Middle Eastern Politics Headlines at 5:41 p.m. GMT
US says Rafah offensive would jeopardize cease-fire talks as Biden threatens to halt more Israel aid
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CNNSyrian rebel leader’s victory speech holds a message for Iran – and for Trump and Israel too
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s road to Damascus has been long. He has talked openly about his change along the way. From young al Qaeda fighter two decades ago, to rebel commander espousing sectarian tolerance.
- The Telegraph
Why Zelensky’s refusal to conscript more men has torpedoed his relationship with Washington
Volodymyr Zelensky may have just called last orders on his relationship with Joe Biden in one of the most open assaults on the outgoing president to date.
- INSIDER
Malaysia's 99-year-old former prime minister — who was re-elected at 92 — shares his simple longevity secret
Mahathir was reelected as Malaysia's prime minister in 2018, at age 92. In comparison, Joe Biden, at 82, is the oldest American president.
- The Telegraph
Iran’s armed forces ‘at war with themselves’ over fall of Assad
A furious blame game is unfolding among Iran’s armed forces over the fall of Bashar al-Assad, The Telegraph has learned.
- The Independent
South Korean defence minister who proposed martial law attempts suicide in custody
South Korean police raid president’s office as Yoon Suk Yeol faces charges of staging an insurrection
- The Independent
Netanyahu makes it clear: Biden is no longer in charge
ANALYSIS: US-Israel policy appears to now be fully running through Mar-a-Lago after shocking developments in the Golan Heights, writes John Bowden
- The Independent
Israel’s warplanes pound Syria as it destroys Assad’s naval fleet
After the fall of the Assad regime, the Israeli military has taken control of a UN-controlled buffer zone in the Golan Heights and hit targets across the country
- PA Media: UK News
British wife of ousted Syrian leader Assad ‘not welcome in the UK’, Lammy says
The Prime Minister said it was too early to say whether the Government would strip Asma Assad of her British citizenship.
- Associated Press
Trudeau says Americans are realizing Trump's tariffs on Canada would make life a lot more expensive
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Americans “are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive" and said he will retaliate if Donald Trump goes ahead with them. Speaking at an event put on by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Trudeau also said dealing with Trump will be “a little more challenging” than the last time because Trump’s team is coming in with a much clearer set of ideas of what they want to do right away than after his first election win in 2016. The U.S. president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the flow of migrants and drugs.
- INSIDER
Here's what we're seeing Russia's warships and aircraft doing in new satellite images of Syria amid regime change
The sudden collapse of the Assad regime has raised questions about the future of Russia's military footprint in Syria.
- Reuters
China sends largest naval fleet in decades to region, threat level severe, Taiwan says
TAIPEI (Reuters) -China is deploying its largest navy fleet in regional waters in nearly three decades, posing a threat to Taiwan that is more pronounced than previous Chinese war games, the Taiwanese defence ministry said on Tuesday. Speaking in Taipei, defence ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said the scale of the current Chinese naval deployment in an area running from the southern Japanese islands down into the South China Sea was the largest since China held war games around Taiwan ahead of 1996 Taiwanese presidential elections. China's military has yet to comment and has not confirmed it is carrying out any exercises.
- The Daily Beast
Trump Sends Don Jr.’s Fiancé Kimberly Guilfoyle Abroad After Split Rumors
Donald Trump has appointed former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle as his ambassador to Greece—just hours after pictures published by the Daily Mail showed her fiancée, Donald Trump Jr., hand-in-hand with another woman. “For many years, Kimberly has been a close friend and ally,” the president-elect said in his announcement, which he posted to Truth Social. “Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media, and politics along with her sharp intellect make her supremely qualified to represen
- Reuters
Israel says it will destroy Syria's heavy strategic weaponry
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel will step up airstrikes on Syrian stores of advanced weaponry, Israeli officials said on Monday, and keep a "limited" troop presence on the ground, hoping to head off any threat that could emerge in the fallout of president Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. Israel has watched the upheaval in Syria with a mixture of hope and concern as it weighs the consequences of one of the most significant strategic shifts in the Middle East in years. "We are taking all the actions necessary to try to ensure our security with regard to the new situation in Syria," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in a late-night press conference at his office without going into detail.
- Reuters
Lebanon's Hezbollah sees 'major, dangerous' change in Syria
Hezbollah played a major part propping up Assad through years of war in Syria, before bringing its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel - a redeployment which weakened Syrian government lines. His downfall has stripped Hezbollah of a vital ally along Lebanon's eastern border.
- The Daily Beast
‘Lamest of the Lame Ducks’: Democrats Slam Disappearing Biden
Disaffected Democrats, including some from within his own administration, are furious with President Joe Biden for shrinking into a political non-entity since his party was walloped in last month’s election, according to multiple reports. “He’s been so cavalier and selfish about how he approaches the final weeks of the job,” a former White House official told Politico. The outlet—which spoke to nearly two dozen officials, including current and former White House staffers—reported that, since the
- The Independent
Fox News hosts suggest Jill Biden ‘flirted’ with Trump because ‘she gravitates towards power’
“That was almost heavy-duty petting,” Larry Kudlow said at one point about the friendly conversation Trump and Jill Biden engaged in, adding that he’s certain that she voted for the president-elect.
- GOBankingRates
What Will Trump’s Salary as President Be in 2025?
As former President Donald Trump prepares to take office in 2025 to serve his second term in the Oval Office, questions surrounding his salary for the role are recurrent. Read Next: How...
- HuffPost
'So F**king Tacky': Donald Trump Slammed Over 'Gross' Bid To Cash In On Jill Biden Photo
Critics ripped the president-elect over a post on his Truth Social platform.
- The Telegraph
India’s new Russia-made warship comes with Ukrainian engines
An Indian navy warship commissioned in Russia features engines manufactured by a Ukrainian company.
- People
Donald Trump Jr., Who Is Engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, Seen Holding Hands with Socialite Bettina Anderson
Trump and Guilfoyle have not publicly called off their engagement, though sources told PEOPLE in September that the couple have allegedly been spending lots of time apart