Tensions spike in Eastern Europe as Russia warns of a planned retaliatory strike on Ukraine following alleged drone attacks near President Vladimir Putin’s residence — claims Kyiv has firmly denied. The threat risks derailing fragile diplomatic efforts and signals a dangerous new phase in the nearly four-year war.
Also on World News: Saudi Arabia draws a red line on national security with strikes in Yemen, the US expands lethal maritime operations against drug networks, and political tremors hit Washington as cracks emerge in Donald Trump’s inner circle. Pankaj Mishra brings the details in World News.
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Also on World News: Saudi Arabia draws a red line on national security with strikes in Yemen, the US expands lethal maritime operations against drug networks, and political tremors hit Washington as cracks emerge in Donald Trump’s inner circle. Pankaj Mishra brings the details in World News.
#RussiaUkraineWar
#RussiaRetaliation
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#UkraineCrisis
#GlobalSecurity
#WorldNews
#Geopolitics
#BreakingWorldNews
#InternationalAffairs
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening. Tonight on World News, escalation, assertion and the widening fault lines of global
00:09power. From Moscow warning of retaliation after an alleged drone strike near the Russian president's
00:15residence to Saudi Arabia drawing a hard red line on its national security in Yemen.
00:22This is World News. Let's begin. Russia is threatening retaliation after claiming nearly
00:28a hundred Ukrainian drones targeted a residence linked to President Vladimir Putin, an allegation
00:33Kiev flatly denies. The Kremlin says the response has already been planned. Ukraine says this is
00:40a fabrication designed to derail peace talks and justify new strikes. More in this report.
00:50Russia says Ukraine attacked Putin's residence. Ukraine says that never happened.
00:57And now the world is asking one terrifying question. Will Putin retaliate directly against
01:05Zelensky after what Russia calls a terrorist attack? This could be one of the most dangerous moments of
01:13the entire war. Russia claims 91 long-range drones were launched at Vladimir Putin's state residence
01:21in the Novgorod region. Moscow says they were intercepted. No damage, no casualties. But the political damage?
01:30Massive. What Russia is saying? The Kremlin is furious. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov says this was not random. He claims it was meant to destroy peace talks.
01:42This terrorist act was intended to derail negotiations. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov goes further,
01:50warning that Russia's negotiating position will be revised, military responses have been planned,
01:57and the response will not be diplomatic. Then comes the chilling line from Russia's foreign ministry.
02:04The answers will not be diplomatic. Let them not get their hopes up. So here's the question
02:11everyone is afraid to ask. Does this put Zelensky directly in Putin's crosshairs?
02:18Ukraine's response. Kyiv flatly denies everything. Ukraine's foreign minister says Russia has shown
02:26zero evidence. No wreckage, no proof, nothing. Zelensky himself claims Moscow is manufacturing a crisis
02:35to justify escalation and sabotage peace efforts. Ukraine's position is clear. No attack, no drones,
02:45no truth to Russia's claim. According to the Kremlin, U.S. President Donald Trump was personally briefed
02:53by Putin and reportedly said he was shocked. Yeah, I don't, I don't like it. It's not good.
03:02I heard about it this morning. You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it.
03:08Early in the morning, he said he was attacked. It's no good. It's no good. Don't forget, you know,
03:14the tomahawks. I stopped the tomahawks. I didn't want that. Because we're talking about, you know,
03:18it's a delicate period of time. This is not the right time. It's one thing to be offensive,
03:24because they're offensive. It's another thing to attack his house. It's not the right time to do
03:30any of that. And you can't do it. And I learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry
03:36about it. That claim alone has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles. Now, let's be clear,
03:44there is no evidence that Putin plans to target Zelensky personally. There is no confirmation
03:51of assassination plots. But historically, when Russia says the response will not be diplomatic,
03:58that usually means military escalation, symbolic strikes, or political pressure,
04:04not secret hit orders. Still, accusing Ukraine of attacking Putin's residents
04:10crosses a psychological red line. This accusation does three things. Raises the stakes to a personal
04:17level, undermines peace talks, and creates justification for harsher military action.
04:24Whether the attack happened or not, the narrative itself is powerful. So the real question isn't,
04:31will Putin kill Zelensky? The real question is, how far will Russia go now that it claims the war has
04:38come to Putin's doorstep? Because when leaders start talking about non-diplomatic answers,
04:44history tells us the next move is rarely calm.
04:50Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia says its national security is a red line and it will defend it. Hours after the
04:57warning, the Saudi-led coalition launched what it calls a limited military operation at Yemen's
05:03Mokalla port targeting vehicles and cargo allegedly supplied by a foreign military to southern
05:10separatists. The strikes come amid rising tension with the Southern Transitional Council and fears
05:16that Yemen's fragmented conflict could splinter further, drawing in new regional actors. Here's the report.
05:23Yemen, a country already teetering on the edge of chaos. And now, December 30, 2025, Saudi warplanes
05:36strike the port of Mokalla. Two ships targeted, allegedly carrying weapons and armored vehicles,
05:43destined for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, or STC. Civilians had been warned. The coalition
05:52calls it a limited operation, a measure to stop unauthorized arms. But on the ground,
05:58it looks like something much bigger. This strike isn't just about ships or weapons. It exposes a deep
06:05fault line between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two countries that have fought together against the
06:11Houthis, now squabbling over who gets to control Yemen. Saudi Arabia sees the STC as a threat to national
06:20security, demanding UAE forces pull out within 24 hours. In response, the STC declares a state of
06:28emergency and blockades Mokalla for 72 hours, halting port operations. To understand this, you need to know
06:37who the STC is. Formally established in 2017, they are a separatist movement backed by the UAE, trained and
06:46armed to control the South. The UAE's strategy is clear. Secure strategic ports like Aden and Mokalla,
06:54counter Iranian influence via the Houthis, and possibly create a friendly South Yemen that can guarantee
07:01access to oil and gas. For Saudi Arabia, the priority is different. They want a unified Yemen under the
07:08presidency leadership council. The STC's separatist ambitions, a threat to Yemen's unity and Saudi
07:16border security. The STC is pushing hard. 2025 has been a year of gains. Early December, they take
07:25Hadramount, including the city of Sayun and its oil facilities. Mid-December, they move into Mahra,
07:32disrupting smuggling routes. Late December, they claim Abiyan and other governorates. Nearly half of
07:38Yemen is now under STC control, including 80 percent of its oil reserves. In Saudi, they respond with
07:46airstrikes and 15,000 troops on the border. This isn't just a local fight anymore. It's a coalition
07:53strain, a power struggle, and a warning that the civil war could escalate. Why does this matter?
08:01Because this isn't just about military strikes or oil. It's about history, grievances, and identity.
08:07The STC claims they are fighting for Southern self-determination, pointing to the 1990 unification
08:14and the 1994 civil war, where Southern Yemen felt marginalized. And now, with UAE's support,
08:22they're close to declaring independence. Protest rallies in Sayun echoing demands for a Southern state.
08:29Saudi Arabia pushes back, demanding withdrawals, cancelling UAE deals, trying to preserve a unified
08:37Yemen. But with the STC gaining ground, the risk of a broader conflict and even regional instability
08:45is higher than ever. In Yemen, oil and power don't just drive economy, they drive wars. And right now,
08:53the struggle for control, for influence, for identity has just intensified.
09:04Now, from Middle Eastern theaters to open international waters, where Washington is using
09:08force to choke off narcotics' roots. The U.S. military has carried out another lethal strike in
09:14international waters, this time in the Eastern Pacific. According to the U.S. Southern Command,
09:19two men were killed when American forces targeted a vessel allegedly operated by designated terrorist
09:25organizations involved in drug trafficking. The strike is part of Operation Southern Sphere,
09:31a campaign that has now left more than a hundred suspected traffickers dead. Here's the full report.
09:39Tensions between Washington and Caracas are escalating after the United States confirmed
09:44another lethal strike on a vessel allegedly tied to Venezuelan narco-trafficking carried out in
09:51international waters. The operation, executed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, marks the latest flashpoint
09:58in a rapidly intensifying pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro's government.
10:04U.S. officials say the strike targeted a boat operating along known drug-smuggling routes,
10:10raising new questions about the scope of America's expanding military actions beyond its borders.
10:16According to U.S. Southern Command, the strike took place Monday under the direct authorization of
10:21Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Military intelligence allegedly confirmed the vessel was actively engaged
10:28in narco-trafficking operations while transiting a major smuggling corridor in the Eastern Pacific.
10:34The Pentagon says two men described as narco-terrorists were killed in the operation while no U.S. forces were injured.
10:43In a statement posted to X, U.S. Southern Command described the mission as a lethal kinetic strike
10:49conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Sphere. The strike now adds to a growing list of deadly encounters
10:56tied to Operation Southern Sphere. Since the launch of Operation Southern Sphere,
11:00at least 107 people have reportedly been killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats.
11:07The Trump administration has classified those killed as unlawful combatants, asserting the authority
11:13to carry out lethal operations without judicial review, citing a classified Justice Department legal
11:20finding. Monday's strike follows another attack just days earlier on a so-called low-profile vessel in
11:26the Eastern Pacific. It also comes amid a sweeping U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including
11:33naval deployments, troop movements, and a blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers. President Trump
11:40says the strategy is designed to choke off narcotics funding and increase pressure on Maduro's inner circle.
11:47Earlier this month, U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly crossed a new threshold,
11:52carrying out a drone strike on a port facility inside Venezuela itself. President Trump later confirmed
11:58a big facility had been destroyed, describing a massive explosion at a dock used to load drug-running
12:05boats. He claimed the site's implementation area was effectively wiped out. Venezuelan President
12:11Nicolas Maduro has condemned the U.S. military actions, accusing Washington of psychological warfare
12:18and outright aggression. A rare and explosive account from inside Republican politics. Outgoing
12:25Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, also known as MTG, says her relationship with Donald Trump
12:32fractured after she pushed for transparency around Jeffrey Epstein's criminal network. In a detailed
12:39New York Times profile, Greene claims Trump once angrily warned her, and she quoted,
12:45My friends will get hurt after she threatened to name alleged abusers following closed-door hearings
12:52with Epstein survivors. Take a look.
12:57Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a loyal Trump supporter, has revealed shocking details about
13:03her last conversation with President Donald Trump. Greene tells the New York Times that Trump warned her
13:10against the release of the Epstein files, saying his friends will get hurt.
13:15She also said that Trump rejected her suggestion to invite the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse
13:21to the Oval Office, claiming they had not earned the honor. According to Greene,
13:27this remark came during the last phone call she had with Trump, after she appeared at a September
13:33news conference with Epstein survivors on Capitol Hill. During that call, which Greene says Trump initiated,
13:40the president yelled at her as she listened on speakerphone. The Justice Department had begun
13:46releasing the Epstein files earlier this month, including emails showing that Trump flew on
13:51Epstein's private jet multiple times in the mid-1990s. The DOJ also cautioned that some files contain
13:59untrue and sensationalist claims about Trump and included images with faces blacked out, involving Trump and
14:06other high-profile figures. Among the names in the files were former President Bill Clinton,
14:12Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, director Woody Allen, and lawyer Alan Dershowitz.
14:20All have denied wrongdoing or distanced themselves from Epstein. Trump has said he was concerned that
14:27merely being named in the files could damage people's reputations without proof of wrongdoing.
14:32Greene's revelations also shed light on her public break with Trump. She began criticizing his foreign
14:38policy decisions earlier this year, including speeding up weapons deliveries to Ukraine and
14:44strikes on Iran, arguing they contradicted his America First platform. The final break came when
14:51Greene became one of only four Republicans to sign a petition to force a vote on the Epstein files
14:57Transparency Act, a legislation to release all documents related to Epstein's sex trafficking
15:03investigation. She told the Times, quote, Epstein was everything, implying that her support for
15:08releasing the files was the last straw for Trump. This story offers a rare inside look at the fractured
15:15relationship between President and a former ally and the continuing controversy surrounding the Epstein
15:22files. The Justice Department still has more than a million documents to review
15:27and potentially release, meaning this story is far from over.
15:35So from war rooms and ports to open seas and closed door hearings, tonight's headlines carry a common theme,
15:42power asserting itself, often without restraint. We will continue to track the consequences,
15:48diplomatic, military and political. That's world news for now. Good night.
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