Middle Eastern Politics Headlines at 5:09 a.m. GMT
Top war-crimes court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others in Israel-Hamas fighting
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The HillTrump on Syria conflict: ‘This is not our fight’
President-elect Trump heavily criticized Syrian rebels for their move to overtake the city of Damascus on Saturday, but emphasized that this was not America’s fight. “Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they…
- Futurism
US Military Alarmed by Russian Nuclear Weapon Platform in Orbit
A Russian spacecraft launched higher than most satellites has long had the Pentagon worried — and new revelations about what it contains onboard have made those concerns all the greater. Launched in early 2022, Russia's Cosmos 2553 spacecraft is nominally built to test out "newly developed onboard instruments and systems." According to new reporting from the New York Times, however, the mysterious satellite system contains a "dummy warhead"
- The Daily Beast
Trump Directly Addresses Pete Hegseth Alcohol Question
President-elect Donald Trump gave his strongest endorsement yet of his defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in which he addressed allegations of Hegseth’s drinking habits in an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. The clip was posted as a sneak preview of Trump’s first one-on-one interview since winning the November election, with the full interview set to air Sunday. Trump told Welker that he remains unfazed by reports that Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, had a drinking
- The Independent
An Alabama couple were ardent Trump supporters. Then their trans son told them he wanted to die
Once news outlets called the election for Trump in the early hours of November 6, panic ripped through the LGBTQIA+ community and hotlines saw a dramatic surge in calls. Michelle Del Rey reports
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: US announces new $1bn weapons package for Kyiv before ‘baton passed’ to Trump
US president-elect Trump meets with Zelensky at reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris
- CNN Business
There’s a rude awakening in store for the DOGE bros
Once upon a time, a brash outsider entered the Oval Office with a promise to “drain the swamp.” He brought in a posse of businesspeople, led by a leading industrialist, to work like “tireless bloodhounds” to root out inefficiencies in Washington’s vast bureaucracy.
- CNN
What the Syrian rebellion could mean for the balance of power in the Middle East
Western and Arab states, as well as Israel, would like to see Iran’s influence in Syria curtailed, but none wish for a radical Islamist regime to replace Assad.
- HuffPost
'He Knows That He F**ked Up': James Carville Calls Biden 'Most Tragic Figure' In U.S. Politics
The Democratic strategist slammed Biden for not exiting the presidential race sooner and lamented that his otherwise "stunning" legacy is now overshadowed.
- CNN
Video of military police officer throwing man off bridge sparks anger in Brazil
A military police officer has been arrested in Brazil after a video emerged of him throwing a civilian over a bridge in Sao Paulo on Monday, sparking protests in the city.
- HuffPost
Trump Sends Another $4.3 Million Of Donors’ Money To His Lawyers
He also continues fundraising from his millions of followers, although more of each dollar raised is going to the RNC than it was immediately after the election.
- Yahoo News Australia
Aussies face new rules as camping banned after 'secret' 4WD beach exposed
Many places becoming so popular that the environment cannot sustain the level of use, authorities say. So changes are coming.
- BBC
Prince William and Trump meet after Notre-Dame reopening
William joins other world leaders in Paris for the ceremonial reopening of the world-famous cathedral.
- Sky News
With America's presidential transition, Syria's fast-moving conflict presents a unique geopolitical challenge
There was a time not all that long ago when the United States would be seeking clearly to drive and define a particular narrative and outcome for the events unfolding in the Middle East. Seeking to mould events to its own benefit has been a central tenet of American foreign policy. President Biden is still running things at the White House but his ability to influence events in the Middle East, if he is even inclined to, has been shown to be limited.
- CNN
Two wars changed Syria’s fortune. What comes next is impossible to know
The swiftly changing fate of Bashar al-Assad was not really made in Syria, but in southern Beirut and Donetsk.
- Yahoo Finance AU
Major banks RBA interest rate cut predictions days before crucial 2024 call for struggling mortgage holders
ANZ, Westpac and NAB are all in agreement in when the first rate cut could come, while Commonwealth Bank remains the defiant outlier.
- CNN
Truong My Lan: Vietnamese tycoon in a race to repay $9 billion to avoid execution
Property tycoon Truong My Lan was one of Vietnam’s richest businesswomen. She amassed an eye-wateringly valuable portfolio of luxury homes, hotels and commercial properties all over the country and abroad – allegedly by effectively turning a major bank into her own personal ATM.
- BBC
'Are we about to repeat history?': Martial law's traumatic legacy in South Korea
President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law announcement left many Koreans with one thought: not again.
- The Independent
Melania admits that she doesn't dance like Trump as she hawks ornaments and jewelry on Fox & Friends
“These are awesome! These are fantastic,” Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade exclaimed while displaying the incoming first lady’s Christmas ornaments, which buyers can purchase for $90 a piece.
- The Daily Beast
Putin’s Pals Say Tucker Carlson Is Acting as a Secret Back-Channel to Trump
Tucker Carlson, the darling of the Russian state media, returned to Moscow this week, apparently intent on boosting Vladimir Putin’s key message on Ukraine. The Kremlin’s TV stooges suggested he may have had an even more sinister ulterior motive. During Carlson’s second pilgrimage to Moscow, he interviewed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The interview, broadcast Thursday night, allowed the former Fox News star to push the Kremlin’s agenda that the U.S. should back off the war in Ukraine
- Sky News
Rebel forces 'reach Damascus suburbs' as protesters topple statue on outskirts
Syrian rebels have reportedly taken the key city of Homs and reached the suburbs of the capital Damascus as their lightning offensive threatens to end Bashar al Assad's 24-year rule. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents are now active in three Damascus suburbs, including Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya - making it the first time they have reached the outskirts of the city since 2018, when government forces recaptured the area after a years-long siege. Meanwhile, Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul-Ghani said insurgent forces had now "fully liberated" Syria's central city of Homs - in a strategically important move the cuts off Damascus from coastal military bases.