Thursday Briefing: Rebel factions try to unite in Syria

December 26, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering rebel factions uniting to govern Syria and Russian strikes in Ukraine.

Plus, “Squid Game” returns.

Children sit on the remains of a destroyed helicopter near a pile of twisted metal.

A Syrian Air Force helicopter that was destroyed by Israeli strikes. Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

Syria’s new leaders are trying to unite rebel factions

A number of rebel factions agreed to dissolve and be integrated under the defense ministry, according to the Syrian state-run news service. Trying to establish a single national military is the latest step to consolidate control by the fighters who overthrew the country’s leader, Bashar al-Assad.

Analysts say that dissolving the rebel factions was a top priority because “wayward factions” were acting outside their command in some rural areas. The new administration has also appointed a caretaker prime minister to lead a transitional government until March 2025, and has promised that a legal committee would draft a new constitution.

Shifting gears: Pictures posted on social media on Tuesday showed Ahmed al-Shara, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that overthrew the Assad dictatorship, meeting with dozens of rebel faction leaders, many of them clad in military uniforms. Al-Shara has recently presented himself as more of a statesman than a rebel leader, and has displayed relatively moderate political positions despite his past links to Islamist extremists.

Understanding the crisis: Here’s a visual guide to the tangled alliances and rivalries in Syria.

People in firefighting gear on the roof of a badly damaged building.

Rescuers working atop the wreckage of a drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, yesterday. Sergey Bobok/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Russia unleashed a wave of strikes in Ukraine

Russian missiles and drones targeted the nation’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day. At least six people were wounded in Kharkiv, and one person was killed in Dnipro. Officials said the toll could rise. Ukraine’s largest private energy company said that the attacks seriously damaged emergency equipment, and power outages were declared across the country.

“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement. “What could be more inhuman?”

Activism: After Vladimir Kara-Murza, a vehement critic of President Vladimir Putin, was released as part of a major prisoner exchange with the West, he went right back to work.

Thick smoke bellows from a burning barricade as several people in uniform walk along a street.

A burning barricade in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, on Tuesday. Amilton Neves/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Dozens were killed in protests in Mozambique

At least 56 people have been killed in Mozambique since Monday, a government official said, as police officers and protesters clashed over a presidential election that demonstrators claimed was rigged by the governing party. Hundreds of buildings were damaged or looted, including schools and hospitals. The country is still recovering from Cyclone Chido, which has killed at least 120 people.

Mayotte: In the ruins left by Cyclone Chido, people from the French territory are calling to deport the undocumented immigrants who had settled there from neighboring islands.

MORE TOP NEWS

Emergency workers and their vehicles surround part of the wreckage of a plane.

The crash site of the Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, yesterday. Azamat Sarsenbayev/Reuters

Kazakhstan: Dozens of people were killed but at least 29 survived the crash of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan, according to the authorities.
Haiti: At least three people were killed, including two journalists and a police officer, when armed men fired on reporters at a hospital in Port-au-Prince.
Afghanistan: When the U.S. hired private militias to fight the Taliban, they laid the groundwork for the Taliban’s victory, a Times investigation found.
Bangladesh: Young people who ousted a dictator, and the technocrats now in charge, are determined to seize their chance at building a democracy.
Politics: Donald Trump’s re-election ushers in a new era of U.S. politics, which has become defined by conservative populism, Nate Cohn writes.

Cambodia: When Hun Manet took over as prime minister last year, people had little hope that civil liberties would improve. That hope has been crushed.
U.S.: Twenty big cats, including a half-Bengal tiger and four cougars, died from bird flu between late November and mid-December at a Washington State sanctuary.

MORNING READ

Several skydivers leap out of two planes and soar through the air.

Randy Forbes for The New York Times

These seniors are taking their golden years one 12,500-foot leap at a time. Members of the skydiver group Wuest Ways in Southern California say the activity is not just a normal weekend activity; it’s also a way to stay connected to their daredevil identities forged in the wild early days of the sport. Watch them soar.

Lives lived: Desi Bouterse, the brutal former dictator turned populist president of Suriname who was convicted of murdering political opponents, has died at 79.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A balm for the soul: Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Flaco the escaped eagle-owl and Charlotte the maybe-pregnant stingray all helped distract us from the messy human world.
Awaiting the flood: The Catholic Jubilee in 2025 is expected to draw 32 million visitors to Rome. Residents fear it’ll cost the city its soul.
The not-so-friendly skies: The writer of the Netflix hit airport thriller “Carry On” tells us what you shouldn’t leave in your luggage for security to find.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A giant figure of a doll stands in an arena in Los Angeles, surrounded by people in pink Squid Game costumes.

“Squid Game” guards at a fan event for the Netflix show’s second season. Apu Gomes/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

‘Squid Game’ is back

The dystopian show from South Korea was a surprise worldwide sensation when it debuted in September 2021, becoming the most-watched show or film ever on Netflix.

The second season, which arrives today, reunites audiences with Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), the “Squid Game” winner who took home 45.6 billion won ($31.5 million) and a lifetime of guilt because he survived while every other contestant died. He returns to the arena in an effort to stop the games forever.

Netflix’s marketing budget for the new season is far bigger than it was for the first one.

For more: Read about a “K-drama pilgrimage” to the landmarks of the popular streaming genre.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Top-down view of tobiko pasta on a plate

David Malosh for The New York Times

Cook: With tobiko, this dish combines the dynamic flavors of sushi and the warmth of creamy pasta.

Eat: For those who are lactose-intolerant, some dairy products are more trouble than others. Here’s a guide.

Watch: “Everything Calls for Salvation” is a beachy Netflix series that plays out like a sunnier Italian “Girl, Interrupted.”

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya

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