NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUNDAY 12/22/2019 HAPPY HANUKKAH NEWSDUMP

SYRIAN MEDIA REPORTED THE ACTIVATION OF AIR DEFENSES AND INTERCEPTION OF MISSILES FIRED FROM ISRAEL SUNDAY EVENING IN THE DAMASCUS AREA.

A REPORT FROM LEBANON SAID THAT ISRAELI AIRCRAFT WERE SIGHTED OVER SIDON LEBANON TONIGHT.

THE PRO-OPPOSITION SYRIAN OBSERVATORY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SAID THE MISSILE ATTACKS WERE AIMED AT "SYRIAN REGIME" AND "IRANIAN" TARGETS

MORE FROM "ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS"......LINK

AND THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT SANA NEWS AGENCY PUBLISHED THIS....LINK


From the northwestern Idlib region the latest word is of a rapid Syrian army advance today that has captured ten towns including the town of al-Tah, largest in southeastern Idlib.


The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that 106 jihadists have died in current Syrian army drive in Idlib.

"Pure anti-Semitism.....we will not bow our heads"

Some of the message from Israel's Prime Minister regarding  the International Criminal Court's intention to investigate Israel for war crimes.

Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a candle lighting ceremony in Jerusalem to mark the beginning of Hanukkah.


More on this event from "Israel National News".....LINK

Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit says he "resolutely rejects" the notion that the International Criminal Court has the basis for an investigation of alleged Israeli war crimes in Palestinian territories.

The Israeli AG says that Israel did not sign onto the treaty that would have placed it under jurisdiction of the ICC.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also come out in opposition saying in part on Twitter:

"We firmly oppose this unjustified inquiry that unfairly targets Israel"

On Friday the ICC's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she was moving forward with a probe against Israel but would need a ruling from the international court on the legalities of the scope of the investigation.


IN  LEBANON TODAY MORE PROTESTS ON THE STREETS WITH SOME HIGHWAYS BLOCKED IN BEIRUT AND OTHER CITIES.

DEMONSTRATORS PROTESTING AGAINST THE NEWLY DESIGNATED PRIME MIISTER HASSAN DIAB.     HE'S BACKED BY SHIA GROUPS AND CHRISTIAN GROUPS, BUT NOT BY SUNNI GROUPS IN THE COUNTRY.

"We passed this bill to help the persecuted"

The words of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi today speaking in defense of the citizenship bill that opens the door to Indian citizenship for non-Muslims from neighboring countries.

More than 20 have died in protests against the legislation that first came from northeastern Indians worried about an immigration tide from neighboring Bangladesh but then spread into Muslim areas across India.

The government crackdown on protests includes the shutting down of the internet in many cases.

"The meeting was neither small talk nor just a protocol event"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed his December 10th meeting with President Trump in a Russian television interview today.    Lavrov said that Russia and the United States have serious differences on some issues like Iran's nuclear program.  He noted regarded the discussion with the President:

"It was substantive and we probably discussed a dozen of vital issues, including bilateral relations, strategic security issues, arms control and various regional conflicts, namely the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.    We had a very direct conversation on all these issues and there were no attempts to cut corners."

More from Russia's Tass News Agency.....LINK

A Turkish delegation will visit Moscow tomorrow to discuss the situation in Idlib where Syrian ground forces are launching attacks and Russian and Syrian air forces are in action.    They are launching attacks in response to jihadist and other opposition forces supported by Turkey violations of a deconfliction zone in the area to be jointly administered by Russia and Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdgoan says that his country is trying to stop attacks in Idlib and "will decide which steps to make next" after the Moscow talks.

The Turkish leader also saying some 80-thousand refugees have fled the fighting in Idlib to areas near the Turkish border and that the country cannot handle anymore refugees.    He said any new refugee tide into Turkey will be felt by all of Europe.

'WE ARE FOREIGN PRISONERS IN SHANGHAI QINGPU PRISON CHINA.  FORCED TO WORK AGAINST OUR WILL.  PLEASE HELP US AND NOTIFY HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION"

This was part of the message in all capital letters a six-year old British girl found when she was writing out Christmas cards in a southern suburb of London.

The cards were produced in China for the UK's Tesco supermarket chain.   Tesco said Sunday that it's suspending production of the cards.

The BBC published this story about the matter......LINK



THE EARLY AFGHAN ELECTION RESULTS SHOW THE INCUMBENT ASHRAF GHANI WINNING A NARROW VICTORY WITH 50.64 PERCENT OF THE VOTE.

MAIN CHALLENGER ABDULLAH ABDULLAH  IS SHOW WINNING JUST UNDER 40 PERCENT OF THE VOTE.

HE REJECTS THE EARLY RESULTS AND IS CHALLENGING THEM WITH AN APPEAL BEFORE FINAL RESULTS ARE CERTIFIED.


And for now that's the way it really is Sunday December 22nd, 2019.