"The Syrian proxy war never really ended, but it certainly had quieted down for a time, with various factions confined to various areas, and the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seeming stuck in Idlib Province. Today the war is flaring up again in a big way.HTS forces have pushed eastward out of Idlib into the western part of Aleppo Province and toward Aleppo itself, seizing several towns along the way. It is being reported that around 182 people have been killed Thursday alone in the fighting on the ground in the area. That includes 102 HTS fighters and 80 fighters including both Syrian troops and their allies.
The Syrian military seems to be seeing substantial backing from Russian air assets in the area. The HTS is also reported using Ukrainian drones against the Syrian forces. It has been reported for months that Ukraine has offered "drones for fighters" to HTS, but this would mark the first time such drones are being used in a big way in combat." ZH
"Liberal Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening to meet with President-elect Donald Trump, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported. Senior government sources told the outlet Trudeau’s plane landed at the Palm Beach International Airport on Friday. Unnamed sources said Trudeau would dine with Trump at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate and leave Florida the following morning. Trudeau is accompanied by Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, sources said.
Trudeau’s visit comes after Trump said on Monday that he plans to impose a 25 percent tariff until Mexico and Canada shut down their inflows of migrants and deadly drugs." Breitbart
"Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky signed into law an unpopular tax increase on Thursday to help remedy the country’s growing budget deficit. Rates will increase by between 1.5% and 5% starting December 1." RT
"Ukrainian Defense Forces have engaged in 123 combat clashes with Russian invaders, with over half of the attacks occurring in the Kurakhove, Vremivka, and Pokrovsk sectors.
In the Kharkiv sector, two enemy assaults were repelled near Vovchansk and Tykhe, with one battle still ongoing.In the Kupiansk sector, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian positions six times, with Ukrainians defenders repelling assaults near Kolisnykivka, Lozova, Pershotravneve, and Zelenyi Hai.
In the Lyman sector, clashes occurred near Hrekivka, Novoyehorivka, Terny, Yampolivka, Dibrova, Torske, Zarichne, Hryhorivka, and the Serebriansky Forest. Ukrainian forces have already repelled 16 attacks today.
In the Kramatorsk sector, two assaults took place near Chasiv Yar and Bila Hora, with both battles still ongoing.
In the Toretsk sector, Ukrainian forces thwarted an enemy attack near Druzhba, while Russian aviation struck Oleksandro-Kalynove and Oleksandro-Shultyne.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Russian troops made 21 attempts to displace Ukrainian defenders near Myroliubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Dachenske, Chumatske, Novyi Trud, and Zhovte. Of these, 19 attacks were repelled, with heavy enemy losses in manpower reported.
In the Kurakhove sector, the fiercest fighting has been reported, with 33 Russian attacks aimed at advancing near Sontsivka, Berestky, Novodmytrivka, Zoria, Kurakhove, Dachne, Dalnie, Yelyzavetivka, Hannivka, and Uspenivka. Ten battles are ongoing.
In the Vremivka sector, Russian forces launched 22 attacks near Veselyi Hai, Kostiantynopolske, Sukhi Yaly, Rozdolne, and Novodarivka. Eleven clashes are still underway; guided airstrikes hit Novosilka and Makarivka.
In the Huliaipole sector, enemy forces used attack aircraft, striking Huliaipole with unguided rockets.
In the Prydniprovske sector, a single assault on the Ukrainian positions was repelled." Ukrin
"The government of Chad announced on Thursday it has canceled its military cooperation pact with France, its former colonial ruler.
The decision, which took observers in both Chad and France by surprise, means the roughly 1,000 French troops stationed in Chad will have to withdraw.
“This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere,” Chad’s Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Koulamallah said France remains an “essential partner,” but the French “must now also consider that Chad has grown up, matured and is a sovereign state that is very jealous of its sovereignty.” Breitbart
"U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein, who was the lead negotiator in the Lebanon ceasefire negotiations, stated that Iran will try to re-arm Hezbollah in the wake of the ceasefire deal, but Iran has been weakened and “we’re going to try to make sure that the re-arming, which happens from Iran through Syria, is at least diminished, slowed down, if not eliminated.”
“PBS NewsHour” Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent Nick Schifrin asked, “What’s to prevent Iran from filling in those gaps that Hezbollah now has?”
Hochstein responded, “Well, they’re going to try. But I would say Iran is significantly weaker today, as well, than they have been. And part of this agreement is we’re going to try to make sure that the re-arming, which happens from Iran through Syria, is at least diminished, slowed down, if not eliminated.” Breitbart
"Two undersea internet cables connecting Finland and Sweden to Central Europe were cut last week, with authorities suspecting sabotage. According to the Wall Street Journal, investigators suspect that the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese bulk carrier traveling to Egypt from Russia and loaded with fertilizer, deliberately dropped its anchor in Swedish waters to sever the BCS East-West Interlink cable connecting it to Lithuania and then did it again the following day to damage the C-Lion1 cable between Finland and Germany. In total, they suspect the ship dragged its anchor for over 100 miles.“It’s extremely unlikely that the captain would not have noticed that his ship dropped and dragged its anchor, losing speed for hours and cutting cables on the way,” said one of the investigators handling the probe. What’s more concerning is that the crew allegedly turned off the ship’s transponder during this time, making it impossible for the Automatic Identification System to track its movement. After the ship hit the second undersea cable, the investigators said that it zigzagged, raised its anchor, and continued underway.
Open maritime tracking sources put the Yi Peng 3 in international waters between Denmark and Sweden. However, it’s currently stopped and surrounded by NATO ships as the investigation is underway. According to one source, the ship’s anchor and hull have damage consistent with dragging and cable damage.
At the moment, Reuters said that Swedish authorities are talking with Ningbo Yipeng Shipping, the ship's owners, to sail it back into Swedish waters. However, since the Yi Peng 3 is anchored in international waters, NATO cannot force it to sail into any port under international maritime law for further investigation." MS
"Another day, another record-setting Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine at a moment the West is escalating its support to Kiev.President Vladimir Putin announced to security officials at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Kazakhstan that 100 drones and 90 missiles were launched at Ukraine over the last 48 hours "in response to strikes deep" inside Russia.
These have included attacks with US and UK-supplied long-range missiles, which Russia has acknowledged killed and wounded some personnel, and damaged a radar site in Kursk.
"We carried out a comprehensive strike," Putin said Thursday. "It was a response to ongoing attacks on our territory using [U.S.-supplied] ATACMS missiles." ZeroHedge
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law allowing automatic re-enlistment for military personnel who have voluntarily returned after first instance of desertion or going AWOL." NV
"During a visit to South Korea, a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov expressed readiness to purchase weapons, but their request was declined." NV
"As many as 157 combat engagements between Ukrainian forces and Russian invaders were recorded on the front lines.
In the Kharkiv sector, the enemy made five unsuccessful attempts to break through Ukrainian defenses near Vovchansk and Tykhe.In the Kupiansk sector, 17 enemy attacks were recorded, with Ukrainian forces repelling Russian assaults near Kolisnykivka, Zahryzove, Zelenyi Hai, and Kruhliakivka.
In the Lyman sector, Russian forces launched four attacks, trying to penetrate Ukrainian defenses near Hrekivka, Novoiehorivka, and Torske.
In the Kramatorsk sector, the occupiers launched one attack near Bila Hora.
In the Toretsk sector, Russian forces carried out six attacks near Toretsk, dropping up to ten guided bombs.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 37 Russian assaults near Myroliubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Dachenske, Zhovte, and Chumatske.
In the Kurakhove sector, Ukrainian forces repelled 39 attacks, with the heaviest fighting near Sontsivka, Berestky, Kurakhove, Dalnie, Yelyzavetivka, Antonivka, and Hanivka.
In the Vremivka sector, Russian troops, supported by aircraft, carried out 18 assaults on Ukrainian positions near Trudove, Kostiantynopolske, Rozlyv, Rozdolne, Sukhi Yaly and Novodarivka.
In the Dnipro River sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled six Russian advances, forcing the enemy to retreat with losses.
In the Volyn and Polissia sectors, no signs of enemy offensive group formations were observed.
On the border with the Sumy region, Russian forces actively used artillery and aircraft from their territory to target Ukrainian settlements." Ukrin
"Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has offered U.S. President-elect Donald Trump his country as a venue for potential peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.The chancellor noted that he had a phone conversation with Trump during which they discussed the war in Ukraine.
“Trump asked for my assessment because I was one of the few who have met both Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky,” said Nehammer.
“He also shared his perspective with me. We quickly moved on to discussing how important peace is and the necessity for the war to end.” NV
"Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces faced 224 combat engagements along the front lines.
According to him, in the Kharkiv sector of the front, five enemy attacks were launched near Vovchansk. Russian forces utilized bomber aviation extensively.
In the Kupiansk sector, the Ukrainian forces repelled 18 enemy attacks near Hryhorivka, Zelenyi Hai, Zahryzove, Senkove, Kolisnykivka, Synkivka, and Andriivka.
In the Lyman sector, 21 attacks by Russian forces were recorded. Russian troops attempted to advance near Hrekivka, Druzhkivka, Cherneshchyna, Makiivka, Terny, Torske, and the Serebrianskyi Forest area.Yesterday, Russian forces launched a single assault operation aimed at displacing the Ukrainian defenders from their positions near Hryhorivka on the Siversk sector. However, the attempt failed, with Ukrainian troops successfully holding their ground.
In the Kramatorsk sector, 13 assaults occurred in the areas of Chasiv Yar, Stupochky, Bila Hora, and Predtechyne.
In the Toretsk sector, the enemy actively deployed bomber aviation and carried out six attacks near Dyliivka, Shcherbynivka, and Toretsk.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian forces halted 59 enemy assaults, primarily near Myroliubivka, Krasnyi Yar, Lysivka, Dachenske, Chumatske, Pustynka, and Novyi Trud. The enemy attacks were most intense near Promin.
In the Kurakhove sector, the Ukrainian defenders repelled 46 assaults by Russian forces around Dachne, Novodmytrivka, Kurakhove, Dalnie, Katerynivka, Yelyzavetivka, Hanivka, Antonivka, Berestky, Zoria, and Sontsivka. The enemy also launched airstrikes at the Ukrainian settlement.
In the Vremivka sector, 17 enemy assaults occurred near Trudove, Kostiantynopolske, Rozdolne, Novoandriivka, Veselyi Hai, Rozlyv, and Rivnopil.
In the Huliaipole and Orikhiv sectors, Russian forces did not carry out ground assault operations, though actively deployed aviation.
In the Prydniprovske sector, Russian invaders launched five attacks on the Ukrainian positions. However, they faced strong resistance from the Ukrainian forces and suffered significant losses.
In the Volyn and Polissia sectors, no signs of enemy offensive groups formation were spotted.
In the border areas of Chernihiv and Sumy regions, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian territories using artillery and aviation." Ukrin
"President Joe Biden welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that is set to take effect Wednesday morning. But in many ways, it is the fulfillment of a key campaign promise by President-elect Donald Trump.Trump promised Arab and Muslim voters that he would end the war in Lebanon .
Biden had struggled for months to obtain a ceasefire. Originally, the Biden administration, through envoy Amos Hochstein, proposed that Israel, not Hezbollah, withdraw from the border — though Hezbollah was the aggressor.
Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron were pushing for a ceasefire — when Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Had Biden had his way, Hezbollah’s leader would have survived, in command.
It was Israel’s unexpected military dominance that set the stage for a vastly improved deal. But it was also Trump’s election that catalyzed the agreement by changing the incentives for both sides in the conflict.
Hezbollah — and Iran — feared that the Trump administration would give Israel a freer hand on the battlefield. And Israel was more prepared to compromise, secure in the knowledge that a much friendlier administration is about to take office." Breitbart
"An explosion occurred near a military base in the suburbs of the Ukrainian town of Chuguev where NATO instructors have been training Ukrainian troops, coordinator of the pro-Russian underground network Sergei Lebedev told Sputnik on Monday.
"At 9:30 p.m. [19:30 GMT] another explosion was heard near Chuguev in the direction of the A-1310 military base... After the blast, several emergency ambulances rushed to the site. We are still trying to gather more information. It is known that Western-style gun training has been conducted by NATO instructors, but it is not yet clear whether they have been involved in the incident or not," Lebedev said." Sputnik
