Israel has approved a $725 million propaganda budget for 2026 to improve its international image and make the world more favorable to Israel. Meanwhile, from Gaza, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced that 373 Palestinians were killed and 970 injured following Israel’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, in effect since October.
Israel has denounced violations by Hamas, which led to recent attacks.
In his message to the Istanbul Conference on “Peace and Democratic Society,” Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his full support for the new process underway in Turkey. In his message, Barzani called President Erdogan’s vision “historic and bold” and congratulated Abdullah Öcalan and Devlet Bahçeli for their contribution to peace. In recent days, Iraq has seen clashes between the Herki and Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Region. The appointment of Mark Savaya, a Chaldean-Assyrian-Iraqi-American businessman, as the US President’s Special Envoy for Iraq in November 2025 was seen as more than just a diplomatic move. It came at a time of rising tensions between Washington and resistance groups, with Iraq on the eve of parliamentary elections. Analysts see it as part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to redefine Iraq’s role in the regional order and limit Iranian influence. Savaya, in addition to his symbolic position as representative of Christian minorities, has been entrusted with a multifaceted mission: rebuilding relations between Baghdad and Washington, strengthening US investment and economic presence, and reshaping Iraq’s security structure in line with Western interests.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa recently met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad in Doha. Meanwhile, Turkish Army Commander Selçuk Bayırkoğlu met in Damascus with Syrian Defense Minister Murahf Abu Kasra and Syrian Army Commander Ali Nur ad-Din a-Nassan. And still addressing tensions, the Syrian Army’s 76th Division has been deployed to the Tishreen front and the 86th Division to the Deir ez-Zor front, in anticipation of possible clashes with the Kurds. Turkish troops have entered northern Syria via three different routes: Afrin, Ras al-Ayn, and northern Aleppo. They are believed to be heading towards the Kurdish-controlled city of Manbij. Turkey previously reported that Ankara would give the Kurds 30 days to complete the integration process into government security forces in Damascus.
Significant developments are taking place in Yemen. Forces of the Southern Transitional Council, backed by the United Arab Emirates, have advanced eastward, capturing areas controlled by the Saudi-backed Yemeni Presidential Governing Council, and are now advancing northward. A Saudi delegation has been sent to negotiate the Southern Transitional Council’s withdrawal. Saudi military forces have also entered the Khachram region of Yemen due to tensions with UAE-backed Yemeni forces.
A series of Israeli airstrikes were recorded in Lebanon: Iqleem al-Tuffah. At least eight airstrikes were recorded in southern Lebanon on December 8. The IDF claims to have targeted Hezbollah training camps and various infrastructure.
On December 9, Israeli attacks were also very intense in southern Lebanon, north of the Litani River. Several civilian homes were demolished in the town of Khiyam. Regarding Lebanon, the Pentagon chief must submit a report by June on the Lebanese army’s progress in disarming Hezbollah and on options for suspending military aid if it is deemed “unwilling to act.” Lebanon has disarmed the entire southern Litani area and entered areas it had never entered before, destroying efforts that took 20 years to build. But the United States and Israel are still not satisfied.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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