Overview
- Ukrainian authorities reported a large air assault that included an Oreshnik ballistic missile striking Lviv, with Kyiv officials citing four dead and 25 injured and additional salvos of 13 ballistic missiles, 22 cruise missiles and 242 drones.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said the ballistic strike damaged Lviv’s infrastructure near the Polish border, intensifying regional security concerns.
- Ukraine’s commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said damage inflicted by Ukrainian drones in December outpaced the number of newly arriving Russian troops, as he estimated at least 33,000 Russian personnel losses for the month.
- U.S. Central Command said American and partner forces carried out large strikes across Syria against Islamic State positions in direct response to the Dec. 13 Palmyra attack that killed two U.S. service members and an interpreter.
- U.S. Southern Command reported the seizure of the tanker Olina, the fifth such interception targeting a shadow fleet moving illicit Venezuelan oil, as Iran’s crackdown continued with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denouncing protesters and rights groups reporting dozens killed and thousands detained.