WORLD BRIEFING: December 17, 2023
Israel - Hamas War
France's foreign minister has called for an "immediate and durable" truce, saying "too many civilians are being killed.” The UK and Germany have also jointly called for ceasefire, "but only if it is sustainable" in the long-term. France also demands Israel explain an air strike that killed a French foreign ministry staff member along with numerous other civilians
On Saturday Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said military pressure was necessary to underpin hostage negotiations. Netanyahu indicated that talks are under way to recover Israelis held in Gaza, with reports suggesting that Qatar and Egypt are involved in negotiations - BBC
The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says more than 18,700 people have been killed and 50,000 injured in the enclave since the start of the Gaza war
Ukraine War
Ukrainian forces shot down 104 of the 112 Shahed "kamikaze" drones launched by Russia over the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address on Dec. 16. Russia began intensifying its attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure as the winter is setting in, echoing the strategy Moscow used last year, although less successfully. "Every destroyed (Shahed) means saved lives and saved infrastructure. I thank all the soldiers of our mobile fire groups, pilots, engineers of the Air Force, and air defense troops. Well done!" Zelensky said. Over the past night, Ukrainian defenses downed 30 of 31 drones launched by Russia. The military does not usually report whether the remaining drones hit their targets or what these targets were.
By mid-November, the U.S. Defense Department had used 97% of $62.3 billion in supplemental funding it had received and the State Department had used all of the $4.7 billion in military assistance funding it had been allocated, U.S. budget director Shalanda Young said this week. A U.S. official said Washington has less than $1 billion in "replenishment authority." This means that if Congress does not provide new funds to buy replacement equipment, the U.S., Ukraine and arms makers may have to take other steps to backfill stocks - Reuters
“Ukrainian forces are already rationing ammunition, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN, as Russian forces fire back at a ratio of five to seven times greater than Ukrainian forces are able to.” “A senior Ukrainian military official told CNN that Ukrainian commanders believe the impact on their firepower has led to additional Ukrainian casualties.”
Elsewhere
An Israeli intelligence officer was executed Saturday in Iran, according to IRNA, Iran’s state news agency. The alleged agent was accused of stealing secrets and giving them to Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, IRNA said. “This person communicated with foreign services, specifically Mossad, collecting classified information, and with participation with associates, provided documents to foreign services, including the Mossad,” IRNA said. The execution took place in Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan. It said the accused had handed classified information to a "Mossad officer" with the aim of "propaganda for groups and organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic." It did not say where the alleged handover had taken place - VOA
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, died at age 86 after ruling the Gulf state for three years. Sheikh Nawaf was defense minister during one of the biggest crises in Kuwaiti history, when Iraq invaded in 1990, triggering what became known as the Gulf War - CNN