US says it has 2,000 troops in Syria, not 900 as previously declared

After years of telling the public that the United States has about 900 troops in Syria, the Pentagon has revealed there are approximately 2,000 soldiers there — double the previous estimate.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said the additional US forces have been in Syria since before the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad this month, though he did not specify a timeframe.

“We have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 US troops deployed to Syria. In light of the situation in Syria and the significant interest, we recently learned that those numbers were higher,” Ryder said. “So, asked to look into it, I learned today that, in fact, there are approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria.” He added that there are 900 soldiers on long-term deployment in Syria while the rest are “considered temporary rotational forces”.

According to Ryder, the previously undeclared 1,100 soldiers have been in Syria “for a while”. Pressed for further details by reporters, the Pentagon spokesperson said they had been deployed there for months “at a minimum”.


The US started sending troops to Syria in 2014 with the stated objective of defeating ISIL (ISIS), but US forces remained in the country after the group’s territorial defeat in 2017. Washington has allied itself with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which now control large parts of eastern Syria. However, Turkiye, a NATO partner of the US, views the SDF as a threat to its national security over links to Kurdish armed organisations it labels as “terrorist” groups.

After opposition fighters captured western Syria and toppled al-Assad, they reignited fighting along the front lines in other parts of Syria, where the conflict had been frozen for months. Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which dominates the new government in Damascus, have captured areas previously held by the SDF over the past two weeks.The prospect of an all-out war between Syrian forces supported by Turkiye  and the SDF has raised questions about the future role of US troops in Syria.

On Thursday, Ryder said there are no planned changes to the US military presence in the country. “There are no plans to cease the ‘defeat ISIS’ mission. I mean, again, ISIS continues to maintain or to pose a significant threat,” he said. Beyond its troops in eastern Syria, the US has said it is engaging directly with the new authorities in Damascus, although it continues to officially label HTS as a “terrorist” group.

Christmas in Damascus is different this year, after al-Assad’s fall

The ancient Old City comes alive with lights, music and joy, Syrians talk about their their hopes now al-Assad is gone.

Although the decorations may have been more elaborate last year, Carol al-Sahhaf says this year’s festive mood is a cut above, less than two weeks after Bashar al-Assad fled and his regime crumbled.

On either side of the biblical Street Called Straight – or al-Mustaqeem or just Straight Street for short – lights and Christmas trees adorn the cafes, restaurants, shops and homes of Bab Sharqi, the neighbourhood nestled up to the Eastern Gate of the ancient Old City.

The alleyways around Straight Street are bustling, with a spring-like feeling in the air as shopkeepers repaint, dust off their shelves, and hang the green, white and black Free Syria flag.

‘We, as Syrians’

“We’re a little apprehensive about the coming phase,” al-Shahhaf said as she browsed a small handicrafts stall in a cafe in the Old City’s Qishleh.

However, she added, she is immensely happy about all the changes in Syria. “I’m sure that we, as Syrians of all backgrounds, can prove to the world that we are a people who love peace,” the 28-year-old from Jaramana said.

“The horrifying scenes we saw in Assad’s prisons … we should be in mourning really, in solidarity with the families of detainees who were killed in prisons and with the families of those whose fate remains unknown,” Carol said.

Rawad Diop, who hails originally from Safita near Tartous, is just plain happy.

“Alongside Christmas celebrations, I see smiles on people’s faces that I hadn’t seen before.” the 42-year-old said.“Personally, I’m very happy and feel an inner optimism for the future.”


_{Qishleh Cafe is buzzing every night as people like Carol al-Sahhaf come out to meet their friends and celebrate their hopes for the future.}

Christmas joy hard to find in Bethlehem

Christmas decorations and pilgrims have been notably absent for a second wartime festive season in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city with the Church of the Nativity that dominates the main square as empty as the plaza outside.

“Normally on this day you would find 3,000 or 4,000 people inside the church,” Mohammed Sabeh, a security guard for the church, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

“Christians in Ramallah can’t come because there are checkpoints,” Sabeh said, complaining that Israeli soldiers “treat us badly”, leading to long traffic queues for those trying to visit from the city 22km (14 miles) away.

Anton Salman, Bethlehem’s mayor, told AFP that on top of existing checkpoints, the Israeli army had set up new roadblocks around Bethlehem, creating “an obstacle” for those wanting to visit.

Souad Handal, a 55-year-old tour guide from Bethlehem told the agency: “Bethlehem is special at Christmas. It is so special in the Holy Land. Jesus was born here.”

“It is so bad (now) because the economy of Bethlehem, it depends on tourism,” Handal added.

EgyptAir resumes direct flights to Beirut

After a three-month hiatus, Egypt’s flag carrier said in a statement it had resumed direct flights between Cairo and the Lebanese capital on Thursday “in light of the stability in Lebanon”.

The suspension began on September 24, when EgyptAir joined a slew of airlines in halting flights to Beirut as Israeli attacks on Lebanon escalated.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which came into effect on November 27, is generally holding, despite both sides accusing one another of carrying out repeated violations.

Israel has committed about 249 ceasefire violations as of Wednesday, resulting in 30 deaths and 37 injuries, according to a count by the Anadolu news agency.

Lebanon assesses scale of Israel’s destruction

Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon have left tonnes of rubble in many areas. It’s going to take years of work and significant amounts of foreign aid to rebuild the damage the Israeli army caused in Lebanon.

Three bodies recovered from rubble in Haret Hreik, Lebanon

The Lebanese Civil Defence has recovered three bodies from the rubble of a building targeted by an Israeli air attack on September 27 in Haret Hreik in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the National News Agency reports.

The three bodies were transferred to Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut for DNA testing to identify them. The Civil Defence team was at the site to search for the bodies of seven missing people and will continue their search operation.

‘Shame of the century’: UN expert calls out inability of UN members to stop Gaza genocide

Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, has described the inability of the UN’s 192 member states to prevent Israel’s genocide in Gaza as “an utter disgrace”.

The UN expert made her comment in a repost on social media of a video interview in which she said “what’s happening in Gaza is the shame of the century”.

“Gaza has been erased. There is almost nothing left other than the despair of the people who continue to perish there,” Albanese said.

“Look at the acts of torture. Look at who is being killed: Doctors, nurses, students, mothers, children – 17,000 children. To look at what the soldiers have done and said, and then have the courage to say that this is not genocide.

“This genocide would have not been possible without the shocking, shocking cover-up by the media.”

Synopsis of a year spent denouncing a genocide that all 192 States together could not halt. What an utter disgrace. https://t.co/3MdYJVl4L4

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) December 19, 2024

‘Scorched earth’: MSF details horrors of Israel’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza

We reported earlier on the new report from Doctors Without Borders (known by its French initials MSF) that accuses Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Here’s more from the report, titled “Gaza death trap”.

“The total destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza must stop.”@Chris_lockyear highlights our new report, Gaza: Life in a death trap, which outlines what our teams are seeing in Gaza, including signs of ethnic cleansing in the north, as people are forcibly displaced and bombed. pic.twitter.com/N4chdFWcqq

— MSF International (@MSF) December 19, 2024

Israel has weaponised the Gaza aid system: Senior UN official

“It looks like the aid system has been weaponised, and as a result of this, what we can provide to people is only a fraction of what they truly need,” said Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sub-office in Gaza.

Speaking during a virtual news conference, the UN official said Israeli authorities “seem unwilling” to open checkpoints, hampering the delivery of vital supplies.

He also noted that convoys trying to cross into southern Gaza are often looted in areas that are under the control of the Israeli army.

The result is that aid workers have to make “horrible” choices each day. "Should I let people die of starvation or the cold? Do we bring in more food to ease hunger or more plastic sheets for shelter?” said Petropoulos. “Famine is very likely already here.”

‘The only remaining colonialist country is Israel’ – Gideon Levy

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has conducted air strikes across Syria and seized territory in the occupied Golan Heights in violation of a 50-year ceasefire.

And as Israel continues its war in Gaza and maintains its occupation of the West Bank, Israel’s attacks on Syria raise questions about its regional strategies.

So what’s Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s endgame in Syria? Will Israel interfere with Syria’s transitional government and further expand its territory?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill talks to author and columnist Gideon Levy:

Irish leader calls out EU over alleged double standards on international law in Gaza

Ireland’s Taoiseach Simon Harris told a meeting of the European Council in Brussels that he wants the EU to address the alleged double standards in relation to its support for international law in Ukraine but not in Gaza.

The DPA news agency reports that Harris told the high-level meeting on Thursday that when discussing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many countries outside of Europe respond by raising the civilian casualties inflicted by Israel in Gaza. And they ask why the EU does not support international law “in relation to the Middle East”, Harris told the meeting, according to DPA.

Prior to the meeting, Harris told reporters that he was hopeful legislation would be passed shortly, banning trade in Ireland with the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Harris also said that the recent comments by Israel’s foreign minister accusing him of anti-Semitism were to “distract” from the Israeli military’s killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza.

Such personal attacks will not deter Ireland from its stance on Gaza, he said.

“What it won’t do is deter us, won’t deter me personally, and won’t deter this Irish government or the next Irish government from continuing to speak up and speak out in favour of international law,” Harris said, according to The Irish Times.

“I’m passionate about Europe, but we’re not doing enough. We’re not doing nearly enough to end the conflict,” he added.

Sweden will no longer fund UNRWA: Minister

Benjamin Dousa, the Nordic country’s aid minister, says Stockholm has decided not to give funds to the UN refugee agency for Palestinians any more. The minister told the Swedish TV4 channel that the country will instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels.

US demands Israel declare it is not deliberately starving Palestinians: Report

Lisa Grande, the Biden administration’s Middle East aid envoy, is said to have made demands around Israel’s humanitarian approach in Gaza in a heated phone call with Ghassan Alian, the chief of the Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs (COGAT), according to Israel’s Channel 12.

Grande reportedly demanded during the call that Israel publicly declare it is not following a policy of deliberately starving Palestinians in Gaza. She also demanded Israel cancel all evacuation orders issued for civilians and allow evacuated Palestinians to return home, as well as present a comprehensive plan for reducing harm to civilian infrastructure.

Channel 12, citing unnamed US officials, reports the call was heated but remained constructive, despite Alian reportedly being “stunned” by the demands.

“What kind of proportionality is expected from the [Israeli military] when it is acting against a terrorist organisation whose deliberate modus operandi is to fight from inside civilian areas and civilian and humanitarian facilities,” he is said to have told Grande, according to the officials.


_{Hungry Palestinian children are crushed waiting on the distribution of bread from a charitable organisation in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 19}

Demands mean nothing without consequences, and why only 'demand' a declaration. Demand to stop deliberately starving people. Demand to let more aid in and demand to stop disrupting aid distribution. Don't just ask for more lies...

Palestinian Americans sue US government over failure to evacuate citizens trapped in Gaza

The Reuters news agency reports that the lawsuit accuses the US State Department of discrimination for abandoning Palestinian Americans in a war zone, and not making the same effort that would normally be taken to evacuate and protect Americans of different origins in similar situations.

The suit was filed on Thursday by nine Palestinian Americans who allege the US government had failed to rescue them or members of their families who were trapped in Gaza where Israel’s war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.

The lawsuit asserts that the plaintiffs’ right to equal protection under the US Constitution has been violated by depriving them “of the normal and typical evacuation efforts the federal government extends to Americans who are not Palestinians”.

It mentions comparable instances of the US government evacuating its citizens from conflict zones such as in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan and names President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as defendants.

A US State Department spokesperson said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

Israeli attacks target homes, evacuation shelters, civilian vehicle in Gaza

It’s not only the northern part of the Strip that endured the ongoing attacks but here, in the central area, an attack in Deir el-Balah city on a residential home, leaving many in critical condition and they were transferred to Al-Aqsa Hospital.

One person, an adult, was reported killed in the attack by a drone missile that was fired at a group of people in the southern part of Deir el-Balah city.

Within a span of three hours, the Israeli military targeted two evacuation centres and one residential building in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, killing at least 15 people in the evacuation centres and residential buildings nearby.

Also a car was struck, leaving many people in very critical condition, who were transferred to al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.

In the same neighbourhood, Tuffah, at night time, the Israeli military targeted more of the residential buildings as well as the neighbouring district. That’s Daraj neighbourhood, where more residential buildings have been targeted.

_{An injured Palestinian man near a car that was hit by Israeli fire in Gaza City on December 19}

Israeli quadcopters shoot at civilians in northern Gaza

It has been relatively calm here in the central areas during the past hour. But the escalation continues to take place in the north of the Gaza Strip.

We got reports coming from the town of Jabalia al-Balad confirming that Israeli quadcopter drones have been shooting civilians there.

Earlier, we saw different videos emerging from the Israeli side showing how those quadcopter drones are equipped with grenades and even explosives that could be dropped on the rooftops of buildings, which can, in turn cause significant destruction in a residential building.

Earlier today, the Israeli military levelled to the ground residential buildings in the Sabra neighbourhood, killing at least four civilians.

Military operations are also still ongoing in the north, in particular in the town of Beit Lahiya with military confrontations there and in Jabalia between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continuing to escalate.

At least 16 people injured in Israeli attack on Nuseirat apartment block

More details are coming in about an Israeli attack on an apartment block in Nuseirat, central Gaza that killed at least seven people. A medical source told the Anadolu news agency that the bodies of four Palestinians and a number of injured people were brought to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following the attack.

In another statement, the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said the bodies of three more people and 16 injured victims were brought to the hospital after the same attack.

Witnesses told Anadolu that an Israeli drone hit the apartment block causing severe damage to the building.

Death toll from Israeli attack on Nuseirat apartment block rises to eight

The number of people killed in the Israeli attack on a residential building in Nuseirat camp has gone up to eight. The deaths are from a single family; a father and his children were killed in the attack, while the mother is in critical condition here at the hospital.

At least 10 Palestinians killed in Israeli attack on Jabalia

The Palestinian Civil Defence reports that the majority of those killed are children.

The strike targeted a house in Jabalia in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.