8 Dec 2024

Assad regime falls after 54 years as ousted president reportedly flees the country
The Syrian rebels entered Damascus last night (between Saturday and Sunday) and announced, “Damascus is now free from Assad.” A Syrian officer told Reuters that the Syrian army had informed officers about the regime’s collapse. President Bashar al-Assad had left Damascus for an unknown destination.

Death by proxy? The fall of Assad and collapse of Iran’s regional strategy
In medicine, there’s a disturbing condition called Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another), where a caregiver fabricates or induces illness in their dependents, often to maintain control and validate their role as ‘protector.’As Iran’s regional strategy unravels in 2024, a striking parallel emerges: Tehran’s relationship with its proxy forces bears an uncanny resemblance to this pathological dynamic. Like the diagnosed caregiver who creates crises to assert control, Iran has positioned itself as the indispensable protector of various regional forces – from Hezbollah in Lebanon to Assad’s regime in Syria.

IDF repels rebel attack on UN post near Syrian border, Israeli cabinet set to meet as Assad regime crumbles
With the Syrian Assad regime falling apart within mere days, first consequences of the shocking advance of the rebel groups reached the Israeli border along the Golan Heights on Saturday, as the IDF took part in the fighting for the first time. At the time of publication, unconfirmed rumors swirled that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family had fled the country.

Iran Evacuating Military in Syria as Rebels Advance
Iran has reportedly started to withdraw troops from Syria as advancing rebel forces threaten to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, “Iran is starting to evacuate its forces and military personnel because we cannot fight as an advisory and support force if Syria’s army itself does not want to fight,” Iranian analyst Mehdi Rahmati told the news outlet. “Iran has realized that it cannot manage the situation in Syria right now with any military operation and this option is off the table.”

Trump says ‘US should have nothing to do’ with war in Syria
Trump posted on his platform Truth Social, “Syria is a mess but is not our friend, & and THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”

Hamas trying to locate living hostages ahead of potential deal
Arab sources report that Hamas is in the process of locating living hostages prior to negotiations for a ceasefire and a captive-prisoner exchange deal.

‘There’s no accountability’: Senators berate cybersecurity officials for response to ‘disturbing and widespread’ Chinese hack of US telecoms
Senators berated the Biden administration’s cybersecurity officials for their weak response and lack of accountability following a massive Chinese government-linked hack of U.S. and global telecommunications networks, Politico reported. “There’s no accountability in anybody sitting up there. They have not told us why they didn’t catch it, what they’ve done to prevent it,” Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) said after a classified briefing Wednesday by the FBI, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Drama in Syria: Homs falls to rebel forces, Assad regime to fall within days
The commander of the Syrian jihadist rebel organization … announced early Sunday morning that his forces have “completely liberated” the city of Homs, the third largest city in Syria, from the Assad regime. He called on his fighters not to harm soldiers from the Syrian army who are laying down their weapons. Israel has sent a message to the Syrian rebel forces warning that the IDF will act powerfully if forces dare to cross the Israel-Syria border and the 1974 armistice line. Turkey is currently supporting some of the rebel groups, while Russia and Iran aid Assad. Meanwhile, the Syrian rebels … reached the outskirts of Damascus. According to reports,

Right-wing summit condemns ICC, calls for overhaul of UNRWA
At a high-profile international summit in Washington, DC, earlier this week, global leaders from center-right parties convened to address escalating challenges, including rising antisemitism, the ICC’s recent decision, and the future of UNRWA.

How does Syrian rebels’ advance toward Damascus impact Israel’s border? – analysis
The IDF called up additional troops for defensive missions in the Golan Heights, the army said on Saturday, reacting to the rapidly developing situation in southern Syria. Rebels have overrun Syrian regime areas across a swath of territory, including near the Golan border. This means that there could be potential spillover from what is happening in Syria.

Syrian insurgents reach gates of Damascus, threatening decades-long Assad regime
Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday, and the government was forced to deny rumors that President Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs was a potentially crippling blow. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — Assad’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base.

IDF repels rebel attack on UN post near Syrian border; Israeli cabinet set to meet as Assad regime crumbles
Israel’s military and political leadership has been scrambling to react to the lighting advance of rebel groups against the regime across Syria. After the fighting concentrated in northern Syria for most of the past week, on Friday and Saturday, almost the whole of southern Syria, including the border with Israel, fell into rebel hands. This included numerous military bases stocked with heavy weaponry, as well as several military airports.

Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain ground
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military should stay out of the escalating conflict in Syria as a shock opposition offensive closes in on the capital, declaring in a social media post, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.” In his post, Trump said Assad did not deserve U.S. support to stay in power.

Sotomayor compares trans medical ‘treatments’ to aspirin in question about side effects during oral arguments
Justice Sonia Sotomayor likened the side effects of transgender medical procedures on minors to that of taking an over-the-counter painkiller. Her comments came after Tennessee Solicitor General Rice defended his state’s ban on transgender medical procedures for minors. He argued that countries like Sweden, Finland, and the UK have limited such interventions due to reported irreversible consequences.

USDA Orders Raw Milk Testing Under Guise of Bird Flu Amid War on Small Farms
Nationwide demand for raw milk has never been higher, as out-of-control bureaucrats in their ivory towers in Washington, DC, exploit bird flu outbreaks in dairy herds to financially crush small farms while ensuring that large-scale farms owned by mega corporations, which produce questionable/unhealthy food (hence America’s obesity crisis), remain in control of the nation’s food supply chain. The latest overreach in the war on raw milk comes as the US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) ordered dairy farmers to work with the federal agency to test for bird flu (H5N1).

Experts fear jab may not be able to fight pre-Christmas flu outbreak
The flu vaccine given to millions may be much less effective than expected as a pre-Christmas outbreak sweeps Britain, experts warn. The NHS reported an unusually early start to the flu season last week with the number of people in hospital with the dangerous virus four times higher than this time last year.

Explosion in Dutch city of The Hague kills 5; search for missing people continues
Mayor Jan Van Zanen said there’s little hope of rescuing any more residents alive. “We are preparing for the worst-case scenario.” Emergency services earlier said that up to 20 people were missing. A small explosion occurred at 6:15 am, followed by a severe one, after which the building caught fire. The cause of the explosions is unknown. The building partially collapsed following the explosion. Police were looking for a car that drove away from the scene at high speed immediately following the blast.

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