Important Takeaways:
- Russia Has Used North Korean Ballistic Missiles in Ukraine and Is Seeking Iranian Missiles, US Says
- U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russia has acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking close-range ballistic missiles from Iran as Moscow struggles to replenish supplies for its war with Ukraine, the White House said Thursday.
- Recently declassified intelligence found that North Korea has provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several ballistic missiles, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Russian forces fired at least one of those ballistic missiles into Ukraine on Dec. 30 and it landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region, he said.
- Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles on Tuesday as part of an overnight attack, and the U.S. was assessing the impact, he said. The missiles have a range of about 550 miles (885 kilometers).
- S. intelligence officials believe that North Korea, in return for its arms support, wants Russia to provide it with aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment and other advanced technologies.
- The White House in October said that North Korea delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.
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Important Takeaways:
- Day 84, 1,400+ Israel’s Killed, 129 Hostages still being held
- Israeli Official Warns Time Running Out For Lebanon To Stop Hezbollah, Raising Fears Of 2nd War Front
- “The hourglass for a political settlement is running out,” Gantz told reporters.
- “If the world and Lebanon’s government will not work to stop the shooting at Israel and to distance Hezbollah from the border, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will do so.”
- Hezbollah, a heavily militarized terrorist organization, holds a strong grip over southern Lebanon and began firing rockets into Israel a day after Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack.
- At least 11 Israelis, including four civilians, have been killed by the strikes.
- Around 150 Lebanese — mostly Hezbollah terrorists and 17 civilians — have been killed by Israeli counterstrikes. Thousands of civilians have been displaced on both sides of the border.
- Gantz’s warning came after Hezbollah launched its most expansive assault yet on Wednesday, firing more rockets and drones at Israel than in any other single day since the assaults began.
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Important Takeaways:
- A US Navy warship had to gun down more threats as American forces get pulled deeper into fights being fueled by Israel’s war with Hamas
- In the most recent episode on Sunday, a US Navy warship shot down three drones over a period that lasted more than four hours as it responded to missile attacks against internationally flagged commercial vessels in the Red Sea. US Central Command (CENTCOM) pinned the blame on the Houthis, a rebel group in Yemen that’s armed and supported by Iran.
- All three drones were headed toward the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, when it shot them down. But it’s unclear if the warship or any of the commercial vessels that came under the attack were the actual targets in all three cases.
- “These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security,” CENTCOM said in a statement that provided details on the incidents. “They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world.”
- “We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran,” the US military said, adding that it will consider “all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners.”
- After a 2016 incident, the US Navy retaliated against Houthi aggression by launching strikes on coastal radar sites in Yemen, but so far, the US military has yet to respond to the latest aggressive acts with force as it did in the past. Actions so far have been defensive.
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Important Takeaways:
- Russia warns NATO of ‘catastrophic consequences’ as tensions with Moscow threaten WW3
- The Russian Foreign Ministry released a dire statement on the 90th anniversary of the Russian-US relationship warning that relations were hanging by a thread
- The statement read in part: “Owing to Washington’s policy of rampant Russophobia, [relations] risk being severed at any moment. This is not Russia’s choice, but reckless moves on the part of the United States that spin the wheel of escalation, including the doctrinal task of inflicting a ‘strategic defeat’ on Moscow, risk leading to catastrophic consequences.”
- Moscow accused the US of being “hopelessly and nonsensically focused on changing the regime and stirring up internal strife in Russia, a project into which substantial funds are being invested”.
- As Russia’s war with Ukraine approaches its third year, Moscow’s position on the battlefield has become more desperate. Billions of dollars worth of Western weaponry has flooded into Ukraine, blunting Russian advances.
- Amid this backdrop of Russian soldiers being killed by NATO weapons given to Ukraine, tensions have skyrocketed. Rhetoric out of Moscow has been sharp with some politicians and pundits going as far as to call for war with the West.
- A war between NATO and Russia would be devastating and many think that such a conflict could go nuclear.
- Russia has nearly 6,000 nuclear warheads while NATO countries – the US, UK and France – have a similar amount.
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Important Takeaways:
- Turkey’s Gaza fury deepens splits with EU
- After a bloody October 7 raid by Hamas… Erdogan initially sought to position Turkey as a mediator.
- But this apparent ambition evaporated last month after the Turkish leader portrayed Hamas not as a terrorist group but as “liberators” or “mujahideen” fighting for their land.
- Turkey is technically a candidate for eventual EU membership and, even if this seems a distant prospect, Brussels would prefer Ankara to support rather than compete with its positions.
- “What the president says reflects badly here in Brussels. We always expect Turkey to align with us in foreign policy,” said an EU official who wished to remain anonymous.
- Erdogan, a devout Muslim and fervent advocate of Palestinian rights, toughened his criticism as civilian deaths in Gaza mounted, accusing Israel of committing war crimes and recalling Turkey’s ambassador to Tel Aviv.
- “Erdogan’s stance on Israel-Gaza adds to growing tensions between Turkey and the West over longer-standing issues, including EU accession,” said Hamish Kinnear, senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
- Turkish-EU relations have been at standstill since the launch of membership talks in 2005.
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Important Takeaways:
- Israeli Tanks Roll Deep Into Gaza As The Entire World Braces For More Escalation
- On Monday, Israeli tanks rolled even deeper into Gaza…
- Israeli troops and tanks attacked Gaza’s main northern city from both sides on Monday, three days after they began a major ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave that has stirred more international appeals for civilians to be protected.
- Israel’s military said it had struck more than 600 militant targets over the past few days as it expanded ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian civilians are in dire need of fuel, food and clean water as the war enters its fourth week.
- At this point, the IDF has already taken control of one of the main roads that connects the northern part of Gaza with the southern part…
- Apparently, the goal is to completely “encircle Gaza City”, and if that happens it will be game over for Hamas…
- Israel is signaling its intent to encircle Gaza City with tank and ground units – a significant challenge given its size of 18 square miles with a pre-conflict population of over 650,000 people. In total some 1.1 million people live in the northern half of the Strip.
- Recent reports have estimated that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have defied Israel’s order to flee south. By Saturday the IDF had utilized open spaces like the beach to quickly allow tank units to plunge two miles deep into the Strip.
- Once they are fully encircled, there will be no way out for Hamas fighters, and IDF troops will steadily tighten their grip.
- Allies of Hamas all over the world are screaming for a ceasefire, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making it abundantly clear that there will not be one…
- “I want to make clear Israel’s position regarding the ceasefire. Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas after the horrific attacks of October 7,” he said.
- Netanyahu ominously stated
- “The Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Erdogan threatens to declare war on Israel and send military to Gaza in chilling warning
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech to a rally this afternoon in which he told attendees Israel was responsible for war crimes, and framed Hamas as “freedom fighters”.
- In comments that have prompted Israeli outcry, and led the country to withdraw its diplomatic presence, president Erdogan suggested assaults on Gaza constituted a “massacre”.
- In the same speech, he reportedly said that Turkey can “come at any night unexpectedly” to ecstatic reception from hundreds of thousands of attendees.
- The footage, which is currently circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, purportedly showed the pro-Palestine crowd responding with the chant: “Turkish military to Gaza.”
- In response to Israel’s actions, Mr Erdogan said, his government was preparing to “tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal”.
- Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said the statements coming from Turkey had “led him to conduct a re-evaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey.”
- He said in a statement: “Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a re-evaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Israel At War: Day 17: 1,400+ Israelis Killed; IDF Increases Strikes Preparing For ‘Next Phase Of War’
- Over 1,400 Israelis (306 soldiers) have been killed, and over 5,400 have been injured.
- The IDF has notified families of 222 being held hostage in Gaza.
- Over 7,000 Rockets have been fired by Hamas toward Southern and Central Israel from Gaza (approximately 550 failed launches inside Gaza), with Lebanon and Syria also firing from the north.
- One day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, on Oct. 7th, thousands of Hamas gunmen Invaded southern Israel, kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing Israelis, specifically targeting women, children, and the elderly.
- On Oct. 8th, the Israel Security Cabinet voted to officially declare war for the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
- In an interview with Sky News, Israeli President Isaac Herzog revealed that information was found on Hamas terrorists via USB, which provided detailed instructions on the manufacturing of chemical weapons.
- The USB contained official material from Al Qaeda, according to the President. Adding that, it shows Israel is simultaneously “dealing with ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Hamas.”
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Important Takeaways:
- One key question about the Russo-Ukraine War is: how long can the Russian economy keep it up? After all, the intention of Western economic and financial sanctions against Russia was to cripple Russian growth and render its war machine incapable of maintaining the fight.
- Russia’s heavily-oil-dependent economy is estimated to have lost over $100 billion as a consequence of oil sanctions.
- Yet economies at war often find a way to keep going for longer than one might think, provided that domestic citizens retain faith in their leaders
- The current violent attacks by Hamas on Israel may even have had, as one of their goals, a rise in oil prices – after all, Russia is a significant Hamas backer.
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Important Takeaways:
- The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel said on Thursday.
- The report from the Strategic Posture Commission comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan and other issues and worsening frictions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
- “We worry … there may be ultimate coordination between them in some way, which gets us to this two-war construct,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
- The findings would upend current U.S. national security strategy calling for winning one conflict while deterring another and require huge defense spending increases with uncertain congressional support.
- The report contrasts with U.S. President Joe Biden’s position that the current U.S. nuclear arsenal is sufficient to deter the combined forces of Russia and China.
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