USA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
EUROPE
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ASIA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
RUSSIA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
IRAN
Afghanistan: Iran Fuel Tanker Ban Tantamount To 'Embargo' - Official January 4, 2011
Iran’s decision to prevent as many as 2,500 fuel tankers from crossing the border into Afghanistan is equivalent to an embargo, the head of the Afghan Commerce Ministry’s fuel department said Jan. 4, AP reported. Farid Shirzai said Tehran “wants to impose a kind of sanction or embargo” on Kabul and that Iran had no right to block the shipments because the trucks were merely passing through its territory. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast blamed the ban on “technical problems” resulting from the slashing of Iranian subsidies in late December. Mehmanparast said the issue would be resolved soon.
IRAQ
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
ISRAEL
Palestinian Territories: Israeli Planes Strike Gaza Targets January 4, 2011
Israeli planes launched air strikes Jan. 4 on the Gaza cities of Rafah and Deir El-Balah, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, CNN reported. While no casualties were immediately reported, a statement from Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Academy said direct hits were confirmed on a smuggling tunnel in southern Gaza and a Hamas training field in central Gaza. The statement said the strikes were ordered in response to a rocket attack on the Ashkelon Shore Regional Council.
Palestinian Territories: Gaza Residents Allowed To Carry Arms January 5, 2011
Some residents in the Gaza Strip will be permitted to carry weapons for the first time since Hamas came to power, a Hamas police spokesman said, AFP reported Jan. 5. Permits will be issued to individuals with a need to defend themselves, such as gold and money traders and large-factory owners. The permit allows ownership of any type of firearm without a silencer, and in some cases will allow the bearer to carry an automatic weapon at the police’s discretion.
Israel: U.S. Ban On Turkish IHH Requested January 5, 2011
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has requested that the United States outlaw the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), the group whose Gaza-bound aid flotilla was raided by Israel Defense Forces in May, Reuters reported Jan. 5. Lieberman made his request during a meeting with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Jerusalem.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: Operation Omid To Be Launched Soon January 5, 2011
Afghan and foreign forces soon will launch a joint operation across the country, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said Jan. 5, Noor TV reported. Operation Omid will include the Afghan army, police and intelligence, in addition to foreign forces, and will last 18 months, Azimi said. The operation aims to clear areas of antigovernment forces, dismantle Taliban activities, clear the way for good governance, guarantee security, and execute reconstruction and development projects. More attention will be paid to northern Afghanistan in 2011, Azimi said, adding that operations will be accelerated in every insecure area of the country.
A Week in the War: Afghanistan, Dec. 29, 2010-Jan. 4, 2011 | STRATFOR
Potential Significance of a Local Afghan Deal | STRATFOR
Afghanistan: $20 Billion For Training In 2010-11 - NATO January 5, 2011
NATO will spend $20 billion to develop Afghanistan’s security forces between 2010 and 2011, according to U.S. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, the head of the training mission, AP reported Jan. 5. Caldwell said the funding covers training, equipment, infrastructure and other training-related needs, and is approximately the same as the total amount spent on training for Afghan forces between 2003 and 2009. He also said NATO’s training presence in the country will extend at least through 2016.
MIDDLE EAST
Syria: Water Pipeline Planned January 5, 2011
Syria plans to increase the amount of water drawn from the Euphrates River to supply northern villages affected by drought, Bloomberg reported Jan. 5, citing Al-Baath. A 3 billion Syrian pound ($64 million) pipeline will carry 220,000 cubic meters of water a day along 76 kilometers (47 miles).
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico: Sinaloa Cartel Leader Arrested In Tijuana January 5, 2011
Mexican police and soldiers arrested suspected Sinaloa cartel leader Jesus Israel de la Cruz Lopez in Tijuana, Baja California state, El Universal reported Jan. 5. Lopez is believed to have been one of the cartel’s leaders in Tijuana after the arrest of Teodoro Garcia Simental.
MISC
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com
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