SITREP

Israel split by peace deal Andrew Sheves Good morning and Happy Friday. Despite last-minute jitters, Israel and Hamas agreed to final ceasefire terms on Thursday but now the focus shifts to the Israeli cabinet which is currently meeting to vote on the deal [More - Washington Post]. The cabinet’s far-right members are vehemently opposed to the deal, threatening to bring down the government if it is approved.[More - Reuters] Many of their supporters spent Thursday night protesting the agreement, calling it a ‘Hamas victory’. ...

Gaza peace deal Andrew Sheves Good morning. 🕊️ Israel and Hamas have finally agreed to ceasefire terms to end the 15-month-long conflict. The deal, due to start Sunday, reportedly takes place in three stages. **Stage One - **Six weeks. Full ceasefire. Hostage exchange: 33 hostages (women, children, elderly, and the sick but no men) held by Hamas will be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli troops to withdraw from all populated areas in Gaza. ...

Yoon arrested in Seoul, mining siege in South Africa and EU considers additional Russian sanctions Andrew Sheves Good morning. 🇰🇷 Police in South Korea finally arrested ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol in relation to his impeachment in early January following his imposition of martial law in December. Yoon has been avoiding police and refusing to cooperate with the authorities since his removal from power in December.[More - BBC] 🇿🇦 South African police rescued 82 trapped miners and recovered the bodies of 36 more from an illegal mine in Stilfontein, south of Johannesburg. Hundreds more miners remain trapped underground. Mining organizations accuse the police of sealing the miners underground, while the police argue that the miners refuse to leave the mine for fear of arrest. [More - Al Jazeera] ...

Tusday SITREP: Americas Focus Tusday SITREP: Americas Focus Peace deal nears in Gaza, Lebanon’s new PM and Trump cabinet picks begin confirmation hearings. Andrew Sheves Good morning. xx 🕊️ Statements from officials in Doha and Washington indicate that a peace deal between Israel and Hamas is close to agreement. Several influential Israeli politicians on the right vehemently oppose a ceasefire and a similar deal has been under discussion since May last year so a breakthrough is not guaranteed. [More - BBC] ...

Syria reconstruction conference, Lebanon’s new President gets to work, Gaza peace talks, and North Korean troops captured in Ukraine. Plus flooding in Mayotte and fires continue in Los Angeles. Andrew Sheves Good morning, and Happy Monday. Some weekend headlines to prepare you for the week ahead. 🇸🇾 Saudi Arabia hosted regional and European diplomats at a conference to discuss the rebuilding of Syria and the country’s rehabilitation into the global community. Saudi diplomats stressed that easing sanctions and delisting members of the new regime from terrorist suspect lists are key steps to allowing Syria to recover after the 50-year reign of the Assad regime. [More - Politico] ...

Machado appears in Caracas and Musk seeks to oust Starmer. Andrew Sheves Good morning and Happy Friday. Two quick headlines today. 🇻🇪 Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared at a rally in Caracas on Thursday and was briefly detained by police. Machado has been in hiding since July’s rigged election and appeared a day before President Maduro’s inauguration, planned for today (Friday). Machado and her exiled running mate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia remain highly popular in Venezuela and her quick release indicates that she is still a great threat to Maduro’s government which the US and other countries fail to recognize. [More - Washington Post] ...

Attack in N’Djamena, US Sanctions RSF and fire spreads in Los Angeles. Plus AI workshop today Andrew Sheves Good morning. 🇹🇩 Armed fighters, suspected to be members of Boko Haram, stormed Chad’s Presidential palace shortly after a visit by the Chinese Foreign Minister. Government forces thwarted the attack, leaving 18 of the 24 attackers dead, along with one member of the security forces. [More - Al Jazeera] 🇸🇩 On Monday, the US sanctioned the leaders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, accusing the group of conducting a genocide. Both the RSF and Sudanese militaries have caused indiscriminate harm to civilians during the conflict but until now, the US has refrained from leveling sanctions on the RSF due to the group’s close support to the UAE. [More - Washington Post] ...

Trump’s Geopolitical Threats and Wildfire in California Andrew Sheves Good morning. Two headlines from the US today. 🇺🇸 **President-elect Trump held a very wide-ranging press conference Tuesday full of geopolitical threats and declarations **including: Refusing to rule out using force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland Continuing to suggest that Canada should join the US Promising to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America How much of this is posturing and how much is sincere remains unclear but it is a reminder of how much geopolitical uncertainty and turbulence will emanate from the incoming administration. [More - Axios] ...

Trudeau out, M23 increase hold in Goma and earthquake in Tibet. Andrew Sheves Good morning. Three quick headlines 🇨🇦 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down, proroguing (recessing) Canada’s parliament until March 24th while the Liberal party find a new leader. Canada’s conservatives will want to force a general election, and this leaves Trudeau — who will stay on until a replacement is found — as a lame duck in any negotiations with the incoming Trump administration. [More - CBC] ...

Ukraine reinforces position in Kursk, US offshore drilling ban, Trudeau to resign and Musk doubles-down on Europe’s hard right. Andrew Sheves Good morning, and welcome to the first full week of 2025. Let’s get after it. 🇺🇦 Ukraine began a new offensive into the Russian territory it holds in the Kursk region. Ukraine has held this since August, and reinforcing its hold on Russian ground will strengthen Kyiv’s hand in any upcoming peace talks. [More - Al Jazera] ...