Portal:Current events/2024 December 6

December 6, 2024 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- 2024 Syrian opposition offensives
  - 2024 Homs offensive
    - After capturing the town of Talbiseh and the city of Al-Rastan, rebel forces capture several more towns and villages in the northern countryside of Homs Governorate, Syria, reaching the town of Al-Dar al-Kabirah and approaching the outskirts of Homs. (SOHR) (Anadolu Agency)
    - Russian and Syrian warplanes bombard rebel-held areas in Homs Governorate, killing at least 20 people. (BBC News)
- Southern Syria offensive
  - Syrian Army soldiers from the 8th Armoured Division in Daraa defect to the Syrian opposition as rebels launch attacks on pro-government checkpoints across Daraa Governorate, taking control of several towns, including Inkhil, Ghabaghib, and al-Jiza, as well as the city of Jasim. Rebels later claim near total control of the governorate. (Yeni Safak)
  - Rebels take full control of the city of Daraa after agreeing to allow Ba'ath Party officials to leave the city with safe passage to Damascus, and also take full control of the mainly Druze city of Suwayda. (The Times of Israel) (The New Arab) (Anadolu Agency) (Newsweek)
  - Jordan closes its border with Syria after rebel forces seize the main Nasib Border Crossing. (Reuters)
- Deir ez-Zor offensive
  - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces take control of Deir ez-Zor and its airport following the withdrawal of pro-government forces. (Enab Baladi) (SOHR)
  - Iraqi militias withdraw from the Syrian side of the Al-Qa'im border crossing on the border with Iraq. (Shafaq)
- Russia–Syria relations
  - Russia tells its citizens to leave Syria on commercial flights while they still can amid rebel advances in the country. (Al Arabiya)
- Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war
  - Turkey freezes the assets of deceased former commander of Tahrir al-Sham Abu Maria al-Qahtani, who was killed in April, to comply with the United Nations Security Council's policies. (Turkish Minute)
- Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani says that his forces will not end their military campaign until Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is removed from power. (France 24)
- Egypt and Jordan both urge Bashar al-Assad and his family to leave Syria, saying that Assad can no longer stop the rebel offensive. (The Wall Street Journal)
- The Indian Ministry of External Affairs advises its citizens to leave Syria and avoid all travel to the country indefinitely. (WION)
Israel–Hamas war
- Kamal Adwan Hospital sieges
  - Israeli drone strikes on the northern and western sides of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip kill at least 29 Palestinians. Israeli forces subsequently raid the hospital, killing four doctors. (Al Jazeera) (CNN)
Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Southern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
  - A Russian missile strike kills ten civilians in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, and injures four others, including two children. Separately, a missile attack on an administrative building in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, kills two people and injures 16 others. (Reuters)

Business and economy

EU–Mercosur Association Agreement
- The European Union and Mercosur trade bloc finalize a free trade deal in Montevideo, Uruguay, after 25 years of negotiations. (France 24)

Disasters and accidents

2024–25 European windstorm season
- Millions of people receive emergency alerts in the United Kingdom as Storm Darragh prepares to make landfall over the British Isles. (BBC News)
Twenty-six people are killed and 28 more injured after a collision between two minibuses in Brokoua, Ivory Coast. (AP)
New Zealand Police presume that two Americans and a Canadian are dead after evidence suggests they fell while attempting to summit Mount Cook (Aoraki), suspending search operations. (CNN)

International relations

Belarus–Russia relations, Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sign an agreement in Minsk, Belarus, offering security guarantees to Belarus including nuclear security and the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons in order to repel aggressions. (AP)

Law and crime

Antisemitism in Australia
- Two people are injured in an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia. (DW) (The Australian Jewish News)
Restrictions on TikTok in the United States
- A United States court of appeals upholds the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which requires China-based company ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19 or face an effective ban on operations in the United States. (CNBC)

Politics and elections

2024 Aruban general election
- Arubans vote to elect the 21 members of the Parliament. The Aruban People's Party wins nine seats and the People's Electoral Movement wins eight seats, neither parties achieving a majority. (Aruba Papers)
2024 Mauritian presidential election
- An uncontested election is held for the President of Mauritius, with former minister of education and Labour Party representative Dharam Gokhool winning without contest. Robert Hungley is elected Vice-President. (Xinhua)
2024 Romanian presidential election
- The Constitutional Court of Romania annuls the first round results of the presidential election vote two days before the second round of the election. (The Washington Post)