Druze Arabs Ask to Be Part of Israel, not Rebel-held Syria

"A group of Druze Arab villages in southwestern Syria have asked to be part of Israel rather than rebel-held Syria.

The Druze leader of al-Suwayda in southwestern Syria also issued a resolution on behalf of his village: We will not agree to live under the rule of the rebels, who are identical to ISIS, we want to live under Israeli rule and become part of Israel." Breitbart

Ukrainian military responds to reports of potential troop encirclement near Uspenivka in Donbas

"The Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Troop Grouping has addressed reports of a potential encirclement of Ukrainian defense units near Uspenivka in Donetsk Oblast.

Ukrainian units are currently repelling Russian assaults on the outskirts of Uspenivka, Hannivka, Trudove, Romanivka, and other nearby settlements. These units are taking necessary measures to prevent capture or encirclement by the enemy, said the grouping." NV

Ukraine under massive Russian drone and missile attack, blackouts amid power grid strikes

"Russian forces launched a massive combined drone and missile attack on Ukraine  targeting civilian and energy infrastructure across the country.

After the overnight attack with dozens of drones, the enemy fired ballistic and cruise missiles, including Kalibr from Black Sea-based carriers and Kh-101 missiles from Tu-95MS strategic aircraft. The launch of a MiG-31K aircraft indicated the possible use of Kinzhal missiles. Explosions were reported in Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa and other Ukrainian oblasts. Several waves of missiles flew toward the western regions of the country. " NV

210 combat clashes on front lines in past day

"Ukrainian forces engaged in 210 combat clashes with Russian invaders.
In the Kharkiv sector, Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked the positions of Ukrainian units eight times near Vovchansk, Hlyboke, and Starytsia.
In the Kupiansk sector, the invaders carried out eight attacks near Synkivka, Zahryzovye, Dvorichna, and Lozova.

In the Lyman sector, Russian forces launched 22 attacks on Ukrainian positions near Kopanky, Novoiehorivka, Lozova, Nadiia, Makiivka, Terny, and in the Serebryanskyi forest.
In in the Kramatorsk sector, the enemy made seven attempts to break through Ukrainian defenses near Chasiv Yar, Hryhorivka, as well as in the direction of Stupochky and Bila Hora.
Over the past day, the enemy carried out four attacks in the Toretsk area.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 47 enemy attacks outside Myroliubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Dachenske, Novyi Trud, Pishchane, Shevchenko, and Chumatske.
In the Kurakhove sector, Ukrainian forces repelled 51 attacks, with heavy fighting near Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Kurakhove, Dalnie, and Uspenivka.
In the Vremivka sector, the enemy launched 31 assaults near Sukhi Yaly, Kostiantynopolske, Rozdolne, Neskuchne, and Novodarivka.
In the Orikhiv sector, Russian forces launched two attacks on Ukrainian positions near Novoandriivka.
In the Dnipro River sector, the invaders made five unsuccessful attempts to dislodge Ukrainian units.
In the Kursk region, where Ukraine's operation is ongoing, Ukrainian soldiers repelled 21 enemy assaults. The Russian army launched 12 airstrikes using 18 glide bombs against its own territory.
Over the past day, Ukrainian aircraft, missile troops and artillery units struck seven concentrations of enemy manpower, weapons and military equipment." Ukrin

Zelensky sharply reacts to Orban's call with Putin: ''We all hope that Orban at least won't call Assad in Moscow''

"Zelensky has criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. "We all hope that Viktor Orban at least won’t call Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well." Pravada

Zelensky rejected Christmas ceasefire

"Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has rejected a proposed Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner swap with Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban made the remarks on X in response to a post by Zelensky criticizing a phone conversation between the Hungarian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier that day." RT

French Farmers Dump Hay, Tires, Manure in Dijon Protesting EU-MERCOSUR Deal

"French farmers have dumped tonnes of hay, tyres and manure in Dijon to protest against the recent EU-MERCOSUR free trade agreement and to once again delay government aid." Sputnik

203 combat clashes on front lines in past day

"Ukrainian forces engaged in 203 combat clashes with Russian invaders.
In the Lyman sector, Russian terrorists attacked Ukrainian positions 30 times and attempted to penetrate Ukrainian defenses near Tverdokhlibove, Druzheliubivka, Novoiehorivka, Hrekivka, Makiivka, Terny, Torske, Hryhorivka, Kopanka, and in the Serebrianskyi forest.
In the Siversk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled one enemy assault near Verkhniokamianske.

In the Kramatorsk sector, the enemy made two attempts to advance near Chasiv Yar and Stupochky.
In the Toretsk sector, Ukrainian forces repelled five attacks in the Toretsk area, where the invaders used guided bombs.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 40 enemy attacks, including near Shevchenko, Pishchane, Novotroitske, Novooleksiivka, Novyi Trud, Dachenske, Lysivka, Myroliubivka, Promin, and Pokrovsk.
In the Kurakhove sector, Ukrainian forces repelled 49 attacks, with heavy fighting near Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Dachenske, Zoria, Kurakhove, Dachne, Katerynivka, Yelyzavetivka, Hannivka, Antonivka, and Uspenivka.
In the Vremivka sector, the enemy launched 29 assaults near Trudove, Kostiantynopolske, Sukhi Yaly, Blahodatne, and Novodarivka, with extensive use of bomber aircraft.
In the Orikhiv sector, Russian forces launched one attack on Ukrainian positions near Novoandriivka.
In the Dnipro River sector, the invaders made five unsuccessful attempts to dislodge Ukrainian units.
In the Volyn and Polissya sectors, there are no signs of enemy offensive group formations. However, along the border with the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, the enemy actively used artillery and aviation against Ukrainian settlements." Ukrin

Ukrainian brigade devastated by Russian attacks Toretsk

"Soldiers from Ukraine’s 42nd Independent Mechanized Brigade shared video footage on Dec. 10 from Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, where intense fighting continues.

Despite the devastation, some residents remain in the ruined city, refusing evacuation. The brigade reported that Russian aerial bombs and artillery have nearly wiped Toretsk off the map." NV

Russian Forces Liberate Zheltoye Settlement in Donetsk Region

"Units of the Russian Battlegroup Tsentr have liberated the settlement of Zheltoye in the Donetsk People's Republic." Sputnik

Pilot shortage in Ukraine impacts U.S. F-16 training schedule

"The United States is prepared to expand training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets but has yet to activate the program due to what it calls a "lack of contingent in Ukraine," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a U.S. defense forum." NV

US-backed and Turkish-backed forces agree on truce

"The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) have reached a ceasefire after days of fighting for the control of the northern city of Manbij, top SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, has announced." RT

Russians shelled Sumy region 38 times during day

"During the day, the army of the Russian Federation fired 38 times at the border areas and settlements of Sumy region, 88 explosions were recorded.....Khotyn, Myropilia, Krasnopilia, Bilopilia, Velykopysariv, Shalyhyne, and Seredyno-Bud communities were shelled." Ukrin

180 Dead: Haitian Warlord Orders Massacre Of Elderly For Using 'Sorcery' To Sicken Son

"Yet another gruesome gang horror has played out in Haiti, as at least 184 people -- most of them elderly -- were variously slashed, hacked or shot to death on the orders of a warlord who'd been advised that aging slum residents had used sorcery to give his son a severe illness. Interim Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé called it “a barbaric act of unbearable cruelty.”

The brutality was reportedly ordered by Monel "Mikano" Felix, who leads the Wharf Jeremie gang. The carnage took place on Friday and Saturday in the densely-populated seaside slum of Cité Soleil, a neighborhood in the capital city of Port-au-Prince which The Guardian has called Haiti's "most notorious slum...Much of the slum is an open sewer...infant children bathe in water contaminated with sewage. The stench is unbearable."
Felix's son had contracted a serious illness, and he sought the counsel of a Voodoo priest, or "bòkò," who advised the murderous warlord that elderly people in the gang's area of operations were harming his son through the use of witchcraft. “He decided to cruelly punish all the elderly people and Vodou practitioners who, in his imagination, might be capable of sending an evil spell to his son,” said Haiti's Committee for Peace and Development in a statement reported by the Haitian Times.
Members of the gang surrounded the neighborhood, then proceeded to search the shacks for people over 60 years old, who were then hacked with machetes, slashed with knives and shot with guns. The victims included some younger people who tried to defend the gang's elderly targets. Bodies were dragged into the streets where they were mutilated and torched, filling the neighborhood with a foul stench of death. Felix's ailing son died as the massacre was being carried out." ZeroHedge.

Russia’s FSB arrests German neo-Nazi over sabotage plot

"Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a man accused of planning to blow up a railway near the city of Nizhny Novgorod on the instructions of Ukrainian special services.

The 21-year-old, a citizen of Russia and Germany, was arrested during a search for adherents of neo-Nazi ideology in the city, according to the FSB, which said it had uncovered and detained a whole group of young people involved in committing “common crimes.” RT