US Secretary of State visits Middle East again, India sends warships to Arabian Sea, Germany "pumps" more weapons into Ukraine

The Russian military has a new version of weapons, former President D. Trump is accused of receiving 7.8 million USD from abroad, Houthi boat explodes in the Red Sea, China wants to restore communication with the US... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Source: Reuters)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Asia-Pacific

*Ukraine confirms Russia used missiles supplied by North Korea: On January 5, Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak confirmed that Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles supplied by North Korea, confirming previous US accusations that Moscow used missiles and launchers supplied by Pyongyang.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine said it could not confirm that Russia had used North Korean missiles to attack the country. Speaking to the media, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat stressed: "So far, we have no information that such missiles were used. The United States has made statements about it. So experts will study the debris and then we can verify whether this is true or not. (Reuters)

*North Korea states the purpose of the live-fire drill: The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Pyongyang declared that the live-fire drill in the area off the west coast of North Korea on January 5 was a natural response to the large-scale military actions of the South Korean army and did not affect the safety of the South Korean islands.

On the same day, China called for "restraint" from all sides after Seoul announced that North Korea had fired artillery shells near two South Korean islands. Hours after North Korea announced that it had fired more than 200 shells into waters west of South Korea, South Korean marines on the border island of Yeonpyeong conducted live-fire drills. (Yonhap)

*China has "many weapons" to challenge the Philippines in the South China Sea: Fu Kun Cheng, a researcher at the Belt and Road Institute at Xiamen University, said Beijing still has many countermeasures it can use against Manila if tensions between the two countries continue to escalate in the South China Sea.

“China has a lot of legal weapons that it has not used yet,” the expert added, noting that Beijing could also challenge the Philippines’ claim to the Kalayaan island group, where Manila began asserting its sovereignty since the 1970s.

Beijing could target Manila’s archipelagic baselines, the imaginary lines drawn around a group of islands that define a country’s boundaries and help establish its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, he said. China could demand that Manila open transit routes for Chinese aircraft and ships through the Philippine archipelago to comply with its obligations under UNCLOS, he noted. (SCMP)

*China affirms restoration of communication with the US: On January 5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the most urgent task for China-US relations is to establish mutual understanding, and that cooperation between the two sides is "no longer an option that can be ignored" for the world.

In a keynote speech at an event marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations, Wang Yi said the two sides should continue to make full use of foreign affairs, economy, finance, trade, agriculture and other areas to restore and establish communication mechanisms as soon as possible. (Reuters)

*India sends warship to Arabian Sea: On January 5, the Indian Navy said it had asked the Indian warship INS Chennai to change course and move towards the Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk that was hijacked in the Arabian Sea to assist the ship. An Indian Navy aircraft also flew over the hijacked ship and established contact.

Earlier, Indian news agency ANI quoted military officials as saying that at least 15 Indian crew members were on board the MV Lila Norfolk, which was hijacked near the coast of Somalia, and the navy received information about the incident on the evening of January 4.

The Indian Navy statement also said that the MV Lila Norfolk had sent a message on the UK Maritime Trade Operations portal stating that five to six unidentified armed individuals had boarded the vessel on the evening of January 4. The Indian Navy has increased surveillance in the Arabian Sea following a series of recent attacks in the area. (The Indian Times)

Europe

*Russian army has new version of weapons: TASS news agency reported on January 5 that the Russian army has received the first models of the latest self-propelled artillery "Koalitsiya-SV".

The state-owned technology giant Rostec completed state tests of the self-propelled gun in 2023. The artillery system met all the specifications set by the developers. At the end of 2023, the first Koalitsiya-SV systems were delivered to the troops.

Koalitsiya-SV has an advantage over foreign models in firing range and will bring the combat capabilities of Russian artillery to a new level. This howitzer has surpassed the best models in the world as well as in Russia in firing range and accuracy, as well as the time required to solve combat tasks.

Koalitsiya-SV integrates a “fire attack” mode, which can hit targets simultaneously with multiple shells on different trajectories, allowing the system to quickly maneuver to avoid counterattacks. (Sputnik News)

* Russia uses "decoy" missiles to fool US Stinger missiles: The Ura.ru website reported on January 5 that the Russian military has increased the use of "decoy" missiles to fool the US-made Stinger man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS).

Roman, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU), said that Russian decoy missiles were fired from both planes and helicopters. The Ukrainian serviceman pointed out that such decoys have a much higher temperature than the temperature of the missile engine, which can fool MANPADS systems.

According to the soldier, the Ukrainian military had heard about such decoy missiles a month ago, but only now had they seen them in action on the battlefield. (TASS)

*Germany increases arms supplies to Ukraine: The German Defense Ministry announced that it has supplied Ukraine with ammunition for Leopard 2 combat vehicles and 10 Marder combat vehicles. The package also includes nearly 10,000 115mm caliber rounds, Biber bridge armor, dozens of trucks, 305 MK 566 submachine guns, thousands of winter uniforms and helmets.

Germany also plans to supply Kiev with four IRIIS-T SLM air defense systems and one SKYNEX system. Berlin's total aid to Kiev (humanitarian, financial and military) since February 2022 has exceeded 25 billion euros. In November, it was reported that the German government planned to increase aid to Kiev in 2024 from 4 to 8 billion euros. However, the authorities have not yet agreed on the budget due to financial problems. (DW)

America-Latin America

*Former US President D. Trump accused of receiving 7.8 million USD from foreign countries: The US House of Representatives accused former President Donald Trump of receiving more than 7.8 million USD from foreign governments through payments to the Trump Organization while he was in office, including money from China.

According to the article, most of the money comes from the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises, the rest comes from 19 other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Malaysia and Qatar...

The US House Oversight Committee released a 156-page report, asserting that Mr. Trump repeatedly violated the US Constitution, which stipulates that federal officials cannot accept gifts or cash from foreign representatives without congressional approval. (Fox News)

*US spy planes support attack on Crimea peninsula: Russian military website reported on January 5 that Ukraine's attack on targets on the Crimea peninsula was supported by US spy planes Boeing P-8A Poseidon.

The aircraft, designed for patrol and anti-submarine missions, was conducting reconnaissance in the airspace off the coast of Romania after taking off from NATO's Sigonella air base in Sicily, according to flight tracking portal Flightradar 24.

Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that on January 5, the country's air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 36 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacking the Crimean peninsula and 1 UAV was shot down in the Kuban sky.

On the same day, the Ura.ru website reported that the Russian military was using fake missile signals to fool the US-made Stinger man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS). (Flightradar 24)

Middle East-Africa

*Iran arrests several suspects in twin bombings: Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on January 5 that “several individuals” had been arrested in connection with the twin bombings that targeted a crowd gathered near the mausoleum of late commander Qassem Soleimani in Kerman. Speaking on television, Mr. Vahidi said there were “good leads” to identify individuals involved in the December 31 attack, which killed 89 people and injured 280.

He said the intelligence agencies would soon provide further details and were in “full control” of the investigation. Vahidi also hinted at foreign involvement, accusing the perpetrators of being “terrorist groups supported by the regimes that create the terrorists.” (AFP)

*Houthi boat explodes in Red Sea: US Navy Vice Admiral Brad Cooper announced that an unmanned Houthi boat loaded with explosives exploded in the Red Sea on January 4, but was not close enough to cause damage or casualties to any US Navy or commercial ships, and said that this was a failed attack.

Speaking to reporters, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Naval Forces in the Middle East, said there have been 25 Houthi attacks on commercial vessels passing through the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and stressed that "there is no sign that the irresponsible behavior of this force is decreasing."

Regarding the drone, Mr. Cooper said: "It was several miles away from the vessels operating in the area - commercial vessels and US Navy vessels - and we all saw it explode." (Reuters)

*US Secretary of State visits the Middle East again: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart on January 4 (US time) to conduct a week-long diplomatic mission related to Israel's war in Gaza.

According to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Mr. Blinken will travel to Israel and the West Bank, as well as Türkiye, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The trip comes amid growing concerns that the nearly three-month conflict is spreading beyond the Gaza Strip to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Lebanon-Israel border and shipping lanes on the Red Sea. (Reuters)

*Hezbollah tactically withdraws troops from the border with Israel: Israel's Maariv newspaper reported on January 5 that the Hamas movement in Lebanon on the same day withdrew its forces about 2-3km from the border with Israel, also known as the Green Line. This withdrawal is tactical, but is also seen as a signal to the US and Israel that the movement wants to avoid an all-out war with Tel Aviv.

On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein that it was time for a diplomatic solution to remove Hezbollah forces from the border area with Israel. The military leader also wanted to stabilize the situation on the northern border soon to bring Israeli citizens back to this area. Mr. Gallant is said to have discussed with Mr. Hochstein the conditions that Tel Aviv could meet to reach a diplomatic agreement with Hezbollah, through the US mediation role. (Reuters)

*A Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader was killed: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) said on January 4 that they had killed Mamdouh Lolo (also known as Lulu), the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to the announcement, Lulu has been a planner of PIJ’s military operations for many years. This person is also accused of participating in and planning attacks on Israeli territory as well as resistance activities in the Gaza Strip. (Times of Israel)

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