WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, December 1, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, December 2, 2017.

Israel Syria attack       

Israeli warplanes have carried out several airstrikes near Syria’s capital Damascus. The airstrikes were carried out from the Lebanese airspace, which was violated by the Israeli jets. The targets were positions of the Syrian army. The airstrikes triggered a response from the Syrian air defense, which intercepted a number of the missiles fired by Israeli warplanes. Israel frequently conducts air raids on Syria. Last month, Israeli warplanes hit an alleged arms depot in the country’s Homs province. The Syrian government has written several letters to the United Nations, demanding action to end Israeli violations, without getting any response.

'Illegal foreign presence in Syria must end'

The Russian foreign minister has stressed the need for all foreign forces that are present in Syria without Damascus approval to withdraw after the defeat of Daesh terrorists. Sergei Lavrov said that Russia expects all involved parties in Syria, including the US, to only focus on fighting Daesh. The top Russian diplomat said the de-escalation zones agreement - reached in the Astana talks - changed the tide of the battle against terrorists. He then warned against using those zones as a means to divide Syria. Russia, along with Iran, has been conducting strikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups inside Syria at the request of the Syrian government since September 2015.

Saudi stance on Hezbollah

The Saudi foreign minister has leveled fresh accusations against Lebanon’s resistance movement, Hezbollah. Adel al-Jubeir made the remarks during an international conference in the Italian capital, Rome. He said the only way Lebanon can prosper is to disarm Hezbollah. The accusations against the resistance movement came as Lebanon repeatedly praised Hezbollah’s key role in the war against terrorism. In October, Lebanese President Michel Aoun defended the resistance movement’s possession of arms, stressing that Hezbollah forces are essential in defending Lebanon. Hezbollah, which has been in coordination with the Lebanese army, maintains that it needs to be armed in order to defend Lebanon against any potential future aggression by the Israeli regime.

Palestinian prisoners

The Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies has said that 450 Palestinians, including women and children, were arrested in November by the Israeli regime. Spokesman for the center, Riyad al-Ashqar explained that most of the arrests took place in Jerusalem al-Quds. Al-Ashqar added that among those arrested were 22 women and 80 underage children. He stressed that the number of Palestinians sentenced to life also increased significantly in November reaching a record high of 509 people. There are currently more than 6-thousand Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including 465 administrative detainees.

Iraq targets terrorists

The Iraqi army says government forces will soon start the second phase of operations to dislodge Daesh terrorists from the country's border with Syria. The army says it aims to purge the remaining pockets of the Takfiri terrorists from deserts of Anbar and the Upper Euphrates. The developments come as the terrorists have fled the areas recently liberated by the Iraqi army to the desert region in the country’s west. Daesh terrorists have almost lost all the areas they captured in Iraq and Syria following anti-terror operations by the two countries’ forces.

US Russia probe

US media reports say President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had instructed former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, to contact Russia, weeks before the 2016 US presidential election. The report comes as Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, saying Trump's transition team directed his contacts with the Russians. Flynn was charged with willfully making false statements to FBI prosecutors about his private discussions with former Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kis-lyak. He is the most senior former official indicted in a probe into possible collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. The White House says Flynn’s plea clears the way for a prompt conclusion of the investigation.

Anti-Trump protest

Anti-Trump protesters have staged a demo at the American embassy in London after the US president sparked global outrage for re-tweeting anti-Muslim videos. Protesters chanted slogans against the US president while carrying placards slamming Trump for his racist attitude. Some protesters accused Trump of irresponsible behavior by re-tweeting the videos originally posted by a British far-right leader. They said the move promotes Islamophobic and racist discourses of the far-right group. Trump's retweets have drawn condemnations at home and aboard, including Britain. In the UK, Prime Minister Theresa May said Trump did a wrong job. There are also renewed calls for Trump’s planned state visit to London to be cancelled.

Honduras state of emergency

Honduras has declared a state of emergency after violence breaks out over a delayed and disputed presidential vote count. This comes after the vote-related unrest left at least one protester dead and over 20 others injured. Honduras was due to publish the final result of last Sunday's presidential vote at 9 p.m. local time on Friday, but the opposition complaints about the vote count delayed the announcement. The opposition also claims that the election was rigged. The results initially favored opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla by five points, with more than half the votes counted. The vote tally then swung in favor of US-backed center-right President Juan Orlando Hernandez. The opposition has called for a recount in three of the country’s 18 regions.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir