31/12/2025

WEDNESDAY | DEC 31, 2025

9

Stern warnings for Iran, Hamas

KYIV: Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of having fired dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, an allegation that Ukraine called a “lie” aimed at undermining US-led efforts to end the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who does not typically announce drone strikes, said Ukraine fired “91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles” at Putin’s home in the Novgorod region between Sunday and Monday, all of which were shot down. “Given the complete degeneration of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia’s negotiating position will be reconsidered,” Lavrov said, without elaborating or providing evidence for Russia’s assertions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s claim “a complete fabrication”. Russia’s accusation comes at a pivotal moment. Ukraine says it has agreed to 90% of a US-drafted peace plan, including the issue of post-war security guarantees. However, the issue of territory remains unresolved, and Russia, which has been advancing on the battlefield for months, has repeatedly rejected plans that do not yield to its maximalist demands. In his call with Trump on Monday, Putin said he was still committed to the peace process but would “revise” Russia’s negotiating position in light of the alleged drone attack, according to the Kremlin. “I’ve been reading that they’re building up weapons and other things, and if they are, they’re not using the sites we obliterated, but possibly different sites,” Trump told reporters during a press conference. “We know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing and I hope they’re not doing it because we don’t want to waste fuel on a B-2,” he added, referring to the bomber used in the earlier strike. “It’s a 37-hour trip both ways. I don’t want to waste a lot of fuel.” PALM BEACH: United States President Donald Trump on Monday said the US could support another major strike on Iran were it to resume rebuilding its ballistic missile or nuclear weapons programmes and warned Hamas of severe consequences if it does not disarm. Speaking beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following a meeting at his Mar-a Lago estate in Florida, Trump suggested Tehran may be working to restore its weapons programmes after a US strike in June.

after

they

were

considerably

is not disarmed peacefully, it would resume military action in order to make it do so. During his Monday comments, Trump blamed the militant group for not disarming more promptly, arguing that Israel had lived up to its side of the deal. “There will be hell to pay,” Trump said when asked what he would do if Hamas does not lay down its arms. He has made similar statements at previous intervals during the fighting. The deployment of the international security force was mandated by a Nov 17 UN Security Council resolution. While Washington has brokered three ceasefires involving its longtime ally – between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, and Israel and Lebanon – Netanyahu is wary of Israel’s foes rebuilding their forces

o Tehran weapons programme, Gaza ceasefire key points in Trump-Netanyahu talk

weakened in multiple wars. Overall, Trump’s comments suggested he remains in Netanyahu’s camp, even as some aides have privately questioned the Israeli leader’s commitment to the Gaza ceasefire. Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war ultimately calls for Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territory and Hamas to give up its weapons and forgo a governing role. The first phase of the ceasefire included a partial Israeli withdrawal, an increase in aid and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian detainees and prisoners. Trump said he and Netanyahu did not agree fully on the issue of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but the Republican leader did not lay out what the disagreement was. – Reuters

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a “special military operation” to demilitarise the country and prevent the expansion of Nato. Kyiv and its European allies say the war, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and illegal land grab that has resulted in violence and destruction. Trump said a peace deal was “very close” following talks with Zelensky on Sunday. Zelensky announced on Monday the US had finally promised security guarantees in a post-war settlement, albeit for 15 years, with the possibility of an extension. Putin has been pushing for full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region as part of a post-war settlement and on Monday said his army still aimed to take it and three other Ukrainian regions Moscow claims as its own by force. In Kyiv, where residents have been living under relentless Russian attacks for almost four years, few were hopeful of a breakthrough. “Security guarantees have already been signed before, and what did that give us? Absolutely nothing,” photographer Anastasiia Pashchenko told AFP. In Moscow, where criticism of Russia’s invasion is banned, residents told AFP they wanted the fighting to end, but on the Kremlin’s terms. Nikita, a 23-year-old who fought in Ukraine for a year, lauded Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine, even if it came “at a cost”. – AFP Trump, who has broached a potential nuclear deal with Tehran in recent months, said his talks with Netanyahu focused on advancing the Gaza peace deal he brokered and addressing Israeli concerns over Iran and over Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran, which fought a 12-day war with Israel in June, last week said it had conducted missile exercises for the second time this month. Netanyahu last week said Israel was not seeking a confrontation with Iran, but was aware of the reports, adding that he would raise Tehran’s activities with Trump. Trump said he wanted to move to

the second phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reached in October after two years of fighting in Gaza, a progression that entails international peacekeeping forces deployed in the Palestinian enclave. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of major breaches of the deal and look no closer to accepting the more difficult steps envisaged for the next phase. Hamas, which has refused to disarm, has been reasserting its control as Israeli troops remain entrenched in about half the territory. Israel has indicated that if Hamas

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Putin residence

GLEEFUL GAMES ... Displaced Palestinian children play on a street in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip as the region experiences winter conditions. – AFPPIC

Iranian government urged to listen to protesters TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged his government to listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters, state media reported yesterday, after several days of demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardships. rials a year ago, and the euro nearing 1.7 million rials, according to price monitoring websites.

Saudi-backed power-sharing initiative. At present, UAE-backed forces control large swathes of land in the south, including the strategically important Hadramout province. Hadramout is on the border with Saudi Arabia and they have cultural and historical ties. The Houthis control the northern part of the country, including the capital Sanaa, after forcing the Saudi backed government to flee south. – Reuters reported. Price fluctuations are paralysing the sales of certain imported goods, with both sellers and buyers preferring to postpone transactions until the outlook becomes clearer. “Continuing to do business under these conditions has become impossible,” ILNA quoted protesters as saying. Iranian Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei called for “the swift punishment of those responsible for currency fluctuations”. – AFP

“I have asked the interior minister to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters by engaging in dialogue with their representatives so that the government can do everything in its power to resolve the problems and act responsibly.” Protesters “are demanding immediate government intervention to rein in exchange-rate fluctuations and set out a clear economic strategy”, news agency ILNA

Shopkeepers in the capital had shut their stores for the second day in a row on Monday, after Iran’s embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market. The US dollar was trading at around 1.42 million rials on Sunday, compared with 820,000

Saudi-led coalition launches limited air strike in Yemen RIYADH: The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen launched a limited air strike targeting what it called foreign military support at the Mukalla port, days after it warned the main southern separatist group against making military moves in the eastern province of Hadramout. casualties or collateral damage from the strike at Mukalla port. al-Mahra. Two sources told Reuters that the strike targeted the dock where the cargo of the two ships was unloaded. The STC separatists were initially part of the Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis. However, they subsequently decided to seek self rule in the south. government troops, bringing the two nations closer than they have ever been to an all-out conflict. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since 2014. A coalition spokesperson said two ships arriving from the UAE port of Fujairah entered Mukalla port on Saturday and Sunday without authorisation from the coalition, disabled their tracking systems and unloaded weapons and combat vehicles “to support the STC”. The coalition said there were no The UAE’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Saudi state media, citing coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki, said coalition air forces carried out a limited military operation yesterday targeting the unloaded weapons and vehicles, acting on a request from Yemen Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi to protect civilians in Hadramout and Since 2022, they have been part of an alliance that controls southern areas outside Houthi control under a An offensive by Yemen’s southern separatists earlier this month pitted the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) against Saudi-supported Yemeni