World Briefing: December 15, 2024

A newly minted and massive Iranian drone carrier was captured in new satellite images sailing in the Persian Gulf this week — the ship’s first reported sighting since leaving its home port for the first time in mid-November. The satellite images taken Thursday by commercial operator Maxar Technologies shows three Iranian drone ships in the waters off the country’s coast as theories have swirled in the US that Iran could be behind the mysterious drone sightings across the tri-state area, according to Business Insider. Iran’s new carrier — the Shahid Bagheri — is a converted shipping container that was outfitted to support drone operations and was last seen on Nov. 12, when it was captured by satellite imagery sitting in Bandar Abbas, the report said. News of the Shahid Bagheri’s whereabouts came days after speculation that an Iranian drone “mothership” was parked out in the Atlantic and was carrying out clandestine drone operations in the airspace of New Jersey and Staten Island - NY Post

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the overthrow of President Bashar Assad’s government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. Blinken is the first U.S. official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led a coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad from power last Sunday. Speaking at a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken would not discuss details of the contacts but said it was important for the U.S. to convey messages to the group about its conduct and how it intends to govern in a transition period. “Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken said. He added that “our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we’re prepared to help them do so.” - AP

The deposed Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, has a £55m fund in a London HSBC bank account. UK Ministers are facing calls to seize £163m of assets that Assad, his family and associates have deposited in UK bank accounts and use them to help rebuild Syria - iPaper

At least five people have been killed in a shooting in and around a migrant camp near Dunkirk in France. A 22-year-old man claiming to be the gunman handed himself to the nearby Ghyvelde police station at 5pm local time. He told police he first killed a 29-year-old in the French town of Wormhout at about 3pm. He then killed four others at the Loon-Plage refugee camp, he told police. The four victims at the camp are understood to be two "security agents" and two migrants - Sky News

A Yale study has identified 314 individual children from Ukraine who’ve been placed in Russia’s systematic program of coerced adoption and fostering following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022. Among the 314 individuals, almost half were listed in Russia’s child placement data bases - including 42 who have already been placed for adoption or guardianship, or who have had a citizen of Russian appointed as their guardian. An additional 166 children have been placed with citizens of Russia. The Yale study also says that Russia’s Aerospace Forces and aircraft under the direct control of President Vladimir Putin’s office transported multiple groups of children from Ukraine on Russian-flagged military transport planes for placement with citizens of Russia between May and October 2022.

An Iranian court has sentenced Reza Valizadeh, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, to 10 years in prison on charges of "collaborating with a hostile government." According to court documents sent to the journalist’s lawyer on December 10 and subsequently reviewed by RFE/RL, Valizadeh was sentenced by Judge Iman Afshari of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, Branch 26. In addition to the prison term, Valizadeh was banned for two years following the completion of his sentence from living in Tehran and adjacent provinces, from leaving the country, and from joining political or social organizations. Valizadeh resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after a decade of work. He returned to Iran in early 2024 to visit his family but was arrested on September 22 - RFE/RL

The head of Canada’s largest province says he’s ready to fight back if President-elect Donald Trump imposes tariffs on goods from America’s northern neighbor. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, speaking after a midweek meeting of Canadian premiers, said the counter will be to shut off energy supplies. “We’re going to put our list together, and I’m sure the other provinces will as well. But we will go to the full extent, depending on how far this goes,” Mr. Ford told reporters. “We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy.” He added, “We need to be ready. We need to be ready to fight. This fight is coming 100% on Jan. 20th or Jan. 21.” Mr. Trump recently threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico if they fail to rein in illegal immigration and drug trafficking - Washington Times

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump's presidential library to settle a lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos' inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. According to settlement documents made public Saturday, ABC will also post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in a March 10 segment on Stephanopoulos' This Week program and pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump's lawyer. In a statement, ABC News said: "We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing." - NPR

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