Your regional news round-up
- The UAE announced it is withdrawing all remaining counter-terrorism teams from Yemen hours after a Saudi strike hit armoured vehicles belonging to its forces in the southern port of Mukalla.
- The UAE counter-terrorism teams had played a "crucial role" in combatting Al Qaeda and other insurgents in Yemen, defence experts told The National, having coordinated with American and British forces.
- Tension between Yemeni leaders has been simmering for weeks, but the latest rift took an unprecedented turn yesterday morning with the strike and an announcement by the Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashid Al Alimi that he was seeking to cancel the joint defence agreement with the UAE. Four of the eight PLC members denounced the move.
- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara plans to begin drilling for oil off Somalia's coast and to build a spaceport in the country in 2026. The move comes amid criticism of Israel for recognising Somaliland, a breakaway territory.
- Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister Kamel El Wazir concluded a milestone visit to Djibouti this week, where he finalised a deal to develop the Doraleh port on the Gulf of Aden.
- The US has expressed concern over the stance taken by the Sudanese Armed Forces over a truce in Sudan and the preconditions they insist on. SAF chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has increased his insistence that the war, now deep into its third year, will only end when the rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is defeated.
Other developments
- Protests over the cost of living in Iran spread to several universities yesterday, semi-official media reported. President Masoud Pezeshkian has tasked the interior minister to arrange talks with protesters in order to discuss their "legitimate demands".
- Syrian authorities arrested 21 people allegedly linked to the former regime of Bashar Al Assad in Latakia, as a curfew took hold in the city after violence that killed four people this week.
- US forces and allies have killed or captured about 25 ISIS operatives in Syria this month after large-scale strikes across the country, Central Command said.
- Israel said it was suspending more than 30 humanitarian organisations from operating in Gaza, including Doctors Without Border and Care, for failing to comply with new registration rules. The groups have said the timing is devastating given the enormous humanitarian needs in the war-torn enclave.
- More than 350 suspected ISIS members were arrested in large-scale operations across Turkey as authorities there crack down on suspected militants. Ankara has launched a series of operations after reports that operatives were planning attacks targeting New Year celebrations.
- Iraq's parliament elected Farhad Al Atroushi as second deputy speaker after two failed rounds of voting. Sunni politician Haibat Al Halbousi was chosen as Speaker on Monday, while Babil governor Adnan Feyhan, a member of the US-sanctioned and Iran-aligned Asaib Ahl Al Haq group, was elected first deputy speaker. With all posts filled, parliament opened a three-day window for parties to submit their candidates for president.
More goings-on
- The UK Foreign Secretary has ordered an urgent review after “serious information failures” led to British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah being allowed into the country despite posting anti-Semitic and anti-British tweets.
- The number of Jews from western states moving to Israel increased in 2025, while an overall drop in immigration was recorded as arrivals from Russia declined, Israeli Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer said.
- The US announced sanctions targeting Iran's drone trade with Venezuela as Washington increases pressure on both countries.
Happening today
- New Year's Eve celebrations around the region
Top picks from The National
Comment: What the UAE actually did in Yemen - and why it will still matter
Video: What has the UAE's role been in Yemen since 2015?
Report: Inside Emirates Polar Programme - putting boots on ice to protect 'planet's thermostat'
This newsletter was compiled by Aveen Karim, Deputy Foreign Editor.
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