No US troops were killed in the Iranian missile attack on the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq followng the US killing of Quds Force chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Pentagon confirs that so far, 109 US service members had been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury; 76 have returned to duty.
Quds Force commander Gen. Esmail Ghaani: The enemy does not understand any language other than the language of force.
Iran unveils a new short-range missile, "Thunder," and launches a satellite named "Victory" into space, but it fails to reach orbit. US officials expressed concern that the long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads.
The Iowa primaries have thrown the Democrats into a loop, as it indicated that sticking to the party's anachronistic platform was completely at odds with the vibrant and rousing mood in the Democratic camp, where tectonic shifts are underway.
Moncef Baati is faulted for an "absence of coordination and consultation" with the Tunisian foreign ministry and with representatives of Arab and Islamic countries at the United Nations, after he helped draft a rejection of the US Middle East peace initiative.
Qassim al-Rimi is a founder of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The affiliate has long been considered the global network’s most dangerous branch for its attempts to carry out attacks on the US mainland.
New Quds Force chief lacks his predecessor's "unique capabilities" as a tactician and strategist, and he "cannot really fill his shoes with respect to realizing Iran's future plans in the region," Western intelligence official says.
Pete Buttigieg, the moderate 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, wins 26.8% of the votes in the Democratic primaries in Iowa while former Vice President Joe Biden trailed badly in fourth place, with only 15.5%.
Dec. 17 meeting in Washington said to include Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, his American counterpart Robert O’Brien, US envoy for Iran Brian Hook, and Emirati Ambassador to US Yousef al-Otaiba.
President Hassan Rouhani says his country is "still ready for interaction and cooperation with the European Union for resolving issues and, whenever the opposite side completely upholds their commitments, Iran will return to its commitments."
