.
Europe
Finland
03.12.2024 Finland's internet connectivity suffered a major disruption after a fiber optic cable connecting it to Sweden was damaged, causing widespread outages. The damage took place on land in two separate locations yesterday, with repair work still ongoing as of today morning. The damaged fiber optic cable, located in rural areas between Espoo and Vihti, was part of the critical infrastructure connecting the Nordic countries. The incident comes after a string of similar incidents in recent weeks, including the November cutting of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is currently investigating a separate case involving the C-Lion1 submarine cable that connects Finland and Germany. A day before the Finland-Germany cable was cut, another cable linking Sweden and Lithuania was also damaged. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
France
03.12.2024 The French government faces the risk of collapse tomorrow if a no-confidence motion is passed, following the prime minister's decision to bypass a parliamentary vote to adopt the social security budget bill yesterday. Prime Minister Michel Barnier invoked Article 49.3 of the constitution to pass the controversial bill, and the session at the National Assembly - the lower house of parliament - was suspended without any debate. Lawmakers from both left- and right-wing parties condemned the action, with both sides filing no-confidence motions that could trigger the government's downfall. The right-wing National Rally (RN) party has announced it will support the left-wing New Popular Front’s (NFP) motion, a move that could push the government to the brink, as Barnier lacks a majority in the house. To pass, the motion requires at least 289 votes. The country has experienced political instability since June, following Macron's centrist bloc's failure and the RN’s victory in the EU elections. In snap parliamentary elections in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, the NFP emerged with the most votes and seats in parliament, claiming it was entitled to have a prime minister from its ranks. President Macron rejected a left-wing candidate. On Sept. 5, Macron finally appointed Michel Barnier, a center-right politician, former European commissioner, and former foreign minister, as prime minister. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Poland
03.12.2024 The BBC estimated in November 2023 that 650,000 military-age Ukrainian men had left for the EU since the war began. In July, Kyiv and Warsaw agreed to form and jointly train a new army brigade in Poland, aiming to boost recruitment among Ukrainian men living in Poland and other EU countries. Yesterday, Polish Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed concern about the low number of young Ukrainians in Poland who have signed up for military training, calling it ’worrying’ and a source of "resentment." “The sight of young Ukrainian men in the most modern cars or five-star hotels arouses emotions and justified opposition from Ukrainians who are fighting for their homeland, but also from Poles who spend billions on aid,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told in Krakow. Kosiniak-Kamysz acknowledged that Poles are feeling the effects of war fatigue. “I remember the first days after the outbreak of the war. Open hearts, homes. Today, there are more and more questions in this area. Conflict fatigue is much greater now,” he said. The minister pointed out that Poland remains one of the main countries involved in training Ukrainian soldiers on its soil, with about one-third of all trained soldiers - approximately 26,000 Ukrainians - having received their training in Poland. (Source: Anadolu Agency – Turkey)
European Union
(3 December 2024) According to Eurostat, there are over three million young people working as interns in the EU. Too often, companies take advantage of young people’s desperation to let them work unpaid. Luxembourg backs Hungarian plan for EU internship directive. (Source: Luxembourg Times)
December 3, 2024 EU Statement at Cairo Ministerial Conference to enhance the humanitarian response to Gaza. Recalling the European Union’s unwavering commitment to a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, the EU is deeply concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which impacts the lives of all the strip’s inhabitants in every sector, from food to shelter, education and healthcare. The EU calls for the granting of safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian goods and staff, the opening of all access routes to international aid and commercial imports to their maximum capacity, and urgent actions to restore law and order and stop the looting of aid. The EU has mobilised over EUR 300 million and all humanitarian instruments at its disposal to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians. Over 60 humanitarian air bridge flights have been organised to provide critical assistance. EU also reiterates its support to the UN system, including the irreplaceable role of UNRWA. (Source: EU Neighbours South – European Union)
Georgia
03/12/2024 - 07:35 Police fired water canons and tear gas at demonstrators who gathered for a fifth consecutive night outside Georgia's parliament building in Tbilisi to protest a government decision to delay EU accession talks. Georgia’s Interior Ministry said yesterday that 224 protesters were detained on administrative charges and three arrested on criminal charges. So far, 113 police officers needed medical treatment while three others were hospitalized after clashes with protesters, who hurled fireworks at police. Georgia's President Zourabichvili who plays a largely ceremonial role, has rejected official election results and refused to recognize the parliament's legitimacy. She has declared that she would stay on the job even after her six-year term ends later this month to spearhead the demands for a new parliamentary election. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgian Dream has warned the opposition that “any violation of the law will be met with the full rigor of the law.” “Neither will those politicians who hide in their offices and sacrifice members of their violent groups to severe punishment escape responsibility,” he said. Kobakhidze argued that the government remains committed to the goal of European integration, claiming that “the only thing we have rejected is the shameful and offensive blackmail.” The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that it meet the bloc’s recommendations but put its accession on hold and cut financial support earlier this year after the passage of a “foreign influence” law. A law banning same-sex marriages, adoptions by same-sex couples and public endorsement and depictions of LGBTQ+ relations and people in the media came into force yesterday. (Source: France 24 – France / AP – U.S.)
Asia
Iran
Dec 3, 2024, 8:37 PM Speaking in separate telephone conversations with Russian Defense Minister Belousov, Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lt. General Yarallah, and Syria’s Chief of Staff General Ibrahim, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Bagheri discussed the latest developments in Syria and the resurgence of 'Takfiri terrorists' in some regions in Syria. During the talks with the Russian defense minister, General Bagheri emphasized that the invasion of Takfiri terrorist groups in Syria is the first step of a dangerous scenario for the region. General Bagheri says that simultaneousness of the terrorist offensive in Syria with the ceasefire in Lebanon is an American-Israeli conspiracy to weaken Syria, its allies, and the Axis of Resistance. The two sides agreed on firm support for the legitimate Syrian government and decided to take the necessary steps to support the Syrian army. Major General Bagheri and high-ranking officials from Russian, Iraqi, and Syrian armies called on Syria's neighboring countries to take the necessary measures to prevent any support for Takfiri terrorist groups. (Source: MEHR News Agency- Iran)
Lebanon
(Thuesday), 04:32-3 December 2024 Israel unleashed its largest wave of airstrikes across Lebanon since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last week, killing at least 11 people yesterday, after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles as a warning over what it said were Israeli truce violations. The projectiles were apparently the first time that Hezbollah took aim at Israeli forces after the 60-day ceasefire went into effect last Wednesday. Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired on an Israeli military position in the area as a “defensive and warning response” after what it called “repeated violations” of the ceasefire deal by Israel. Before the Hezbollah projectiles, Israeli carried out at least four airstrikes and an artillery barrage in southern Lebanon, including a drone strike that killed a person on a motorcycle, according to Lebanese state media. Another strike killed a corporal in the Lebanese security services. Israel's military carried out a string of airstrikes late yesterday against what it said were Hezbollah fighters, infrastructure and rocket launchers across Lebanon, in response to Hezbollah firing two projectiles toward Mount Dov - a disputed Israeli-held territory known as Shebaa Farms in Lebanon where the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel meet. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Haris killed five people and wounded two while another airstrike on the village of Tallousa killed four and also wounded two. Israel has said its strikes are in response to unspecified Hezbollah violations, and that under the ceasefire deal it reserves the right to retaliate. The truce prohibits Israel from conducting offensive military operations in Lebanon while requiring Lebanon to prevent armed groups, including Hezbollah, from launching attacks on Israel. Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Berri, accused Israel of violating the truce more than 50 times in recent days by launching airstrikes, demolishing homes near the border and violating Lebanon's airspace. Public broadcaster Kan reported that US envoy Hochstein, who brokered the truce, warned Israel over alleged violations. (Source: Asharq Al Awsat - headquartered in London, United Kingdom))
Mediterranean Sea
12:03 ET, Dec 3 2024 Today, Tsirkon [Zircon] 6,900 mph hypersonic missiles were fired in war games in the eastern Mediterranean. They were blasted by modern frigates Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Golovko, aimed to show a global reach beyond Russia’s backyard. Both warships were operating as part of the Russian Navy strike group, Russian TV network Zvezda reported. Diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk also launched a Kalibr cruise missile at a maritime target position. The Russian Defence Ministry said a Bastion coastal missile system from the Mediterranean coast - presumably Syria - carried out a ’combat launch’ of an Onyx cruise missile. The Russian Defence Ministry said: 'The exercise involves over 1,000 servicemen, ten ships and support vessels, 24 aircraft, including MiG-31I fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces with Kinzhal [Dagger] hypersonic missiles.' Its forces conducted 'missile, artillery and torpedo firing, as well as bombing.' Russia's Bastion coastal missile system was also involved in the exercises, according to Zvezda. They did not show or report launches of the 9.200mph Dagger ballistic missiles. “The exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean is being conducted in compliance with current international law, as well as agreements between the Russian Federation and foreign states on the prevention of incidents at sea outside territorial waters, as well as in the airspace above them." The drills were carried out under the supervision of Russian naval commander in chief Admiral Moiseyev. Several days ago, he was dispatched to Syria amid turmoil in the country as rebels took Aleppo. A key message of today’s war games may be to warn that Russia’s naval port in Syria - Tartus - will be vigorously defended. /Video, photo/ (Source: The U.S. Sun)
Syria
Dec 3, 2024 Rebel forces push westward, drawing dangerously close to one of Russia’s most critical military installations. Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base - situated near Latakia on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, the nerve center for Russia’s air campaign in Syria and a vital asset for projecting power across the eastern Mediterranean - is just 35 km from advancing Syrian rebels. With its state-of-the-art S-400 air defense systems, Su-34 bombers, and advanced reconnaissance drones, Khmeimim is a fortress that protects Russian and allied Syrian forces. The base’s operations go beyond supporting Assad’s regime; they allow Russia to test and showcase its military technology in live combat scenarios, enhancing the global market appeal of its arms industry. Additionally, Khmeimim supports geopolitical leverage, as Moscow’s presence secures a say in regional affairs and strengthens its alliances with other key actors, such as Iran. As of early yesterday morning, Syrian rebel factions having entered the Latakia Governorate and have advanced to the town of Qalaat Al Madiq, located northwest of Hama. Syrian rebel factions, particularly those active near Qalaat Al Madiq, have demonstrated a capacity for bold operations aimed at high-value targets. A direct assault, particularly at a close range, could lead to significant rebel casualties with limited chances of success. The decision will ultimately hinge on the rebels’ assessment of risk versus reward, their resources, and the evolving dynamics of the Syrian conflict. Russia has made it abundantly clear that any attack on its Khmeimim Air Base in Syria will be met with overwhelming force, underscoring its unyielding support for the Assad regime. Strikes on key rebel strongholds have demonstrated both the reach and the resolve of Russian forces. (Source: Bulgarianmilitary - Bulgaria)
by Nikolov
3rd December 2024 Turkey and its proxies continued to fight a brutal war against the Kurds, aided and abetted by the US, which blithely abandoned its erstwhile Kurdish allies. Iranian militias, including thousands of soldiers from Hezbollah, were engaged in the suppression of Sunni-jihadist militancy in the west. Russia continued to provide Assad with an often brutal military security blanket. And what was left of the violent, jihadist opposition was pushed into the borderlands of the north and north-west, where it has survived – and in HTS’s case, prospered – ’under the protection of Turkey’. For much of the past six years, the conflict in Syria has largely been held in abeyance by this complex geopolitical web. But precisely because of the internationalisation of the Syrian conflict, as soon as that web has started to unravel, so too has Syria’s stability. It began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In the face of staunch Ukrainian resistance, Russia was forced to redeploy troops from Syria to the frontlines in Ukraine, alongside some significant hardware, including air-defence systems. Russia’s presence in Syria was further reduced in 2023, after the Kremlin curtailed the Syrian operations of the Wagner Group, following the attempted coup against the Kremlin staged by its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Then came Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October last year. Up until then, Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah had been expanding their military activities in Syria, shoring up Assad at the same time as they intensified their shadow war on Israel. Indeed, Iran had even helped establish a new proxy group in Syria, known as Syrian Hezbollah, comprising thousands of fighters from Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq. But from 7 October onwards, Hezbollah itself started to pull almost all of its troops back to fight Israel from Lebanon, while Israel itself staged attacks on Iranian militias on Syrian soil. This withdrawal of Russian and Iranian support for the Assad government has removed one of the cornerstones for what stability there was in Syria. And in the process it has drawn other regional players further in and, most strikingly, empowered the Islamist militias seeking Assad’s downfall. Indeed, isis activity in the south and largely deserted centre of Syria has been increasing in tempo for at least a year – in June and July alone, it staged attacks on government forces daily, killing nearly 70 Syrian soldiers. And now, of course, the sudden vulnerability of Assad has allowed HTS, a brutal, ’30,000-strong’ jihadist militia, to stage its spectacular conquest of Aleppo. HTS’s march on Aleppo is just one part of the broader, geopolitical shift now playing out in Syria. The retreat of Iran, its proxies and the Russian military has, above all, given Turkey greater rein to pursue its own regional ambitions. After all, it is no coincidence that HTS launched its offensive from ’Idlib, the Turkey-controlled Syrian province in the north’. The Turkish state is denying any involvement in HTS’s assault, and Turkish forces have fought HTS in the past. But it seems unlikely given Turkey’s command of thousands in the anti-Assad, anti-Kurdish network that it wasn’t at least aware of what was being planned. Turkey is certainly taking advantage of the instability. Since the HTS offensive last week, Turkish-aligned forces have now escalated their attacks against the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, as part of their broader war on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey seems intent on securing as much power and influence over and in Syria as possible – not least because it’s very keen on returning the over three million Syrian refugees now encamped in Turkey. The latest upsurge in the Syrian conflict is very far from a local affair. It is a product of geopolitical instability, and international and regional powers jostling for control and influence in pursuit of their very different aims. All of this is happening largely over the heads of Syrian civilians themselves. First international actors turned Syrians into bystanders in their own uprising. Since then, they have been turned into spectators to a deadly ‘civil war’, waged by outside powers and their proxies. Over half a million are estimated to have been killed since the war began, and many millions more have been displaced. And for what? A future under the thumb of Assad and his Russian backers, or at the feet of barbaric Islamists? (Source: Spike – United Kingdom)
Dec 3, 2024 On November 27, jihadist terror groups - led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Organization for the Liberation of the Levant; HTS) — launched a coordinated attack on Aleppo Governorate in northwestern Syria, cut off the main highway from Damascus to Aleppo, captured and killed dozens of Syrian Army soldiers, promised mass executions and beheadings 'in front of TV cameras,' and seized control of a military base and several villages. Meanwhile, the jihadists posted videos on social media showing them capturing several training aircraft in the Kuweires Air Base near Aleppo. The city of Aleppo is now effectively under the control of jihadist groups. Tens of thousands of Christians, Kurds and other minorities are in danger of extermination. Videos of jihadists abducting Kurdish women have also surfaced on social media. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, part of an alliance of terrorist groups active in Syria and with links to the islamic state (isis) and Al-Qaeda, was formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, and served as Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. The organization is a jihadist group that upholds Sharia law, occupies Syria’s Idlib area and ’cooperates with the Turkish military and Turkish-backed groups in Syria’. Baghdadi, the leader of isis, was also involved in HTS’s formation. In 2018, the US State Department added HTS to the Jabhat al-Nusra’s existing designation as a foreign terrorist organization. (Source: Anglican Mainstream - Headquarters England)
by Bulut, Gatestone Institute
12/3/2024 In March 2003 Al-Jawlani, heading to Baghdad with fellow volunteers was eager to repel the looming American invasion of Iraq. He returned home in 2011, after a five-year ’stint’ in an American-run prison camp in Iraq. ’Jawlani arrived in Syria with bags full of cash’, and a mission to take the extremist movement global. Last week, Jawlani, 42, triumphantly entered Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, as the leading commander of the Turkish-backed rebel force dominated by his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Born al-Sharaa, the nom de guerre of Jawlani is a reference to his family’s roots in the Golan Heights that Israel seized from Syria in 1967. He broke with Islamic State in 2012, cut ties with al Qaeda in 2016, and ’since then he has fought both organizations in bloody campaigns’. 'They haven’t been part of these entities longer than they were with them, and it’s now been essentially 8½ years that they have forsworn global jihad,' said Zelin, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of a recent book on HTS. Jawlani has turned HTS - which has run a statelet of its own in Syria’s northern Idlib province since 2015 - ’into a well-disciplined force that focuses squarely on Syria, a blend of Islamism and nationalism that is closer to Afghanistan’s Taliban and the Palestinian Hamas’. HTS troops choose to fight under the Syrian flag that dates back to the republic that existed before the 1963 Baath Party revolution that eventually brought the Assad family to power. ’HTS remains listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S., and Washington offers a $10 million bounty on Jawlani. Yet the U.S. hasn’t targeted Jawlani or other top HTS commanders since he proclaimed nearly a decade ago that he doesn’t seek to be America’s enemy. Since the first Trump administration, which negotiated a deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Jawlani and HTS have sought an agreement that would lift the Syrian group’s terrorist designation’. 'The transformation from a small-time Syrian jihadist in Iraq to the leader of the Syrian revolution? I am rather doubtful,” said Balanche, a specialist on Syria at the University of Lyon 2. “Yes, Jawlani probably became more bourgeois with age, and may have renounced part of his radical ideology. But I think it’s more likely that he’s playing taqiya - concealing his real intentions.' Rights groups have accused HTS of arbitrarily detaining activists, journalists and other civilians voicing critical opinions, and have alleged torture and ill-treatment of those in detention. 'They went from global jihad to local regime - and now they are similar to a lot of regimes in the Arab world in their authoritarian tendencies,' said Zelin. The presence of hundreds, if not thousands, of foreign fighters within the HTS ranks - Chechens, Turks, Iraqis, Central Asians and especially Uyghurs from Xinjiang, China - represents a major issue for the international community. Absorbing Aleppo with a diverse population of more than two million Jawlani issued edicts ordering the protection of Christians and Shiites. In Aleppo was no looting, and shops and restaurants reopened the next day. “In the future Syria, we believe that diversity is our strength, not a weakness,” said the latest such decree yesterday. Jawlani’s HTS has allowed encircled Kurdish forces to leave unharmed. Security and administration were better in areas under Jawlani’s control than in those held by other rebel factions in northern Syria. In recent years, the group has interfered less in people’s lives. They will stay that way? Or not. “They’ve learned how to play the game,” said Fernandez, vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute and a former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism communications. 'They still have what we would call extremist ideology, but they are not stupid extremists, and they are nationalist extremists. Jawlani knows that he has to moderate his tone, for example, on minorities, because this is something that people in the West will throw in his face.” (Source: MSN / WSJ - U.S.)
By Trofimov and Coles
North America
United States
8:06 am, December 3, 2024 The White House has announced a $725 million aid package for Ukraine, including 'substantial quantities' of artillery, rockets, and air defense systems, according to a statement from White House National Security Advisor Sullivan. President Biden has directed the rapid delivery of these resources to Ukraine, Sullivan added. By mid-January, Sullivan stated, the U.S. plans to supply 'hundreds of thousands' of additional artillery shells, thousands of rockets, and 'critical capabilities' to bolster Ukraine’s defense. (Source: Meduza - Headquartered in Riga, Latvia)
8:04 am, December 3, 2024 The U.S. military used its hotline with Moscow to communicate about the developing situation in Syria, Pentagon spokesman Major General Ryder said yesterday. “My understanding is that the CJTFOIR commander has used the hotline that we have with Russia to ensure that we have open lines of communication given the fact that we do have forces operating in fairly close proximity as it relates geographically to Syria,” Ryder told. He noted that the hotline exists “to prevent potential miscalculation.” Source: Meduza - Headquartered in Riga, Latvia)
3 December 2024 Hegseth was on a work trip in the state of Ohio on May 29, 2015, for the group Concerned Veterans for America when he allegedly got drunk at the hotel bar and yelled multiple times, 'Kill all Muslims!' according to the New Yorker magazine. "Anyone who - even in a drunken state - would call for the slaughter of all members of a faith has disqualified himself from holding an important position that would inevitably interact with representatives of Muslim-majority nations," said Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America's largest Muslim advocacy group's National Executive Director Awad, in a statement. Despite revelations, Trump is standing by his choice for Secretary of Defense. Confirmation hearings for Trump's Cabinet picks are expected to begin during the 119th Congressional session which stars on Jan. 3, 2025. (Source: TRT World - Turkey)
Tuesday, December 03 2024 U.S. President-elect Trump said yesterday he will travel to Paris to attend this weekend’s reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was gutted by fire over five years ago, in his first foreign trip since winning the election. The French government invited Trump to attend Saturday’s reopening ceremony and his team has been in discussions with Macron’s office about the trip. His planned visit comes amid political turmoil in France where the government is all but certain to collapse later this week after far-right and left-wing parties submitted no-confidence motions yesterday against Prime Minister Michel Barnier. (Source: DD News - India)
Tuesday, 03 Dec 2024 8:26 AM MYT US President-elect Trump yesterday warned Gaza militants of massive repercussions if hostages are not released by the time he takes office. (Source: Malay Mail - Malaysia)
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