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slot 646 Syrian government services come to a 'complete halt' as state workers stay homeVolunteer Janet Lee (right) has planned a Christmas party for palliative care patients at Kang Le Day Hospice. SINGAPORE – It is that time of the year again, when most people gather their nearest and dearest and sit down for a meal in familiar company. But for every flat filled with laughter, there may be another shrouded in silence. Separated from their loved ones by death, disputes or distance, many are marking the close of another year – alone. Loneliness can feel especially acute when everyone else seems to be having the best holiday ever. According to a 2023 American Psychological Association poll, the stress levels of 41 per cent of adults increase during the holiday season. Such festive social and emotional isolation afflicts many in Singapore too, which is why some residents are trying to stem the tide, one party at a time. This year-end, The Straits Times speaks to the people who are choosing to celebrate not with friends and family, but with those who have no one else. Lonely Christmas no more Married couple David and Esther Loh are hosting a party for strangers who need company this Christmas. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID LOH When 29-year-old David Loh sits down for dinner on Dec 24, he might not recognise anyone at the table, apart from his wife. The gallery manager and his wife, Mrs Esther Loh – a 28-year-old creative strategist at a social media agency – are throwing a party for people who might feel lonely around this time of year. It will be the second such gathering they have hosted, following a similarly-themed get-together in 2022 that went viral on TikTok. That video, viewed more than 100,000 times since, attracted close to 300 responses from people eager to attend. To minimise disappointment, they capped party sizes at 15 people and organised three gatherings over the Christmas weekend and Chinese New Year, over and above the sole session they had planned. For 2024, the couple have a new venue – a friend’s event space and pottery studio in Chinatown that can accommodate 30, twice as many attendees as two years ago. They still hope to keep things small and intimate, with numbers capped at 30 a gathering. Mr Loh says: “It would be a tragedy if a 200- or 300-strong crowd shows up, and lonely people leave feeling the same way. We want to create a place where we can be more intentional with hosting, where people can talk to one another and be heard.” For Mrs Loh, it is important that everyone feels seen and heard. “When people think of Christmas, they think of celebrating with friends and family. They might not think about those on the outskirts who don’t have that. It’s a period when the lonely get lonelier,” she says. Her husband knows that feeling all too well. The social work graduate used to spend Christmas on his own, tending a gallery in Millenia Walk over the holidays, with no celebrations to look forward to. He says: “I’m a pretty positive, mentally healthy individual, and still I felt the weight and loneliness of being alone. I’d take the bus home and feel sad that I had nothing on that night. So, I wanted to make space for people like myself.” The couple, who are Christian, will sponsor pizza and side dishes – halal, to cater to as many guests as possible – as well as gifts for the Dec 24 party. They have set aside a $1,000 budget for this. The Lohs organised a similar party for strangers in 2022, which received nearly 300 responses. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID LOH In 2022, 45 people of all ages and religions turned up across their three parties. There was an empty nester in her 50s, whose sons had moved overseas to study; a woman in her 30s spending her first Christmas without her late husband; and a man who had been on the brink of suicide. Despite their differences, these strangers were able to open up to one another and conversations ran raw. To the Lohs’ surprise, some attendees kept in touch after that night. “Everyone there sort of knew the other attendees were also lonely, so there was a sense of empathy and solidarity,” recalls Mrs Loh. The couple hope to inject more joy and excitement into their 2024 programme with activities like pottery painting. “We’re not trying to change someone’s life. We just want to change someone’s night. If deep friendships happen, that’s great. But we don’t have lofty ideas. We just want to make them feel like they had a good Christmas.” YOU’RE INVITED!!!! Drop us a DM to rsvp so we can plan for the food 😛🍕🍕 When: 24 Dec 22, Sat Time: 730pm-OTOT Where: City Hall (DM for more info) #christmas2022 #fypsg #youareinvited More information will be released on the couple’s TikTok account ( @davidandesther ) in December. I’ll (not) Be Home for Christmas Coliwoo senior operations manager Javier Lim is hosting a party for residents who are spending the festive period away from home in December. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM This will be Mr Javier Lim’s 15th Christmas away from home, so the 38-year-old Malaysian senior operations manager at co-living operator Coliwoo knows how his clients must feel. A bittersweet melancholy settles over Coliwoo’s apartments at this time of year. Most of its residents are expatriates, international students or digital nomads, whose families are thousands of kilometres away. “It’s sad seeing people in their rooms during the festive period. They’re lonely, they miss home. Sometimes, they’ll come to the management office just to have someone to chat with,” says Mr Lim. To lift their spirits, he started throwing Christmas parties for residents two years ago. The 2024 bash will be held at Coliwoo’s Orchard residence, and he is expecting 50 to 60 guests. Sponsored by Coliwoo, a buffet of Western dishes – such as prawns with garlic aioli and sauteed garden vegetables – will be catered, and prizes will be up for grabs. As part of Mr Lim’s eco-conscious aims, game booths will be built out of recycled materials such as cardboard, egg trays and plastic bottles. In addition to organising the party on Dec 20, Mr Lim is working the holiday shift on Christmas Day. He will be stationed at the company’s Boon Lay property, where he will oversee operations and manage requests from residents. “I find the festive shift very rewarding,” he says, adding that because he is so familiar with the staff and some of the residents, it feels almost like he is with friends. Staff also share drinks and desserts with residents in the lounge on days when they work late. “Here, you get a lot of these value-added activities that help build a strong community spirit, so people feel at home. We don’t just provide them with a roof over their heads.” The bachelor, whose two sisters also live overseas, sees his parents in Kelantan only after the festive season. But texts, video calls and knowing that they are just a four-hour flight away in Kelantan away help temper his homesickness. Last Christmas Volunteer Janet Lee will dress up as Santa Claus to spread festive cheer at Kang Le Day Hospice. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY The elderly patients of a palliative care centre look on in amusement as Ms Janet Lee struggles with her Santa Claus costume. “I must be the skinniest Santa Claus ever,” she quips with a wry smile, strapping a beard across the lower half of her face. “Maybe I should stuff a pillow under the top.” The 59-year-old volunteer is testing out the costumes she plans to don on Dec 9, when Kang Le Day Hospice celebrates a cross-cultural Christmas with an Asian buffet and Western carols. She expects around 30 attendees. It was the housewife’s idea, and one of the many contributions she has made since she started volunteering with HCA Hospice, which runs the centre in Marsiling, in June 2023. Moved by the care and compassion its team showed to her late mother in her final days some four years ago, Ms Lee decided to reciprocate by helping out. The memories she has made have stuck with her. In particular, her friendship with her very first patient – an elderly man she refers to as Mr N – continues to shape the work she does. Mr N suffered from dementia and anxiety, which made it difficult to interact with him at first. But Ms Lee eventually won over the former postman with her rendition of the Carpenters’ Please Mr Postman. He shared his life story with her, while she entertained him with games and activities, keeping him company until his death in August 2023. “I was very sad upon hearing the news, but I was also thankful for the opportunity to have created some happy moments while he was around,” she says. Thus was born her idea of organising parties to spread that joy to more patients, most of whom have only six months to a year left to live, and are likely celebrating their last Christmas. Ms Lee preparing a bunny costume ahead of the Christmas party at Kang Le Day Hospice. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Though to many of these seniors, Christmas is not as culturally significant as Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, Ms Lee – who usually does not celebrate Yuletide herself – believes in seizing any opportunity to get everyone together. “I enjoy doing the work. I’m happy to see them relax and have fun. If not, usually they just sit here and say, ‘All I do here is eat and wait for time to pass.’ It’s quite negative,” she says. To inject some energy into the room, Ms Lee, who describes herself as “quite a serious person”, busts out her goofy side. She will lead a singalong in her Santa Claus outfit, while her 35-year-old anaesthesiologist daughter, who is helping her, will tower over the party in a 2m-tall bunny suit. The festivities cannot stretch beyond two hours as the patients tire quickly, but she says it is heartening to see their energy return, even momentarily. Mr Lee Fatt Ping (left) leading seniors St Luke’s ElderCare Serangoon Centre in an arts and crafts activity. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY At St Luke’s ElderCare Serangoon Centre, 71-year-old retiree Lee Fatt Ping is also keenly aware of the needs of his fellow merry-makers. Though the seniors here are not terminally ill, many have conditions that might hamper their ability to participate. The volunteer, who visits the centre on Tuesday mornings, has prepared a simple arts and crafts activity to spread cheer this festive season. It comprises four strips of coloured paper that can be folded to form a heart, representing peace, love and joy – sentiments the Christian associates with Christmas. “It’s a way for them to come together and stamp their identity on this place. It gives them a sense of ownership,” he says, explaining that the completed paper hearts can then be hung up as decorations. However, he also has to take into consideration those with weaker psychomotor skills and poor eyesight. In such cases, Mr Lee will encourage one of their friends to help them, or get them involved through simple questions such as “What colour is this?” and “Is this pretty?”, to which they can respond with a thumbs up or down. “We have to adjust to their capabilities and make sure they feel included. The important thing is not to discredit them but encourage them to try again, if they want to.” When it comes to the more reserved seniors who do not want to participate, he will approach them as a supplicant, asking for assistance or help – a move that is guaranteed to flatter. “They’ll say, ‘You don’t know how to do meh?’, but it gets them involved.” Mr Lee Fatt Ping (second from right) will be one of the few volunteers on duty during the year-end festive period. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY The former civil servant-turned nursing home executive, who completed a master’s degree in ageing at The University of Melbourne in his late 60s, will be one of the few volunteers on duty at a time when most are away on holiday. He says: “If I can be around, I’m happy. This is a very meaningful time for me. I want to spread my blessings during this time when we’re reflecting on the year, and being grateful for all the good and bad, the highs and lows.” Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowNoneNone

Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here. Courtney Barnett is a hair stylist-turned-small business owner who is passionate about supporting people’s well-being and living in a more eco-friendly environment. In 2019, Barnett took a trip to Iceland that marked the turning point in her career. During her trip, she observed and appreciated the country’s efforts to become a cleaner, more sustainable part of the world. “I fell in love with that,” said Barnett, so much that she began to adopt sustainable habits into her life. It was only a matter of time before Barnett decided she wanted to help people do the same. Two years after launching an ‘eco-goods’ business in 2020, Barnett launched her refillery — a store where customers are encouraged to bring their own containers or purchase reusable containers to restock personal or home essentials. This helps customers avoid using plastic and nonrecyclable waste. Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. FastingHouse sells self-care products made out of natural ingredients and home eco-goods composed out of recyclable materials. Website: FastingHouse Naturals Email: fastinghouse@gmail.com Facebook: FastingHouse Naturals This interview has been edited for clarity, grammar and length. Nicole Lopez: How did your business kick off? Courtney Barnett: I was a hairdresser. When COVID-19 pandemic hit, I stopped doing hair because, obviously, I couldn’t. I was looking to make my own self-care products and found that I was allergic to a lot of stuff. So that’s kind of why I thought to myself, “Okay, I want this. Let’s figure out how to make it.” After that, I started implementing sustainability within my own life. It was two years into the business that I decided to add in the sustainable items that I had come to love and use. Something that’s very similar to what you’re going to see in your day-to-day life, but just a more sustainable version of those products. About a year ago I launched the refillery. I was already using these products in my home, but I really wanted to bring this to the masses. Lopez: Are refillery businesses common or easily accessible in Fort Worth? Barnett: There’s one in Weatherford and one on Race Street in north Fort Worth called the Green Thistle Emporium. A stand-alone store’s overhead is very expensive, especially nowadays. So that’s why I chose to do a pop-up refillery. Lopez: What sets FastingHouse Naturals apart from other refilleries and sustainable home goods businesses here? Barnett: The convenience. Definitely the fact that I have my own self-care line that I hand- make and is all natural and organic. A lot of the brands I support and source are women-owned and operated. That’s definitely at the forefront of the reason why I choose some of the products that I have. Lopez: Did you encounter any challenges trying to start up your business? Barnett: Absolutely: gaining capital. I believe what really helped me was making my own products and really focusing on that for a little while. That was definitely a challenge for sure. And just finding out which markets are supportive because there are some places that are really supportive refilleries and other places not so much. Lopez: I know your business is centered around helping people make more eco-friendly choices. What else do you hope your customers can gain by purchasing your products? Barnett: I want people to realize that being sustainable is more accessible than you probably think. I fully believe that it is not 10 people doing it absolutely perfectly that’s going to make the biggest difference in the world. I feel like if everyone can do things that align with their lifestyle, budgets and schedules — whatever it is — if you can make a couple of switches here and there, I think we’re going to make a bigger impact. Lopez: Can you tell me about the natural ingredients in your products? Barnett: Everything is all natural, organic, and everything is essential oil-based. You won’t find fragrance oils, hormone disruptors, endocrine disruptors, phthalates. You’re not going to have any preservatives or sulfates. Lopez: Are your customers interested in leading a more sustainable lifestyle when they take your products home? Barnett: I feel like my products do leave that influence. I have people that will come up and forget their refillable jars and I tell them it’s okay. I really try to have a lot of options for people. I have paper pouches that are recyclable. If you forget your jars, there’s still an option for you that is recyclable. Lopez: Are all of your goods recyclable, including self-care products? How does that work? Barnett: Pretty much everything is either recyclable or you can compost it. Bamboo is one of the most abundant resources that we have. It’s super hard. It grows really fast. It’s great from that standpoint, but it also decomposes really well. So if you can’t recycle a product, you can probably throw it in your compost and it’s going to naturally degrade itself. Nicole Lopez is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here . Your support makes TWICE the impact today. As November draws to a close , time is running out to double your impact. Thanks to the generosity of the Nicholas Martin Jr. Family Foundation, every dollar you give will be matched—up to $15,000. Will you give today to help trusted, local reporting thrive in Fort Worth and Tarrant County? Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Report November 30, 2024

IND vs AUS 2nd Test: India suffered humiliation in the 2nd Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, December 8. The hosts handed the visitors a 10-wicket defeat to level the series 1-1. The batting unit had a terrible outing and has become a laughing stock on the internet, including skipper Rohit Sharma. The only exception has been Nitish Reddy, who is playing his debut Test series. Reddy has been the find of the tournament so far as he has performed under pressure and amassed 40+ scores in both innings in the 2nd Test. Nitish has batted at No.7 and has been put in situations where he has to deal with boundaries. Also Read: Big fight emerge in India U19 vs Bangladesh U19 Asia Cup U19 final as players of both teams abuse each other Reddy breaks Sehwag's six-hitting feat So far, Reddy has performed his role well and in fact, went on to topple Virender Sehwag's long-standing six-hitting record. Notably, Nitish has hit seven sixes in this series so far, which is the most by an Indian batter against Australia in a Test series. He broke Sehwag's record of 6 sixes that the right-hand batter hit during the 2003 tour. Here is the complete list: 7 - Nitish Reddy (2024) 6 - Virender Sehwag (2003) 6 - Murali Vijay (2014) 5 - Sachin Tendulkar (2007) 5 - Rohit Sharma (2014) 5 - Mayank Agarwal (2018) 5 - Rishabh Pant (2018) Nitish Reddy also shines with the ball Further, three matches are left in the series and Reddy stands a chance to increase the gap between him and Sehwag for the elite list. While he has impressed with the bat, Reddy has also shone with the ball. He has taken only a solitary wicket but emerged as the fourth seam bowling option for the visitors. Reddy is now being touted as the all-rounder that India required in Tests.

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BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of Syrian insurgents took over most of Aleppo on Saturday, establishing positions in the country's largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province. They faced little to no resistance from government troops, according to fighters and activists. A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized control of Aleppo International airport, the first international airport to be controlled by insurgents. The fighters claimed they seized the airport and postefd pictures from there. Thousands of fighters also moved on, facing almost no defense from government forces, to seize towns and villages in northern Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled by government troops in 2016. They claimed Saturday evening to have entered Hama city. The swift and surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Syria's President Bashar Assad and raised questions about his armed forces' preparedness. The insurgent offensive launched from their stronghold in the country's northwest appeared to have been planned for years. It also comes at a time when Assad's allies were preoccupied with their own conflicts. Turkey, a main backer of Syrian opposition groups, said its diplomatic efforts had failed to stop government attacks on opposition-held areas in recent weeks, which were in violation of a de-escalation agreement sponsored by Russia, Iran and Ankara. Turkish security officials said a limited offensive by the rebels was planned to stop government attacks and allow civilians to return, but the offensive expanded as Syrian government forces began to retreat from their positions. The insurgents, led by the Salafi jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and including Turkey-backed fighters, launched their shock offensive on Wednesday. They first staged a two-pronged attack in Aleppo and the Idlib countryside, entering Aleppo two days later and securing a strategic town that lies on the highway that links Syria's largest city to the capital and the coast. By Saturday evening, they seized at least four towns in the central Hama province and claimed to have entered the provincial capital. The insurgents staged an attempt to reclaim areas they controlled in Hama in 2017 but failed. Syria’s armed forces said in a statement Saturday that to absorb the large attack on Aleppo and save lives, it redeployed troops and equipment and was preparing a counterattack. The statement acknowledged that insurgents entered large parts of the city but said they have not established bases or checkpoints. Later on Saturday, the armed forces sought to dispel what it said were lies in reference to reports about its forces retreating or defecting, saying the general command was carrying out its duties in “combatting terrorist organizations.” The return of the insurgents to Aleppo was their first since 2016, following a grueling military campaign in which Assad's forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups. The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. After appearing to be losing control of the country to the rebels, the Aleppo battle secured Assad’s hold on strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery. The lightning offensive threatened to reignite the country's civil war, which had been largely in a stalemate for years. Late on Friday, witnesses said two airstrikes hit the edge of Aleppo city, targeting insurgent reinforcements and falling near residential areas. The Observatory said 20 fighters were killed. Insurgents were filmed outside police headquarters, in the city center, and outside the Aleppo citadel, the medieval palace in the old city center, and one of the largest in the world. They tore down posters of Assad, stepping on some and burning others. The push into Aleppo followed weeks of simmering low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition-held areas. The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, primarily Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own battles at home. A ceasefire in Hezbollah’s two-month war with Israel took effect Wednesday, the same day that Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive. Israel has also escalated its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days. Speaking from the heart of the city in Saadallah Aljabri square, opposition fighter Mohammad Al Abdo said it was his first time back in Aleppo in 13 years, when his older brother was killed at the start of the war. “God willing, the rest of Aleppo province will be liberated" from government forces, he said. There was light traffic in the city center on Saturday. Opposition fighters fired in the air in celebration but there was no sign of clashes or government troops present. Journalists in the city filmed soldiers captured by the insurgents and the bodies of others killed in battle. Abdulkafi Alhamdo, a teacher who fled Aleppo in 2016 and returned Friday night after hearing the insurgents were inside, described “mixed feelings of pain, sadness and old memories." “As I entered Aleppo, I kept telling myself this is impossible. How did this happen?” Alhamdo said he strolled through the city at night visiting the Aleppo citadel, where the insurgents raised their flags, a major square and the university of Aleppo, as well as the last spot he was in before he was forced to leave for the countryside. “I walked in (the empty) streets of Aleppo, shouting, ‘People, people of Aleppo. We are your sons,’” he told The Associated Press in a series of messages. Aleppo residents reported hearing clashes and gunfire but most stayed indoors. Some fled the fighting. Schools and government offices were closed Saturday as most people stayed indoors, according to Sham FM radio, a pro-government station. Bakeries were open. Witnesses said the insurgents deployed security forces around the city to prevent any acts of violence or looting. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday Aleppo's two key public hospitals were reportedly full of patients while many private facilities closed. In social media posts, the insurgents were pictured outside of the citadel, the medieval palace in the old city center, and one of the largest in the world. In cellphone videos, they recorded themselves having conversations with residents they visited at home, seeking to reassure them they will cause no harm. The Syrian Kurdish-led administration in the country's east said nearly 3,000 people, most of them students, had arrived in their region after fleeing the fighting in Aleppo, which has a sizeable Kurdish population. State media reported that a number of “terrorists," including sleeper cells, infiltrated parts of the city. Government troops chased them and arrested a number who posed for pictures near city landmarks, they said. On a state TV morning show Saturday, commentators said army reinforcements and Russia’s assistance would repel the “terrorist groups,” blaming Turkey for supporting the insurgents’ push into Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Russia’s state news agency Tass quoted Oleg Ignasyuk, a Russian Defense Ministry official coordinating in Syria, as saying that Russian warplanes targeted and killed 200 militants who had launched the offensive in the northwest on Friday. It provided no further details. Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus contributed to this report.

PDP chieftain spits fire as 5 federal lawmakers dump party for APC, give reasonPlayoff game at Ohio State has sold 34% more tickets than Notre Dame game on StubHubThe West is mulling its response after the NATO-operated Ukrainian missile strikes into Russia’s western heartland has escalated the Eastern European war to a new, more dangerous level with Russia’s launch of its latest hypersonic ballistic missile on a key Ukrainian city. Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah Shia militia is hailing the vague ‘ceasefire’ hurriedly negotiated by Washington with the Lebanese Government as Israel’s acknowledgment of “defeat”. The ‘ceasefire’ deal agreed on by the Lebanese Government and Israel allows invading Israeli forces 60 days to withdraw from Lebanon and requires Hezbollah, the Israeli Defences Forces’ (IDF) primary target, to refrain from “operations” against the IDF during this period. But the agreement is full of un-addressed aspects of this new war launched by Israel into Lebanon after its major offensive in 2006. Observers in Lebanon and in the region are pointing out that the two-months ‘withdrawal’ window allowed for the IDF enables it to further dispossess the entire Lebanese population inhabiting the strip of Lebanese territory bordering northern Israel. Israel tried the same after the 2006 invasion. The Israeli–Lebanese conflict peaked during the Lebanese Civil War of the 1970s. This was largely provoked by covert Western and Israeli interferences in Lebanese politics in support of the Lebanese-Arab Christian community (about 45% of its population) to offset the slightly larger Lebanese Muslim population. That population includes the Druze and Assyrian minority religious communities alongside the dominant Shia and Sunni communities. As noted in these columns previously, Israeli is surrounded by over two million displaced Palestinians lodged in camps in the neighbouring Arab states for decades (since the 1948 forcible creation of the Zionist Jewish state). In response to refugee Palestinian militia attacks from Lebanon, Israel invaded the country in 1978 and again in 1982. It occupied a large strip of Southern Lebanon until 2000, while fighting the parallel Lebanese Shia paramilitaries born out of the Palestinian displacement with the founding of the Israeli State. Resistance Israel launched two cross-border offensive operations into Southern Lebanon during the 1990s: Operation Accountability in 1993 and Operation Grapes of Wrath in 1996. But the unrelenting Lebanese militia resistance – essentially urban guerilla warfare – led to the embarrassing failure to eliminate this resistance. After Israel’s partial withdrawal from South Lebanon, Hezbollah and other militia continued attacks to dislodged the IDF from the remaining occupied Lebanese territory, which was arbitrarily held as a ‘buffer’ to distance the Arab populations from Israel proper. Israel used these attacks as the excuse to attempt to ‘pacify’ the many hostile Palestinian and Lebanese militia based in Lebanon. A new period of Israel-Lebanon conflict began in late 2023 along with the massive onslaught by the IDF besieging the Gaza Strip enclave surrounded by Israel. While the Hamas counter attack against the IDF siege lines was itself of a minor scale (relative to its enemy), it then triggered a cascade of military and political actions. The months long, unceasing, IDF offensive against the Gazan population has spurred anti-Israeli militias across West Asia to begin counter attacks in support of the weak Palestinian militias resisting the West-armed IDF’s genocidal might. Ukraine In Eastern Europe, NATO planners are flummoxed by Moscow’s bold response to the ‘crossing of the red line’ by Ukraine when Kyiv launched last week a series of medium calibre missiles actually operated by American and British personnel. Kyiv, unable to push back a slow, bloody, Russian advance all across Ukraine’s Eastern war front, has been pleading with the West to allow its medium range missile batteries be used to offset Moscow’s pressure on the ground. Western officials insisted that NATO personnel remained in control of these missile batteries in order to ensure the secrecy of the weapons systems, because Ukraine is not a NATO member and could not ensure that technology secrecy. As analysts said subsequently, Russia was obliged to counter this clear escalation of the war with the role of Western personnel in battle, indeed, in direct assault on Russian territory. And President Vladimir Putin himself announced Russia’s counter-escalation by acknowledging the use of a previously un-announced new heavy missile. In response to the NATO operated missile barrage, Moscow fired its new intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) hitherto unused in combat at a target close to Kyiv. The Russian President later publicly confirmed that Russia had “tested” an ‘Oreshnik’ hypersonic ballistic missile in an assault on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The target was a large industrial complex. Russia launched just one missile. But it is a hypersonic missile almost too fast to be detected and countered and, more importantly, it is an IRBM, just below the ICBM threshold of intercontinental warfare. A clear counter-escalation. Already, when NATO installed these cruise missile systems in Ukraine earlier this year, Moscow acted swiftly to adapt its nuclear doctrine – with much fanfare, to reassure its own troops and the general population. The new doctrine provides for alerting, arming and launch protocols that speeds up Russian defensive responses, including the anticipation of a nuclear strike. Arsenal Putin signed off on Russia’s new nuclear doctrine days after the UK and US authorised Kyiv to use the cruise missiles to attack Russia. Under the amendments, Russia has generally lowered the threshold for using its nuclear arsenal. Analysts say that Russia and its ally, neighbouring Belarus, can now consider a nuclear response if they are “conventionally attacked by a nonnuclear state, such as Ukraine, that is aided by a nuclear power”. NATO countries supporting Ukraine, the US and UK included, possess nuclear weapons or host nuclear missile batteries installed by nuclear-armed NATO allies. Russia’s new protocols had been drawn up by September, according news agencies. Analysts now argue that its formal authorisation during the recent missile exchange between Russia and Ukraine has raised the stakes in eastern Europe’s war. So now the West is confronted with a counter-escalation to which it cannot easily respond without endangering its own populations and territories. It looks like a hot festive season in the West (despite heavy snows) this December.

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