US launches ‘large-scale’ attacks against ISIL in Syria after deadly ambush
US military says the strikes are in response to an ISIL ambush that killed three American personnel in Palmyra last month. Published On 10 Jan 202610 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United States has carried out a new round of “large-scale” attacks against the ISIL or ISIS group in Syria following an ambush that killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the city of Palmyra last month. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Saturday that the attacks occurred at about 17:30 GMT and hit “multiple ISIS targets across Syria”. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” CENTCOM said. The statement did not say whether anyone was killed in the strikes. Grainy aerial video accompanying the statement, posted on X, showed several separate explosions, apparently in rural areas. CENTCOM said the attacks were carried out alongside partner forces, without specifying which forces had taken part. The US is calling the response to the Palmyra attacks Operation Hawkeye Strike. The ambush on December 13 involved a lone gunman, who Syria’s Ministry of Interior said was a member of the security forces and had been set to be fired for his hardline views. The US military launched the operation on December 19, with a large-scale strike that it said hit 70 targets across central Syria that had ISIL infrastructure and weapons. On December 30, it said its forces had killed or captured about 25 ISIL fighters following the launch of the operation. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has for years been the US’s main partner in the fight against ISIL in Syria, but since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Washington has increasingly been coordinating with the central government in Damascus. Advertisement Syria joined the global coalition against ISIL after reaching an agreement late last year, when Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House. Syrian officials said last month that leading ISIL figure Taha al-Zoubi had been arrested in the Damascus countryside. US President Donald Trump has long been sceptical of Washington’s presence in Syria, ordering the withdrawal of troops during his first term, but ultimately leaving US forces in the country. About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria. The US military has said it would further reduce the number of US personnel in Syria and eventually reduce its bases in the country to one. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,417
These are the key developments from day 1,417 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. By News Agencies Published On 11 Jan 202611 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is where things stand on Sunday, January 11: Fighting: Russian forces launched artillery and drone attacks on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on Saturday, killing a 68-year-old man, wounding three others and causing fires to break out in residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s emergency service. Russian shelling also killed another person in the Kramatorsk district of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the service said. Three other Ukrainians were killed, and nine more were wounded, in Russian attacks on the areas of Yarova, Kostyanynivka and Sloviansk in Donetsk, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. Ukraine’s General Staff reported 139 combat clashes on Saturday and said that Russia launched 33 air strikes, deployed more than 4,430 drones and carried out 2,830 attacks on Ukrainian troops and settlements. Russian forces advanced near the villages of Markove and Kleban-Byk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to the Ukrainian battlefield monitoring site DeepState, but no other major changes were reported. In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, engineers are working “around the clock” to restore electricity to residents after thousands of apartments lost power during Russia’s Thursday attacks, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration. Heat supplies have been returned to roughly half the homes that lost power, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko added. Russia’s TASS news agency reported that two people were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said on Saturday that 600,000 people in the area were without electricity, heating and water after a Ukrainian missile strike. Ukrainian forces also carried out a drone strike on Russia’s Volgograd region, sparking a fire at an oil depot in the Oktyabrsky district, regional authorities said. The Ukrainian military said on Saturday it had struck the Zhutovskaya oil depot in Volgograd overnight. Russian air defence systems, meanwhile, intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the agency reported. Advertisement Politics and diplomacy The United Nations Security Council will host an emergency meeting on January 12 to “address Russia’s flagrant breaches of the UN Charter”, after Russia fired an Oreshnik hypersonic missile near the Polish border, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. The foreign minister also spoke out about the antigovernment protests rocking Iran, saying that “Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its oppression of its own citizens are part of the same policy of violence and disrespect for human dignity”. The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, insisted that Russia will not accept European or NATO troops in Ukraine and that “European dimwits want a war in Europe after all”. “Well, come on then. This is what you’ll get”, the deputy chairman added, accompanied by a video of the Oreshnik strike. The Institute for the Study of War wrote in its latest report that Russia’s Oreshnik strike was likely “aimed to scare Western countries from providing military support to Ukraine, particularly from deploying forces to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement”. Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, “once again reached out to our American partners”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “We continue communication with the American side practically every day,” he said. South Africa kicked off a week of naval drills, also attended by Russia, Iran and China. Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint task force commander, told the opening ceremony that the drills are “a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together”. Sanctions Zelenskyy pledged on X that “we will continue strengthening the sanctions toolkit” and that “all lines of pressure on Russia and individuals associated with it must be maintained”. In reference to recent news that US President Donald Trump has greenlit a bill to sanction countries that buy Russian oil, Zelenskyy said: “What is important is that the US Congress is back in motion on tougher sanctions against Russia – targeting Russian oil. This can truly work.” Energy Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russian oil products have “significantly increased” after Bloomberg reported that Russian refined fuel flows hit a four-month high in December, driven by stronger diesel shipments from ports in the Baltic Sea. Dmitriev added on X that “fake warmonger narratives are bad for decision-making”. Separately, Bloomberg also reported that Russia’s crude oil production dropped to its lowest level in a year and a half in December, hitting 9.32 million barrels per day. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Last Kurdish-led SDF fighters leave Syria’s Aleppo after days of clashes
Aleppo governor says last SDF fighters have left the city after the Syrian army took control of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood. The last fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have left the city of Aleppo, according to officials, following a ceasefire deal that allowed evacuations after days of deadly clashes in Syria’s second-largest city. Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib told Al Jazeera early on Sunday that Aleppo has become “empty of SDF fighters” after government forces coordinated their withdrawal on buses out of the city overnight. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list SDF commander Mazloum Abdi (also known as Mazloum Kobani) said the group had reached an understanding through international mediation on a ceasefire and the safe evacuation of civilians and fighters. “We have reached an understanding that leads to a ceasefire and securing the evacuation of the dead, the wounded, the stranded civilians and the fighters from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhoods to northern and eastern Syria,” he said in a post on X. “We call on the mediators to adhere to their promises to stop the violations and work towards a safe return for the displaced to their homes,” he added. The development came after the Syrian army took over the Kurdish-majority neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud following days of clashes that broke out when talks to integrate the SDF into the national army collapsed. At least 30 people were killed in the clashes, while more than 150,000 were displaced. Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna, reporting from Damascus, said calm has returned to Aleppo, and that the United States was instrumental in brokering the agreement between the SDF and the government. Advertisement “The US is in a unique position, because it enjoys good relations with the SDF and the government,” Oghanna said, noting that Washington has been working with the Kurdish-led force against ISIL (ISIS) for more than a decade. With the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024, the US has also built close ties with the rebel commander who became Syria’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. The Syrian president met US President Donald Trump at the White House last year and has formally joined the US-led coalition against ISIL. The fighting in Aleppo began on Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Bani Zaid, amid tensions over a failure to implement a March 2025 agreement to reintegrate the Kurdish forces into state institutions. The deadline for the deal passed at the end of last year, and the SDF refused to leave areas that have been under its control since the early days of the Syrian war, which erupted in 2011. Al Jazeera’s Oghanna said that though the fighting in Aleppo has ended, “the fault line, the backdrop for this fighting, remains”. “There are many difficult issues in Syria, but the greatest threat to national stability and unity remains this question of whether the SDF join Damascus and be under Damascus’s control,” he said. The SDF has a large amount of fighters, estimated at between 50,000 to 90,000. They are mainly in the northeast of the country and control almost a quarter of Syria’s territory. Oghanna said the fighting in Aleppo makes the SDF integration “look far less likely”. “There are also other sticking points, which might make the SDF refuse to put down their weapons,” he said. “The SDF don’t want to cede control of the country’s northeast, and they want to maintain a certain amount of autonomy in order to have the governance in northeastern Syria.” Adblock test (Why?)
Somnath Temple marks 1000 years: PM Modi offers prayers, participates in Omkar Mantra chanting
In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he felt “blessed” to be in Somnath, calling it a proud symbol of our civilisational courage.
Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport: Spread across 1,332.80 acres, Andhra Pradesh’s 8th airport to connect 2 major ports, highway corridors; check details here
The State Cabinet has approved the Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport project in Nellore district, in a boost to Andhra Pradesh’s aviation and industrial infrastructure. Dagadarthi will become state’s 8th airport. Planned in multiple phases, the airport will be developed on 1,332.80 acres.
High voltage drama in Bengal: BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari alleges attack on convoy by TMC workers, sits on ‘dharna’ in Police station
West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari sat on a protest inside the Chandrakona police station, demanding registration of an FIR after he alleged that his convoy was attacked by Trinamool Congress workers at Paschim Medinipur on Saturday night.
Delhi AQI: Air quality improves to ‘poor’ category, cold wave eases slightly, AQI at…; Check area-wise pollution levels
Delhi’s air quality remained poor on Sunday with an AQI of 298, though several areas continued to record very poor pollution levels above 300. Cold wave conditions persisted as temperatures stayed low, while IMD issued a yellow alert for fog across the capital.
Trump says Venezuela has begun releasing political prisoners ‘in a BIG WAY’
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Venezuela has begun releasing political prisoners “in a BIG WAY,” crediting U.S. intervention for the move following last week’s American military operation in the country. “Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.” He added a warning directed at those being released: “I HOPE THEY NEVER FORGET! If they do, it will not be good for them.” The president’s comments come one week after the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve, a strike on Venezuela and capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro as well as his wife Cilia Flores, transporting them to the United States to face federal drug trafficking charges. US WARNS AMERICANS TO LEAVE VENEZUELA IMMEDIATELY AS ARMED MILITIAS SET UP ROADBLOCKS Following the military operation, Trump said the U.S. intends to temporarily oversee Venezuela’s transition of power, asserting American involvement “until such time as a safe, proper and judicious transition” can take place and warning that U.S. forces stand ready to escalate if necessary. At least 18 political prisoners were reported freed as of Saturday and there is no comprehensive public list of all expected releases, Reuters reported. Maduro and Flores were transported to New York after their capture to face charges in U.S. federal court. The Pentagon has said that Operation Absolute Resolve involved more than 150 aircraft and months of planning. TRUMP ADMIN SAYS MADURO CAPTURE REINFORCES ALIEN ENEMIES ACT REMOVALS Trump has said the U.S. intends to remain actively involved in Venezuela’s security, political transition and reconstruction of its oil infrastructure. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Justice urges ‘stand up for our girls’ as Supreme Court weighs fate of his ‘Save Women’s Sports Act’
EXCLUSIVE: As governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice in 2021 signed the Save Women’s Sports Act – prohibiting transgender girls from competing in women’s sports. Now that he represents the state in the U.S. Senate, his law faces Supreme Court scrutiny next week with national implications. Justice spoke Saturday to Fox News Digital – after he coached the Greenbrier East High School girls’ basketball team to a win over Hedgesville – about the high stakes of the case, and why banning states from keeping biological males out of female scholastic sports would unfairly disadvantage young women. A transgender girl from the Bridgeport area named in court documents as “B. P. J.” sued to overturn it and be able to play on girls’ sports teams, and the case has made its way up the chain to the nation’s highest court. A trial court upheld the law in 2023, but it was overturned on appeal in April 2024 and the Supreme Court agreed in July to hear the case, scheduling arguments for Tuesday. STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL INVOLVED IN SCOTUS TRANS ATHLETE CASE RESPONDS AS 130 DEMS BACK MALES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS “Why in the world don’t we step up and stand behind all the young girls and all the women who are trying to participate in athletics?” Justice told Fox News Digital courtside at the Spartans’ match near Berkeley Springs. “It is unbelievable what they’ve done, and I am so proud of them — And to absolutely just walk away, turn our back and say, ‘Oh, well, it’s OK for us to [let] boys participate against their girls” — I am off-the-chart absolutely standing with our women.” Citing his own experience coaching girls from Greenbrier East in Lewisburg, Justice said he sees every day how hard they work and maintained “they absolutely don’t deserve to be disadvantaged.” SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW STATE BANS ON TRANSGENDER ATHLETES’ PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL SPORTS “This court case is hugely important,” he said, accompanied by his celebrity canine companion Babydog. “At the end of the day, if we can’t stand up for our girls; stand up for our women; I don’t know what in the world is wrong with us.” Justice was one of several lawmakers who filed an amicus brief in support of West Virginia and Attorney General JB McCuskey as he and Justice’s successor, Gov. Patrick Morrisey, bring the case before the bench. The brief signaled Justice’s assertion that Congress must be the one to offer any expansion of Title IX – the 1972 civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination – beyond biological sex to include gender identity. TRANS ATHLETE’S FAMILY FILES RESPONSE IN SUPREME COURT WOMEN’S SPORTS CASE “I think absolutely that Congress should be the one to expand it, but beyond that, I don’t know why we’d even consider it,” Justice said. “You should see how hard our girls work all the time to perfect what they’re doing, to absolutely have a dream of going to college and playing ball. My daughter played college basketball. I’ve been there,” Justice said. “We’ve seen a situation where a man basically is competing against our girls or our women and absolutely prevails. And then we see the tragedy of how… tough that is on our girls and women,” he said. Always quick to tout the virtues of his home state, Justice also spoke about how important it is to see Mountaineers leading the charge on the transgender sports issue. ATTORNEY GENERAL LEADING THE SUPREME COURT TRANS ATHLETE CASE DEFENSE SPEAKS OUT “West Virginia is so good in so many ways,” the famed Greenbrier proprietor said, adding that the arguments McCuskey’s team is preparing to make on Tuesday fit right into the state’s modus operandi: “I’ve said it over and over, we are bound with logic, common sense, goodness, good neighbors, people that are appreciative and loving — It is absolutely unbelievable how we stepped up during COVID, all the different things we did, we led the nation over and over.” “Now the nation is awakening, the world is awakening just how great West Virginia truly is. But our people are the real deal. That’s all there is to it,” he said. 130 DEMOCRAT CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES URGE SCOTUS TO SIDE WITH TRANS ATHLETE IN TITLE IX LEGAL BATTLE On the other side of the case, B.P.J. is seeking to play on her high school sports teams with girls. This past year, B.P.J. qualified for the West Virginia girls high school state track meet, finishing third in the discus-throw and eighth in the shot-put in the Class AAA division. She has identified as female since third grade and has been taking puberty-blocking medication. The plaintiffs have complained of harassment and intimidation over their lawsuit. The Supreme Court will formally decide on both West Virginia’s law and an Idaho policy. The Justice Department supports the laws and will be allotted time during oral arguments. The Save Women’s Sports Act was spearheaded in the West Virginia legislature by GOP Dels. Evan Worrell of Barboursville, Wayne Clark of Charles Town and Jonathan Pinson of Ravenswood. Fox News Digital’s Olivia Palombo and Fox News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Hochul, AOC, Mamdani slam ‘we support Hamas’ chants at Queens protest: ‘Disgusting and antisemitic’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned chants of “we support Hamas” after demonstrators were filmed chanting the phrase during a protest in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Queens. Video from the protest shows demonstrators waving Palestinian flags while chanting support for Hamas, which the U.S. government designates as a terrorist organization. The clip circulated widely on social media and drew swift condemnation from leaders at the city, state and federal levels. Ocasio-Cortez sharply criticized both the chants and the location of the protest. AOC TO DELIVER OPENING REMARKS AT MAMDANI’S INAUGURATION, BERNIE SANDERS TO ADMINISTER OATH OF OFFICE “Hey so marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying ‘we support Hamas’ is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “Pretty basic!” Hochul also shared video of the chants on X, issuing a forceful rebuke. “Hamas is a terrorist organization that calls for the genocide of Jews,” Hochul wrote. “No matter your political beliefs, this type of rhetoric is disgusting, it’s dangerous, and it has no place in New York.” ANTISEMITIC THREATS ESCALATE NATIONWIDE AS PROTESTERS CALL FOR REPEAT OF OCT 7 MASSACRE The protest featured pro-Hamas demonstrators chanting in unison while holding Palestinian flags. Mamdani addressed the chants later that day, advocating for public safety while defending the constitutional right to protest. “As I said earlier today, chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city,” Mamdani wrote. “We will continue to ensure New Yorkers’ safety entering and exiting houses of worship as well as the constitutional right to protest.” In an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Fox News’ The Story last October, Mamdani refused to condemn Hamas, instead pivoting to discussing affordability for New Yorkers. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, and federal law prohibits providing material support to designated terrorist groups. New York Attorney General Letitia James also weighed in on social media, posting a brief message condemning the chants. “Hamas is a terrorist organization. We do not support terrorists. Period.” The incident comes as tensions remain high nationwide over protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.