deadly

Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region kills at least one and injures three, according to its governor.

At least two people killed in clashes in northern city of Aleppo during Turkish FM Fidan’s visit to Syria.

Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to stop fighting in the northern city of Aleppo, after a wave of attacks left at least two civilians dead.

Syria’s state news agency SANA cited the defence ministry as saying that the army’s general command issued an order to stop targeting the SDF’s fighters after the deadly clashes erupted during a visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan, whose country views the SDF, which controls swathes of northeastern Syria, as a ‘terrorist’ organisation, said on Monday that the SDF appeared to have no intention of honouring its pledge to integrate into the state’s armed forces by an agreed year-end deadline.

Following the SANA report on Monday evening, the SDF said in a later statement that it had issued instructions to stop responding to attacks by Syrian government forces following de-escalation contacts.

More to follow.

At least two people have been killed in clashes in Aleppo between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control the country’s northeast. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a deal in March with the SDF to integrate the group into the country’s state institutions by the end of this year.

Dec. 19 (UPI) — The U.S. military struck several ISIS-connected targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for the shooting deaths of two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter last week.

The suspected Islamic State targets include weapons storage facilities and infrastructure, CNN, CBS News and The New York Times reported.

The military used artillery, attack helicopters and fighter jets to hit targets in central Syria during Operation Hawkeye, which is named after the two slain soldiers’ home state of Iowa.

The strikes were expected to take place into early Saturday morning as part of a retaliation campaign against ISIS in Syria, The Times reported.

A lone ISIS sniper killed Iowa National Guardsmen Sgt. William Howard, 29, and Sgt. Edgar Torres Tovar, 25, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, 54. Three other Iowa National Guardsmen also were wounded.

The ISIS sniper ambushed the soldiers while they were “supporting a key leader” in Palmyra, Syria, CBS News reported.

The sniper had been a member of the Syrian security forces, but he was scheduled to be dismissed from his duties due to extremist views, U.S. and Syrian officials said.

ISIS remains a factor in Syria, where it has lost much of its prior territorial control after the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, by opposition forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.

The collapse of the Assad regime largely ended a 14-year civil war in Syria, and he has been replaced by current Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Sharaa met with Trump at the White House last month and on Friday welcomed the lifting of U.S. sanctions against the Syrian government that were placed during the Assad regime.

Lifting the sanctions makes it possible for investments to be made in Syria, which has struggled to recover from its civil war.

Former UCLA football star Myles Jack was arrested on suspicion of deadly conduct Tuesday after an incident in which Texas police say he fell from a second-story window.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker faces charges of deadly conduct, including the third-degree felony of discharge of a firearm and the Class-A misdemeanor of discharge of a firearm in certain municipalities.

The Frisco Police Department said in a news release that officers visited a residence Tuesday at approximately 5:40 a.m. in response to a welfare concern and upon arrival heard gunshots from inside. A perimeter was established and several nearby residences were evacuated as the area was secured.

During the incident, a second-story window was broken and Jack allegedly climbed outside, then fell to the ground. He was taken into custody at 7:12 a.m. and transported to a hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the fall. A search of the residence found no one else inside.

Charges were filed with the Denton County Sheriff’s Office. Jail records show Jack posted $100,000 bail. The investigation remains ongoing and no further details have been released.

Jack was a standout linebacker for the Bruins who also saw significant playing time at running back. He was named the Pac-12 freshman player of the year on defense and offense in 2013. After a knee injury ended his college career three games into his junior season, Jack was selected by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2016 draft. He played six seasons with the Jaguars and two with the Steelers.

In 2023, Jack and his mother, LaSonjia Jack, were announced as the majority owners of the Allen Americans, an ECHL minor league hockey team in the Ottawa Senators organization.

At least 11 people have been killed and more than two dozen wounded in a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australian officials said, adding that one of the suspected attackers was killed while another one was in critical condition.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Sunday, 29 people were injured, including two police officers, in what he declared a “terrorist incident”.

The shooting occurred at about 6:47pm (07:47 GMT) near the Bondi Pavilion during a Hanukkah celebration attended by more than 1,000 people, Lanyon said.

“I’ve also authorised special powers under Section 5 and Section 6 to ensure that if there is a third offender – and we are currently investigating that at the moment – we will make sure that we prevent any further activity. Section 6 allows us to investigate today’s incident,” he said.

In a televised news conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the deadly shooting a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah”.

Albanese said the “evil” that was unleashed at Bondi Beach is “beyond comprehension”.

“An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian, and every Australian tonight will be – like me – devastated by this attack on our way of life.”

One of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings.