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UAE says no weapons were in Yemen shipment destroyed by Saudis

The UAE denied shipping weapons to Yemeni separatists on Tuesday after Saudi-led forces said they had bombed arms sent by Abu Dhabi.

"The shipment in question did not contain any weapons, and the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party," government spokesperson Afra Al Hameli wrote on X, adding the arrival of the shipment had been coordinated with Riyadh.

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Syria imposes night curfew on port city after sectarian violence

Syrian authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the coastal city of Latakia on Tuesday after attacks in predominantly Alawite neighborhoods a day prior.

Authorities announced a "curfew in Latakia city, effective from 5:00pm (1400 GMT) on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, until 6:00am (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, December 31, 2025".

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Jailed Turkish Kurd leader calls on government to broker deal for Syrian Kurds

Jailed Turkish Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan said in a message published Tuesday that it was "crucial" for the Turkish government to broker a peace deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government.

"It is essential for Turkey to play a role of facilitator, constructively and aimed at dialogue... This is crucial for both regional peace and to strengthen its own internal peace," Ocalan, founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, said in a message relayed by Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party.

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Hamas says its longtime spokesman was killed following an Israeli strike in August

Hamas on Monday confirmed that its longtime spokesman was killed following an Israeli strike in August in war-torn Gaza, the first time the Palestinian militant group publicly acknowledged the death of one of its more prominent figures.

The confirmation comes months after Israel said on Aug. 31 that its forces had killed the militant group's spokesman Hudhayfa al‑Kahlout, nicknamed "Abu Obeida," in an airstrike on Gaza. Hamas didn't say how he was killed or when.

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Trump warns Iran against reconstituting nuclear program as he welcomes Netanyahu for talks

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran against reconstituting its nuclear program Monday as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his home in Florida for wide-ranging talks.

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Egyptian activist sorry for violent posts after UK uproar

Political opposition leaders in the United Kingdom have called for a human rights activist to be stripped of his citizenship over past social media posts allegedly containing violent and antisemitic language within days of the dual national returning to Britain after years in Egyptian prisons.

The leaders of the Conservative and Reform parties also demanded the deportation of Alaa Abd el-Fattah following the discovery of tweets from more than a decade ago in which he allegedly endorsed killing "Zionists" and police.

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Lebanon on agenda as Netanyahu meets Trump on Monday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, an Israeli official told AFP, in what is seen as a crucial visit for the next steps of the fragile Gaza truce plan.

It will be Netanyahu's fifth visit to see key ally Trump in the United States this year.

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Alawites protest after Syria mosque bombing

Thousands of Syrian Alawites took to the streets in coastal and central parts of the country on Sunday to protest, two days after a mosque bombing that killed eight.

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Somalia, African nations denounce Israeli recognition of Somaliland

Somalia and the African Union reacted angrily after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the northern region of Somaliland as an independent state.

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KSA vows military support for Yemen govt., urges separatists to withdraw

Saudi Arabia warned Saturday it would back Yemen's government in any military confrontation with separatist forces and urged them to withdraw "peacefully" from recently-seized provinces.

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