After rebels win control in Aleppo, Syrian government and Russia strike back
TheSyrian government launched counterattacks on Monday, Dec. 2, against rebels who seized territory in the northwestern part of the country, and they did it with Russian help. Syrian state media announced the strikes, coming days after insurgent rebels seized the city of Aleppo. It’s another eruption of violence in the decade-old conflict.
Syrian forces took Aleppo after years of fighting, but rebels were able to reclaim the entire city in just a few days.
The Islamist rebels are from a group the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group governed the region of Idlib, on the border with Turkey, for the last few years. The Turkish government supported the rebels and stepped in to negotiate a ceasefire in 2020.
But now, the rebels are in Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, says rebels took large portions of the western and northwestern parts of the country.
Russia and Iran, meanwhile, are standing by Syria’s longtime government in President Bashar Al-Assad. It’s not clear yet how well the Syrian government can defend against the rebels, especially considering the changes in territory since the offensive began just days ago.
Until the recent offensive, Syrian forces and rebels have largely avoided major conflict since 2020. But that came after nearly nine years of fighting.
In that time, hundreds of thousands of people died in the civil war. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees says more than 12 million people are still dealing with displacement from their homes because of the war.
This is the latest flashpoint in a region where several countries have been engaged in recent fighting. Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza in a conflict that’s now over a year old. And just last week, the Israeli military agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, stopping months of fighting in Lebanon, at least temporarily.
It’s a first-person shooter game resembling series like Call of Duty, Medal of Honor and Battlefield. This game, however, unfolds in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and puts players in Palestinians’ shoes.
A recent update out last month allows players to re-create parts of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. A trailer for the update showed Hamas fighters using paragliders to enter an Israeli base and a Hamas fighter shooting a female Israeli soldier.
Video game news outlet 404 Media reported on British authorities blocking the game in the U.K.
The outlet spoke to the game’s creator, Nidal Njim, a Brazilian of Palestinian heritage. He told 404 shooting a soldier on their knees is actually an action the game doesn’t allow players to do. He added the game penalizes players if they do it.
404 Media obtained emails between Njim and Valve, operators of the Steam marketplace, where a representative said they blocked the game using country restrictions on orders from the U.K.’s Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, or CTIRU.
It also gave a statement to 404 Media. “The CTIRU works closely with a range of technology, social media and online service providers, but we do not comment on specific content or any communication we may have with specific platforms or providers.”
Njim accused British regulators of being hypocritical.
“On their flawed logic, the most recent Call of Duty Black Ops 6 should be banned as well. As you play as an American soldier and go to Iraq to kill Iraqi people. What I can say is that we see clearly the double standards,” Njim said.
The game has also been blocked from sale in Brazil and Australia but for a different reason. The game doesn’t have a specific age rating, something the creator says is down to cost. Each country requires payment of a few thousand dollars to obtain a rating.
American-Israeli soldier confirmed dead in Gaza during original attacks
The Israeli military said Monday, Dec. 2, that an American-Israeli citizen is dead in Gaza and has been for a long time. The Israeli Defense Forces said Omer Maxim Neutra of Long Island, New York, was actually killed during the Hamas attack on Israel in October of 2023.
The Israelis and his family had previously believed Neutra was alive and was being held hostage in Gaza. Instead, the Israeli foreign minister said he died in battle on Oct. 7.
The 21-year-old was a tank platoon commander in the Israeli Defense Forces. The Israeli military said Hamas is still holding his body hostage.
The Iran-backed militant group now has approximately 100 hostages inside Gaza, with roughly a third believed dead. Neutra was one of seven Americans held captive in Gaza since the terror attack in 2023. Four are now confirmed dead.
This latest news comes after Hamas released a propaganda video on Saturday, Nov. 30, of an Israeli-American hostage. It shows 20-year-old Edan Alexander. Hamas said he’s been captive for more than 400 days. The video was believed to possibly have been taken last week.
In the video, Alexander speaks in both Hebrew and English to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he has neglected the hostages, while urging President-elect Donald Trump to use the full power of the United States to negotiate freedom for the hostages.
Alexander’s mother released a statement saying her son’s voice needs to shake everyone. The Biden administration’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on “Meet the Press,” that the administration is working around the clock to produce a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza.
Trump seeks ceasefire in Gaza before return to White House, Graham says
President-elect Donald Trump wants ceasefire in Gaza before returning to White House, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Axios. The Biden administration has struggled to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in order to bring home the remaining 100 hostages being held by Hamas militants, including six Americans.
That number was seven Americans until the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Monday, Dec. 2, that an Israeli-American soldier from New York was killed by Hamas.
“I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue,” Graham said. “He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end. I hope President Trump and the Biden administration will work together during the transition period to release the hostages and get a ceasefire.”
Graham visited the Middle East during the week of Nov. 25, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During the trip, they discussed normalizing relations between Israel and Arab countries.
“The best insurance policy against Hamas is not an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, but a reform in Palestinian society,” Graham said. “The only ones who can do that are the Arab countries.”
Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation met with Egyptian intelligence officials in Cairo on Saturday, Nov. 30, to discuss ceasefire options and the possibility of increasing aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
“Our Palestinian people are waiting for American and international pressure on Netanyahu to stop the war and reach an agreement, as happened in Lebanon,” a Hamas official said.
Israel and Hezbollah both claim ceasefire violations
Barely three days into a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, both sides are claiming violations. On Thursday, Nov. 28, Israel carried out its first air strike since the agreement was reached, saying it targeted a rocket storage facility in southern Lebanon that breached the ceasefire deal.
Yesterday, Hezbollah had a precision-guided missile manufacturing site—today, they don’t.
Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets yesterday.
Lebanese authorities also said two people, who were trying to return to southern Lebanon, were shot and wounded by Israeli forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said they were civilians, but the IDF claimed they were suspected of violating terms of the truce.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire during which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
President-elect Donald Trump said Mexico has agreed to stem the tide of migrants flowing into the United States, but Mexico’s president is now saying that’s not quite accurate. And Amazon workers are using Black Friday to make a statement about their labor situation. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready to return to office, he’s already making moves to follow through on some of his biggest campaign promises. After announcing this week his plans to impose tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico, he turned his attention to another hot-button issue: immigration.
It’s a bit of a case of “he said, she said” after Trump had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Nov. 27. President-elect Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the call saying Sheinbaum agreed to stop migration into the U.S. through Mexico, “effectively closing our southern border.”
Sheinbaum appeared to contradict Trump in a post of her own on X, saying in part, “Mexico’s position is not to close borders…”
She did, however, lay out Mexico’s “comprehensive strategy” for addressing the migration issue. In a separate post on X, Sheinbaum said during the call, she told President-elect Trump, “No caravans are arriving at the border because they are being attended to in Mexico.”
En nuestra conversación con el presidente Trump, le expuse la estrategia integral que ha seguido México para atender el fenómeno migratorio, respetando los derechos humanos. Gracias a ello se atiende a las personas migrantes y a las caravanas previo a que lleguen a la frontera.…
The two leaders also talked about how they’re addressing the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
The call was scheduled after Trump unveiled plans to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico to the U.S. as part of the effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. through Mexico.
Not only would that impact the prices of avocados and agave — both very popular in the U.S. — Mexico’s economy secretary said Wednesday 88% of all North American pickup trucks come from Mexico. Sheinbaum then suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own.
“I hope he rethinks it,” Biden said. “I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do. You know, one of the things you’ve heard me say before is that we are – we have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”
Economists forecast Trump’s planned tariffs would increase prices for American shoppers, costing the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Israel and Hezbollah both claim ceasefire violations
Barely three days into a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, both sides are claiming violations.
Yesterday, Hezbollah had a precision-guided missile manufacturing site—today, they don’t.
Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets yesterday.
Lebanese authorities also said two people, who were trying to return to southern Lebanon, were shot and wounded by Israeli forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said they were civilians, but the IDF claimed they were suspected of violating terms of the truce.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire during which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.
Thousands of Amazon workers to strike from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., are on strike on some of the busiest pre-Christmas shopping days across the world. It started on Black Friday, Nov. 29, a day for bargain hunters to score some of the biggest discounts from stores across the country as holiday shopping kicks into high gear.
Organizers told the United Nations the so-called “days of resistance” are to hold Amazon accountable for alleged labor abuses, as well as “environmental degradation and threats to democracy.” According to ABC News, the strike could delay holiday deliveries.
The organizers said this is their fifth year of labor action against Amazon during the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
In a statement, Amazon said the group that organized the strikes is being “intentionally misleading” and promoting a “false narrative.” Management said the company offers great pay and benefits.
Canada sues Google over control of online ads
Canada’s antitrust watchdog said it is suing Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct in the company’s online advertising business. They’re calling for Google to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty.
The Competition Bureau said it’s necessary because an investigation into Google found the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position. Google insists the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector and is fighting the allegations.
This comes just a week after the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, saying it continues to crush the competition through its dominant search engine.
America facing a live Christmas tree shortage again
As millions of Americans get ready to begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree, growers are having historic challenges getting them to sale lots, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The day after Thanksgiving is usually the biggest day for live tree sales, but since Thanksgiving came so late this year, it’s a very short selling season. On top of that, a nationwide shortage is expected thanks to severe weather across the country this year, such as a northeastern drought and North Carolina floods caused by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is the second-biggest supplier of Christmas trees in the country.
Shoppers bought roughly 21.6 million real Christmas trees in the U.S. last year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The Department of Agriculture said the number of trees harvested in the U.S. has declined 30% since 2002, while the American population has grown 16% over the same period.
Alaska native air drops Thanksgiving turkeys to families in remote areas
In the most remote parts of Alaska a Thanksgiving turkey is hard to come by. So, one woman made sure families in roadless parts of the state had their holiday feast.
Pilot Esther Keim calls it “Alaska Turkey Bomb.” She flies in a small plane to off-the-grid homes and air drops frozen turkeys for families to enjoy for Thanksgiving.
Keim said it’s a tribute to a family friend who did the same thing for her family when she was growing up.
She started the tradition in 2022 after somebody that she knew told her they did not have much of a holiday dinner — and no turkey at all. Since then, she has delivered 30 to 40 turkeys every year to families living in remote areas of Alaska.
Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah holding so far
The cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah marks a step toward peace in the Middle East, but what happens now in Gaza where Israel is still at war with Hamas? And rain or shine — but not wind — revelers get ready to celebrate in New York City at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.
Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah holding so far
A cease-fire deal between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon is holding, so far.
President Joe Biden announced the deal — which the United States and France helped broker — on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Israel and Hezbollah have agreed on an initial 60-day cease-fire, which sets the stage for a lasting truce.
Already, long-displaced residents of parts of Lebanon have started returning to their homes, hopeful the tenuous agreement will be extended beyond two months. That’s despite the Israeli military warning people to stay away from previously evacuated areas.
Israel has said if Hezbollah breaks the cease-fire agreement, it will attack.
Following the directive of the political echelon, the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon took effect at 04:00 today, and the IDF has been operating accordingly. IDF troops are stationed at their positions in southern Lebanon.
Over the past hour, the IDF identified a vehicle with…
During the 60-day truce, Hezbollah fighters are to retreat at least 25 miles from the border with Israel and Israeli forces will withdraw from Lebanese territory.
The agreement does not address the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group, in Gaza. However, Hamas has said it is ready for a truce.
“So, now Hamas has a choice to make,” President Biden said on Tuesday. “Their only way out is to release the hostages, including American citizens, which they hold. In the process, bring an end to the fighting, which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief. Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Biden told reporters he’s hopeful he’ll help achieve a cease-fire in Gaza before the end of his term in January. If not, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, though he has not yet said how.
Trump picks nominations for NIH, trade
President-elect Trump has kept busy this holiday week. On Tuesday night, he announced new picks to join his administration.
Among them, Trump nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to serve as the director of the National Institutes of Health. As head of the NIH, the Stanford University professor would work alongside Trump’s pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Bhattacharya, who also has a doctorate in economics, became known for opposing lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 27, 2024
Trump also selected Jamieson Greer to lead the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Greer is no stranger to the department, having served as chief of staff to the trade representative during Trump’s first term — which saw tariffs imposed on Chinese goods and the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement.
Greer served as a lawyer in the Air Force and is currently a partner in international trade at the law firm King and Spalding.
Both of these nominations will need Senate confirmation.
Australia’s House passes bill to ban kids under 16 from social media
The bill would make platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to $50 million ($33 million USD) for failing to prevent young children from holding accounts.
Australia’s communications minister Michelle Rowland introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges. pic.twitter.com/K0zui1wHLv
The legislation passed 102-13 in Australia’s House of Representatives and now moves on to the Senate. If the bill becomes law, social media companies would have one year to figure out how to implement the age restrictions before they are enforced.
More than 3,000 fake name-brand electric guitars seized in California
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it seized more than 3,000 fake electric guitars in Southern California. CBP said the knockoffs were destined for the e-commerce market, just in time for holiday gift shopping.
CBP said if the guitars were real, they would be worth about $18 million. Most of the fakes look like Gibson brand guitars, but some were supposedly from other well-known companies such as Fender.
Federal authorities would not release any details about suspects in the investigation or where the counterfeit guitars came from.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to go on, rain or shine
A Macy’s spokesperson told the New York Post the parade will proceed regardless of wet weather — good news for the expected 3.5 million people who will be along the parade route and the estimated 30 million watching at home. However, wind could pose a problem.
The spokesperson told the Post, “Based on the city’s guidelines, no giant character balloon will be operated when there are sustained wind conditions exceeding 23 miles per hour and wind gusts greater than 34 miles per hour on the parade route.”
So far, according to weather reports, the winds should not be a problem, and all 32 balloons should be able to fly. New ones this year include Minnie Mouse and Spider-Man, which is marking its return to the parade for the first time in a decade.
Happy Thanksgiving from Straight Arrow News
With Thursday being Thanksgiving, as you get ready to gather around the table with your family, we wanted to take this time for you to get to know ours a little better. In the video above, members of our Straight Arrow News team have special messages about what they’re thankful for this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!
Israel agrees to cease-fire with Lebanon, Biden responds to announcement
Israel has agreed to a cease-fire with Lebanon on Tuesday, Nov. 26. This deal puts a temporary end to a fight against Hezbollah that has killed thousands of people since the conflict was sparked by the war in Gaza in 2023.
President Joe Biden announced the cease-fire at the White House Rose Garden in response to the deal.
“I directed my team to work with the governments of Israel and Lebanon to forge a cease-fire to bring a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to a close,” Biden said.
The president added the development is “good news” and is hopeful the deal will lead to a permanent end to the conflict.
The 60-day truce is slated to take effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27. It follows a meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, which met Tuesday, Nov. 26 to discuss the cease-fire deal.
The agreement requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Lebanon’s army to deploy to the region. Hezbollah would have to end its military presence from north of the Litani River.
Lebanon said it’s ready to have at least 5,000 troops deployed to the southern part of the country. Lebanese officials added the United States could help rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
Netanyahu demanded proper United Nations enforcement and oversight of the cease-fire and warns that it will show “zero tolerance” toward any violation of the cease-fire by Hezbollah.
Just hours before the announcement, Israel bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs with strikes against 20 targets Israeli Defense Forces said were Hezbollah strongholds.
The military operations reportedly killed at least seven people and injured 37 other individuals. The strikes come as Hezbollah continued rocket fire into Israel.
UN lets go genocide adviser over Israel-Hamas war views: Report
There’s been a shake-up at the United Nations. The organization let go of the special adviser on the prevention of genocide, reportedly because of her views on the Israel-Gaza war.
The Wall Street Journal reported Alice Wairimu Nderitu will not have her contract renewed. This comes after she said Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza isn’t genocide.
In 2022, Nederitu’s office put out guidance on when to refer to a situation as genocide. The office noted U.N. officials should adhere to the correct usage of the term because of the political and legal sensitivities that surround it.
Her instructions cite a Polish lawyer who coined the term in 1944 saying it’s a massacre of an entire ethnic group with the intention of eliminating them.
Nderitu says that includes the Holocaust, the Serbian attacks on Bosnian Muslims and the killings happening in Rwanda and Sudan.
According to that definition, self-defense doesn’t qualify, which, the Wall Street Journal notes, would include Israel’s current actions.
The U.N. defines genocide as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
In March, a human rights expert presented a report to the U.N. and said there were reasonable grounds to believe what’s happening in Gaza is genocide because of Israeli’s “unrelenting” assault on Hamas.
According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian health authority, more than 44,000 people have died in Gaza since October 2023.
The U.N.’s decision to dismiss Nderitu is getting a lot of reaction online.
Breaking: The UN have just dismissed the UN’s Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide – Alice Wairimu Nderitu.
Why? Because she said there is no genocide in Gaza.
The international courts are in the gutter. If you do not toe the Islamist line – you get fired. pic.twitter.com/BCoW2Hy7Xm
Independent journalist and political science professor David Collier said on X, “The international courts are in the gutter. If you do not toe the Islamist line – you get fired.”
Kudos to the UN for firing this shameful Kenya woman. The killing of 50 thousand Palestinians, including 20 thousand children, isn't genocide? What a disgraceful woman!
The UN has decided to fire its Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide.
UAE names suspects in killing of Jewish community leader
The United Arab Emirates named three Uzbek nationals as suspects in the killing of Zvi Kogan, a Jewish community leader whose body was found Sunday, Nov. 24. Emirati authorities identified the suspects as 28-year-olds Olimpi Tohirovic and Mahmudjun Abdurrahim, and 33-year-old Azizbek Kamilovich. All three have been arrested, and legal proceedings are underway, according to officials.
Kogan, a 28-year-old Israeli-Moldovan citizen and emissary of the Chabad movement, went missing Thursday, Nov. 21, in Dubai. He was later found dead in Al Ain, near the border with Oman. Emirati state-run WAM news agency released blurred images of the suspects in handcuffs and prison uniforms, with their faces concealed by black masks.
Israeli investigators, working with Emirati authorities, believe the suspects may have been hired assassins, though those who orchestrated the killing remain unidentified. Early suspicions of Iranian involvement have been denied by Tehran’s embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the killing, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terrorist attack.” He vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and praised Emirati cooperation in the investigation.
The UAE condemned the killing. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba described it as an attack on the nation’s values of coexistence and tolerance. Kogan’s death raised concerns about the safety of Jewish communities in the Gulf state. Those communities had become more visible following the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and the UAE.
Statement from Ambassador Al Otaiba: “Today the UAE mourns for Rabbi Zvi Kogan. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and community over his senseless death. (1/4)
The murder has unsettled the UAE’s small but growing Jewish community. Synagogues in Dubai remain closed amid heightened security concerns since the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, while the government-approved synagogue in Abu Dhabi remains open. Jewish leaders reported that informal gatherings have shifted to private homes for safety reasons.
Israel’s National Security Council has renewed travel warnings for Israeli citizens in the UAE and urged them to limit movement, avoid public displays of Jewish or Israeli identity and stay in secure areas.
The killing also comes amid escalating regional tensions. Israel has intensified its campaign against Iranian-linked groups following the Gaza war, raising concerns about potential reprisals abroad. Similar incidents of attempted attacks on Israeli nationals have been reported in other countries, including Turkey.
The body of Kogan, who also managed a kosher grocery store in Dubai, has been returned to Israel for burial.