as ally Radio Free Asia 25 Dec 2024 -- The Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department is counting on a new ally in the fight to persuade Taiwan's 23 million people to give up their democratic way of life to be ruled by Beijing -- Cheng Huang, the god of cities.
• PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan ROC MND 25 Dec 2024
• Russia calls on IAEA to avoid politicizing Iran's nuclear case IRNA 25 Dec 2024 -- Russia has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to adopt a fair approach in dealing with the issue of monitoring Iranian nuclear facilities, saying the UN body should refrain from politicizing the case.
• Russia urges IAEA to uphold impartiality in monitoring Iran's nuclear facilities Press TV 25 Dec 2024 -- Russia has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to uphold impartiality in monitoring Iran's nuclear facilities and refrain from politicizing its nuclear case.
• Authorities Seek Answers After Deadly Crash Of Azerbaijani Passenger Jet In Kazakhstan RFE/RL 25 Dec 2024 -- The cockpit recorder has been recovered intact as authorities stepped up their investigation following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet in Kazakhstan that killed at least 38 of the 67 people aboard on December 25.
• U.S., EU Slam Bosnian Serb Efforts To Block Bosnia-Herzegovina's EU Integration RFE/RL 25 Dec 2024 -- The United States and European Union on December 25 condemned plans by ethnic-Serb leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to block efforts for closer European integration for the Western Balkan nation.
• Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Western attempts to destabilise Serbia Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 Dec 2024
• India faces diplomatic challenge as Bangladesh calls for Hasina's extradition VOA 25 Dec 2024 -- A formal request by Bangladesh to India to extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after she was ousted by mass student-led protests, poses a diplomatic conundrum for New Delhi, say analysts.