📹Russian servicemen ensured safe conduct of the 25th rotation of IAEA mission observers at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, with three inspectors arriving at the site, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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⚔️ Israel incursion in Syria is not a protective move, but full-blown offensive – Middle East expert

Having seized the Golan Heights, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) currently occupy Quneitra province, 16 kilometers deep into Syrian territory. International watchdogs say the IDF has launched around 300 airstrikes across Syria so far.

Tel Aviv insists its actions are prompted by security concerns. But Furkan Halit Yolcu, security expert and researcher at Sakarya University’s Middle East Institute, rejected Israel's narrative and called its actions an offensive land grab.

💬 "History says that this is not a protective move, but it's all about an offensive mindset that's going on, taking opportunities and claiming territory step by step," Yolcu told Sputnik. "Whenever there's an opportunity, whenever there is a chance Israel seems to be taking and seizing the moment and trying to gain a bit more territory when it can."

Yolcu doubts that Israel will be able to get away with it, and expects that the issue will definitely be addressed by the UN once a new Syrian government is formed.

💬 "It might turn into a bigger problem than it is now because [Syria doesn't] have a government yet," the pundit stressed. "But when the government is there and it's officially recognized by the community as the United Nations, then territorial disputes will start for sure."

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🗣A vehicle belonging to the IAEA team which arrived at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant was damaged as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack, the agency's head Rafael Grossi said.

💬 "Fortunately, there were no casualties and our employees are safe," Grossi stated.

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🗣Assad is in safety in Russia, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said.

Commenting on the possibility of Assad’s extradition on the ICC warrant, the diplomat stressed that Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

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🔎CEO's murder and US health insurance plots: a deadly connection? (Part 1 👉 Part 2)

The murder of UnitedHealthcare (UHC) CEO Brian Thompson has shed light on growing outrage over the insurance industry’s high denial rates and skyrocketing healthcare costs.

What is known about UHC?

🔸 UHC is one of the largest insurance companies in the US, providing coverage to over 49 million people

🔸 UHC's claim denial rate in 2023 was double the industry average, with the company rejecting 32% of claims compared to the overall 16%.

🔸 A 2024 Senate report singled out UHC for its high denial rates, accusing Medicare Advantage insurers of prioritizing financial gain over medical necessity

🔸 The corporation's 2023 revenues rose $47.5 billion – 14.6% – year-on-year to $371.6 billion, according to its website

🔸 Some of those profits may have come from claim rejections: the 2024 Senate report showed that UHC's peer CVS "saved" $2.5 billion due to 225,000 denials of inpatient admissions. CVS insurance arm Aetna's claim denial rate is 20%

🔸 In July, protesters gathered near UHC's headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, to oppose the company's systemic refusal to approve care payments. Eleven protesters were arrested

🔸 A KFF study in March revealed that around 25% of US adults delay or skip necessary healthcare due to high costs

👉 Part 2

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🔎How murder of America’s top insurer CEO exposes deep healthcare crisis (Part 2 👉 Part 1)

UHC faced several scandals this year, including insider trading accusations, job cuts and lawsuits.

🔸 A federal lawsuit filed in May alleged that Thompson and his associates misled investors while using insider information in share trading.

🔸 UHC was also the subject of a 2022 Department of Justice (DoJ) antitrust investigation regarding its acquisition of Change Healthcare.

🔸 In November 2024, the DoJ filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block UHC's $3.3 billion acquisition of rival home health and hospice services provider Amedisys, alleging the insurer aimed to "eliminate competition."

🔸 UHC's subsidiary Optum laid off workers in several states in September

How did Americans react to UHC CEO's death?

Thanks perhaps to the scandals surrounding the company, Thompson's death garnered little sympathy online:

🔹 The news received 62,000 reactions on Facebook, with 57,000 of them being laughing emojis, according to CNN – but those reactions have since been concealed on UHC's Facebook* page

🔹 Social media comments mocked the murder, with one user saying: "Cause of death: Lead poisoning! It's a premeditated condition. Payout denied."

👉 Part 1

*banned for extremism in Russia

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🔸 Who is Muhammad al-Bashir, the man to form Syria’s transitional government?

🔸 What is Erdogan's stance on Syria's turmoil?

🔸 Check out why Israel incursion in Syria isn’t a protective move, but full-blown offensive

🔸 Netanyahu is on trial: what’s known so far

🔸 Unmasking the US billions spent on Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine

🔸 CEO's murder and US health insurance plots: a deadly connection?

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⚡️ Syria's interim government is formed, will last until March 2025 — Acting prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir

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🛢 How could the Syrian crisis change Middle East energy map?

While Syria's oil reserves are small, its strategic location makes it a key logistical hub for Middle Eastern oil and gas producers. What energy routes are proposed to run through Syria?

🌊 "Four Seas Strategy": Then-Syrian president Bashar Assad aimed to link the Mediterranean, Caspian, Black Sea and Persian Gulf into an energy network, positioning Syria as a key energy hub.


Existing routes

🇪🇬🇮🇱🇯🇴 Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP): Designed to export Egyptian gas to Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkiye and Europe, the AGP has faced repeated setbacks, particularly the Syrian leg from Aleppo to Kilis in Turkiye, which was disrupted by the 2011 civil war.

🇮🇶🇸🇾 Iraq-Syria Oil Pipeline: Previously a transit hub for Iraqi oil to the Mediterranean, this pipeline was damaged during the 2003 Iraq war and further impacted by the 2011 Syrian civil war.


Potential routes

🇶🇦🇸🇾🇹🇷 Qatar-Syria-Turkiye Pipeline: A proposed 1,500-kilometer pipeline from Qatar to Turkiye and Europe via Syria was reportedly rejected by Syria in 2009.

🇮🇷🇮🇶🇸🇾 Iran-Iraq-Syria Pipeline: A preliminary agreement was signed in 2011 to transfer Iranian gas to Europe through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Mediterranean. However, the project is presumed to be shelved.


Impact of the Syrian crisis on energy routes

🔹 The fall of the Syrian government could potentially restructure gas and oil pipeline routes to Turkiye and Europe, according to some observers

🔹 Qatar-Syria-Turkiye Pipeline Revival: Some Turkish publications suggest this project could be reconsidered

🔹 Iraq's Interest in Reconstruction: Iraq reportedly showed interest in 2023 in reconstructing the old oil pipeline to Syria to import oil to Europe

🔹 Market Reactions: Oil markets did not react strongly to the fall of the Syrian government on December 9, but natural gas prices rose by about 10%

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👹 Biden: I'm not going away, 'bad news for you all'

Speaking about his economic policies, President Biden warned that although he is leaving the presidency, he is "not going away". He did not elaborate on what he meant.

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Hezbollah: We hope the new Syria will fight Israeli occupation

Syria's new leadership should oppose Israel's aggressive actions against Syria, Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah said on Tuesday.

"We hope Syria will stabilize through the choices of its people, achieve its revival, and remain firmly in the position of rejecting Israeli occupation and preventing foreign interventions in its affairs," the statement said.

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⚡️ Syrian armed opposition takes control over Deir ez-Zor city in Eastern Syria

The city was previously seized by Syrian Kurds of the the Syrian Democratic Forces.

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❗️ US authorizes $266.4M sale of F-16 services and equipment to Ukraine

The US State Department has approved a potential sale of F-16 maintenance services and related equipment estimated to be worth $266.4 million.

Ukraine has already lost one F-16 without a single Russian missile being fired, and even US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admits that this weapon won't do much good in Ukraine.

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2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ I pray to god Trump will throw Project 2025 — Biden

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned his successor Donald Trump to not embrace Project 2025.

"I think it'd be an economic disaster for us and the region," Biden said.

The president-elect has denied on multiple occasions any connection to the concept.

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Congress urges the Secret Service to stop guarding foreign leaders in the US

A US House committee has recommended that the Secret Service review how it protects foreign leaders coming to the country after analyzing an assassination attempt on President-elect Donald Trump.

"The Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service should jointly evaluate the role of the service in protecting foreign leaders and the possibility of transferring or eliminating such functions in order to focus on the core mission: protecting the president of the United States," the report said.

A report says a shortage of Secret Service personnel due to the UN General Assembly in New York was a reason for the attempted assassination of Trump in September.

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