Turkey arrests US citizen over selling passport, state media says The State Department said it was aware of the detention of a US citizen but denied he is a diplomat. News Brief
China provides grant to Syrian nonprofit The grant followed a phone conversation between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his counterpart, Xi Jinping, about China's global economic initiatives and reconstruction in Syria. News Brief
Intel: US concerned over Iran, Turkey, UAE-supplied drones in Ethiopia war Ethiopia's government has rejected calls for a cease-fire after routing Tigray rebels with the help of high-tech foreign drones. The Horn of Africa
Turkey’s belly dancers can't shake government TV censors Gone are the days where belly dancers appeared on Turkish TVs as part of the country's New Year's Eve celebrations. Turkey
Iran rejects UK, GCC statement on nuclear talks Iran's foreign ministry spokesman criticized Western countries for destabilizing the Gulf region in response to the UK-GCC statement about regional security. Iran
UN slashes food aid to Yemen amid funding crunch Starting in January, eight million Yemenis will receive a reduced food ration from the UN's World Food Program. News Brief
US national security adviser meets with Bennett, Lapid, Gantz in Israel Facing growing pressure from Jerusalem on the Vienna talks, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met yesterday in Israel with President Isaac Herzog and today with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Israel
Libya's election commission calls for month postponement Libya's parliament said it would be "impossible" to hold elections as planned on Dec. 24. News Brief
The Takeaway: Israel fears Iran strike could ignite war with Hezbollah Erdogan’s rescue plan for the lira, Turkey’s Africa drone market, Lebanon’s homeless cats and dogs, Gaza’s racism, Gulf stock markets and more — in less than 1,300 words! Israel
Palestinian killed by Israeli forces after alleged car attack There have been several violent incidents between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank in recent weeks. News Brief
Tunisian president to change constitution, organize early legislative elections Tunisian President Kais Saied announced yet another set of measures for holding a referendum on constitutional reforms and parliamentary elections. North Africa
After Pegasus affair, Israeli tech companies fear US blacklisting It is still too early to tell if the Pegasus affair and US blacklisting of some cyberattack companies will harm the Israeli industry or actually boost global demands for such products. Israel
Gaza’s Christians light Christmas tree Gaza's tiny Christian community celebrates Christmas in a giant way. Palestine
Arab Knesset member shocks crowd, says Israel 'born Jewish' Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas made big waves when he said that Israel was and will remain a Jewish state. Israel
Erdogan’s new economic plan no remedy for lost purchasing power Even as Ankara rolls out a new scheme to contain the country’s currency crisis, the severe losses of millions of low-and middle-income Turks appears irreversible. Turkey