Orientul Mijlociu

Iraqi PM al-Sudani says he can only disarm factions after the US-led coalition withdraws, linking state control of weapons to the end of the foreign military presence.

In a significant and carefully worded declaration that lays bare the central paradox of Iraq’s security dilemma, the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has asserted that his government’s pledge to bring all weapons under the control of the state can only be fulfilled once the U.S.-led international coalition has completely withdrawn from the country.

Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), through the dedicated efforts of its Department of Statistics and Publications, publishes its annual Gregorian calendar-based analytical and statistical report on the human rights situation in Iran for the one-year period (January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026). This report is the culmination of the organization’s daily endeavors in recent years, forming part of a daily statistical project that began in 2009. It provides an analytical-statistical overview of human rights in Iran.

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military will never withdraw from the war-torn Gaza Strip, confirming earlier comments about settlement construction despite Trump’s ceasefire agreement signed in October.

“In Gaza, Israel will never fully withdraw – there will be a significant security area inside the Strip, even after we move to stage two [of Trump’s 20-point peace plan] if Hamas disarms,” Katz said during a conference hosted by the Makor Rishon newspaper, the Times of Israel reported.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out raid and arrest campaigns in the eastern Aleppo countryside today, Wednesday, 24 December, amid accusations that Syrian government forces violated the truce around the al-Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo city (northern Syria).

Syrian state run al-Ikhbariya reported that the campaign targeted the villages of Wadihah and al-Hayit in the eastern Maskanah countryside (eastern Aleppo Governorate, northern Syria), without providing further details on the reasons for the operation or the number of detainees.

Recent developments in Iraq show that the country is on the cusp of a deep geopolitical and economic transformation, as the recent elections are a focal point for reshaping the balance of regional power. Iraq, with its oil and gas wealth and strategic location linking the Gulf to Turkey and Europe, is gradually becoming a geo-economic competition between Iran and Turkey, the Gulf-American axis and the West. As world powers race to invest in ports, corridors and energy, Iraq’s future remains dependent on its ability to employ this competition in building stability and development.

Israel on Wednesday accused Hamas of breaching the US-backed ceasefire, after an explosive device blew up in southern Gaza, injuring an Israeli soldier.

It was the latest incident to threaten the tenuous truce that has held since October 10, as each side accuses the other of breaches.

Afghanistan’s opposition movements and political figures have condemned the killing of former police chief Gen. Ikramuddin Saree in Tehran, describing it as an act of terror and warning that it has heightened fears among former security officials living abroad.

Plusieurs factions irakiennes ont affirmé leur rejet de toute discussion concernant le monopole des armes avant l’obtention de la pleine souveraineté et le retrait de toutes les forces étrangères d’Irak. Elles ont souligné que la position de la Résistance islamique en Irak demeure ferme quant à son refus de rendre les armes et sa détermination à ne pas y renoncer.

Vitaly Zvyagnitsev, a 30-year-old Russian citizen who arrived in Israel with a foreign worker permit, was arrested in early December 2025 on suspicion of maintaining contact with Iranian operatives.

A Russian citizen was arrested for sending pictures of ports, ships, and infrastructure in Israel to Iranian intelligence elements, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and MALMAB (Director of Security of the Defense Establishment) announced on Friday.