Morning Briefing: Dec. 18, 2024

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday with, including the UN Security Council urging adherence to the 1974 Syria disengagement agreement, the killing of the head of Russia’s nuclear protection forces in an explosion in Moscow, and Türkiye and the EU agreeing on the need to maintain Syria’s sovereignty.

TOP STORIES

• UN Security Council urges adherence to 1974 Syria disengagement agreement

The UN Security Council called on all parties to fully abide by the 1974 Disengagement Agreement concerning the “area of separation” in Syria, urging calm and reduced tensions.

In a press statement, Council members reaffirmed their strong commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. They called on all states to respect these principles and urged Syria and its neighbors to mutually refrain from any action or interference that "could undermine each other's security."

It further highlighted its support for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and its mandate, urging all parties to refrain from actions that might endanger the safety of peacekeepers or their infrastructure.

• Head of Russian nuclear protection forces killed in Moscow explosion

Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Defense Troops, and his assistant were killed in an explosion in Moscow.

Kirillov's death came a day after Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) charged him for allegedly ordering the "use of chemical weapons against Ukraine's Defense Forces."

"According to the investigation...an explosive device was detonated on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow which was planted in a scooter parked next to the entrance of a residential building,” said Svetlana Petrenko, the spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee.

Ukrainian media outlets, including state news agency Ukrinform, citing sources, reported that Kirillov's death came as the result of a "special operation" by the SBU.

• Türkiye and EU agree on need to maintain Syria’s sovereignty and 'particularly on establishing inclusive governance’: President Erdogan

In the post-Assad era, Türkiye and the EU are in agreement on the need to preserve Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, with a particular focus on creating an inclusive government, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“We agree on maintaining Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity, particularly on establishing inclusive governance,” Erdogan told a joint news conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is visiting the capital Ankara.

Türkiye will not allow either Daesh/ISIS or the PKK to grow, Erdogan vowed, adding there is no place for either terrorist groups or their affiliates “in the future of our region.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met in Ankara to discuss key regional issues, with a particular emphasis on Syria’s reconstruction following years of war.
• The Pentagon strongly denied having any role in the assassination of a senior Russian general and his aide in Moscow.
• The State Department reiterated that the US understands Türkiye's "legitimate concerns" about the threat posed by the PKK terror organization in northeast Syria.
• France raised its flag at its embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus after it had been closed for more than 12 years.
• Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces will continue occupying Syria's Golan Heights in the foreseeable future.
• The UN reaffirmed the Israeli army's continued presence along the Golan Heights buffer zone in Syria and reported that Israeli flags within the area of separation were removed by peacekeepers.
• The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that talks in the Qatari capital Doha to reach a cease-fire and prisoner swap deal with Israel were “positive and serious.”
• Two people were injured in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, in the latest violation of a cease-fire deal between the two sides.
• Russia’s ombudswoman said that Moscow is currently negotiating a “large exchange” of prisoners with Ukraine, but it has not yet reached a deal on the issue with Kyiv.
• South Korea’s Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who served as martial law commander during President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3, was arrested.
• China concurred with US President-elect Donald Trump that cooperation between Beijing and Washington can achieve “great things.”
• At least 34 people have died while 175,000 others have been displaced by Cyclone Chido in Mozambique.

SPORTS

• Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior wins 2024 Best FIFA Men's Player award

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior won the 2024 Best FIFA Men's Player award.

Vinicius Junior, the 24-year-old winger, this year helped his club Real Madrid clinch the UEFA Champions League and Spanish La Liga titles, as the winners of the Best FIFA Football Awards of the year were unveiled in a special event held in Doha, Qatar.

In addition to Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti won the Best FIFA Men's Coach 2024 award in recognition of the 65-year-old last season guiding his club to the Champions League and Spanish league triumphs.

• Chelsea's Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk fails drugs test

"Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test," the club said in a statement.

Mudryk said he had not done anything wrong.

"This has come as a complete shock, as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened," Mudryk said on Instagram.

BUSINNESS & ECONOMY

• Eurozone runs $7.1B trade balance surplus in October

The eurozone’s trade balance ran a €6.8 billion ($7.1 billion) surplus in October.

The figure eased from a €9.4 billion surplus in October 2023, data showed.