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Zarif Assuring Meqdad: Iran Supports Astana Process

Zarif me with Al-Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (IRNA)
Zarif me with Al-Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (IRNA)
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Zarif Assuring Meqdad: Iran Supports Astana Process

Zarif me with Al-Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (IRNA)
Zarif me with Al-Mekdad in Tehran on Monday (IRNA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif expressed his support for the "Astana Process" during a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Faisal al-Meqdad in Tehran Monday.

The Iranian minister voiced his satisfaction with the continuation of the political process in Syria in the Astana formula and described the recent refugee conference held in Damascus last month as positive.

According to the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, Zarif and Meqdad "reviewed during the meeting various bilateral, regional and international issues, in addition to the two countries' cooperation in combating terrorism."

They also affirmed their "desire to expand and strengthen the growing and strategic ties, as well as the means to develop bilateral economic cooperation between Tehran and Damascus.”

For his part, Zarif began his speech at the meeting by commemorating the memory of former Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem. He also congratulated his successor, Meqdad, affirming his "readiness for comprehensive cooperation with his new Syrian counterpart."

IRNA said that while referring to regional developments during the recent period, the Iranian foreign minister stressed the need to remain vigilant and additionally share visions between Iran, Syria, and other countries. For his part, Meqdad offered condolences "in the name of President Bashar Assad to the Iranian government and people for the killing of the scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and the leader of (Quds Force) Qassem Soleimani." The Syrian FM praised Tehran's sustainable and supportive stances for Syria in the field of combating terrorism and extremism.

IRNA added that while affirming his country's will to continue fighting terrorism, Meqdad noted the importance of joint cooperation between Tehran and Damascus in this regard, stressing that this constitutes an essential step towards the return of peace and stability to Syria.

Meqdad’s visit to Tehran is his first foreign trip since he was appointed foreign minister last month after the death of Muallem.

Last month, Zarif spoke by phone with Mekdad to congratulate him on his appointment as the foreign minister of Syria.

During the phone call, the top Iranian diplomat underlined the continuation of strategic cooperation between Tehran and Damascus.

Meqdad started a career at the Syrian Foreign Ministry in 1994, and has been deputy foreign minister since 2006.

On Nov. 28, the Syrian FM accused Israel and “those who supported it” of being behind the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, an act he said would only fuel more tensions in the region.

Meqdad was quoted by state media as telling the Iranian envoy in Damascus that Syria was confident Iran would confront what he called the “terrorist act” behind the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the country’s top nuclear scientist.

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World

Denmark Insists on Respect for Territorial Integrity After Trump Appoints Envoy to Greenland 

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to reporters at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., Sept. 3, 2025. (AP)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to reporters at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., Sept. 3, 2025. (AP)
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Denmark Insists on Respect for Territorial Integrity After Trump Appoints Envoy to Greenland 

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to reporters at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., Sept. 3, 2025. (AP)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to reporters at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., Sept. 3, 2025. (AP)

The Danish foreign minister said Monday his country insists that everyone, including the United States, must respect “the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark” after US President Donald Trump ‍ announced the appointment of Louisiana's governor as the US ‌special envoy to Greenland.

Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term for US jurisdiction over Greenland, a vast, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island.

In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote US military base in Greenland and accused Denmark of underinvesting there.

The issue gradually drifted out of the headlines but, in August, Danish officials summoned the US ambassador following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland. Denmark is a NATO ally of the United States.

On Sunday, Trump announced the appointment of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as ‌special envoy to Greenland.

He said that “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”

Landry wrote in a post on X that “it’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a brief statement emailed by his ministry that “the appointment confirms the continued American interest in Greenland.”

"However, we insist that everyone — including the US — must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he added.

World

Israeli FM Urges Jews to Move to Israel a Week After Sydney Attack 

10 July 2025, Austria, Vienna: Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar takes part in a press conference at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria. (dpa)
10 July 2025, Austria, Vienna: Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar takes part in a press conference at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria. (dpa)
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Israeli FM Urges Jews to Move to Israel a Week After Sydney Attack 

10 July 2025, Austria, Vienna: Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar takes part in a press conference at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria. (dpa)
10 July 2025, Austria, Vienna: Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar takes part in a press conference at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria. (dpa)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Sunday for Jews in Western countries to move to Israel to escape rising antisemitism, one week after 15 were shot dead at a Jewish event in Sydney.

"Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience. Today, Jews are being hunted across the world," Saar said at a public candle lighting marking the last day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

"Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!" Saar said at the ceremony, held with leaders of Jewish communities and organizations worldwide.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders have repeatedly denounced a surge in antisemitism in Western countries and accused their governments of failing to curb it.

Australian authorities have said the December 14 attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach was inspired by the ideology of the ISIS extremist group.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Western governments to better protect their Jewish citizens.

"I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to fight antisemitism and provide the required safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide," Netanyahu said in a video address.

In October, Saar accused British authorities of failing to take action to curb a "toxic wave of antisemitism" following an attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, in which two people were killed and four wounded.

According to Israel's 1950 "Law of Return", any Jewish person in the world is entitled to settle in Israel (a process known in Hebrew as aliyah, or "ascent") and acquire Israeli citizenship. The law also applies to individuals who have at least one Jewish grandparent.

World

Israel Says it Is Facing an ‘Existential Threat’ as Iran Builds up its Military Capacities  

Israeli defenses intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on June 22. (AFP)
Israeli defenses intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on June 22. (AFP)
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Israel Says it Is Facing an ‘Existential Threat’ as Iran Builds up its Military Capacities  

Israeli defenses intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on June 22. (AFP)
Israeli defenses intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on June 22. (AFP)

Iran is making “hysteric” efforts to produce up to 3,000 ballistic missiles per month, Israel's Maariv newspaper reported on Sunday.

“Although such missiles are considered old-fashioned, imprecise, and can be shot down before they reach their targets, the time they reach their targets is enough to cause serious damage,” the newspaper said quoting Israeli security sources.

In an article published in Maariv, writer Anna Persky said Iran is reviving its nuclear program and is resuming the production of ballistic missiles, but not yet its uranium enrichment.

Quoting Israeli security sources, she wrote: “There has been an ongoing movement in recent weeks around the nuclear reactors that were destroyed in the recent Israeli-US attacks on Iran.”

The sources stressed that the Israeli army’s new military doctrine is based on preemptive strikes to prevent threats before they materialize, but at the same time, they did not rule out a preemptive attack from Tehran.

Persky wrote that Iran is restoring facilities related to the production of ballistic missiles and nuclear facilities damaged by strikes during the 12-day war in June.

For Israel, Iran's nuclear program still remains a serious concern.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to present the Iranian threat during his scheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump” on December 29. “He will try to figure out if Trump is willing to participate in a new war against Iran,” she said.

Persky wrote that Netanyahu will present to the US President with a number of alternatives, including an independent Israeli attack with limited US assistance, a joint strike or a full-scale US operation.

“At the meeting, the main issue will not be what Israel wants to do, but what the United States is willing to offer,” she noted.

In Israel, the “inevitability of a war with Iran” was the headline of all Israeli newspapers over the weekend.

“Iran ramps up missile tests and military drills, renews threats toward Israel,” wrote Yedioth Ahronoth in its headline on Sunday.

It said amid recent reports that Tehran is producing ballistic missiles at a rapid pace and in large quantities, Iran has returned to threatening Israel and showcasing its military capabilities, much as it did before the June war.

But Maariv said the war initiative will rather come from Israel, which perceives Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat.

Israel is worried about missing the current opportunity. “Today, Iran is still in the midst of reconstruction, but tomorrow it will be more protected, more distributed, and its offensive capability will be more expensive and more dangerous,” Persky wrote.