WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, December 29, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, December 30, 2017.

Israeli crackdown continues

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have attacked Palestinians who took to the streets in yet another protest at the US president's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital. Several Palestinian protesters were injured during clashes in the city of al-Khalil also known as Hebron. Israeli forces also used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in other occupied territories and the besieged Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials say some 400 protesters have been injured during Friday clashes.

Mass graves in Syria

Syrian authorities have discovered two mass graves containing dozens of bodies of people murdered by Daesh Takfiri terrorists. The mass graves were found in a village near the northern city of Raqqah. The buried bodies belong to civilians and military personnel killed while the terrorists controlled the area. The soldiers are believed to be army forces that were defending Tabqa airbase before its fall to Daesh in August 2014. Mass graves have been familiar sights both in Syria and in Iraq after the defeat of Daesh terrorists.

The plight of the Rohingya

Bangladesh is set to repatriate up to 100,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar’s deadly crackdown on the religious minority group. Bangladesh's minister of transport also said officials from his country and Myanmar will decide on the repatriation of the rest of Rohingya during a meeting which will be held soon in Myanmar. The two governments signed a deal in November allowing for repatriations to begin from January 23. Many aid groups, however, doubt that fearful Rohingya will agree to return. More than 655,000 Rohingya Muslims have sought refuge in Bangladesh since late August when Myanmar’s army intensified its crackdown. The United Nations condemned crimes against Rohingya as ethnic cleansing.

Saudi killings in Yemen

The Saudi war on Yemen is raging on, as fresh airstrikes kill more people in the Arab country. In the latest aerial attacks, Saudi warplanes targeted a vehicle in Sa'ada province, killing at least two civilians and injuring two others. In response, Yemen’s Ansarullah movement has launched a new retaliatory attack against Saudi Arabia. The Houthis gunned down three Saudi soldiers in the kingdom’s Jizan province. They also shot down a Saudi spy plane in Yemen’s Hajjah province. The latest retaliatory attack came as many Yemeni civilians have died in recent days in intensified Saudi air raids. Riyadh started its war on Yemen in March 2015. Since then, over 13,600 Yemenis, most of them civilians, have been killed.

Unstoppable shootings in US

Two separate shootings in the US state of Texas have left several people including a seven-year-old boy dead. In the city of Greenville, a woman opened fire on his friend’s vehicle as he was driving away with his 7-year-old son and two other children. The boy who was shot in the chest died later in the hospital. The shooter was arrested and is facing a capital murder charge. Elsewhere in the city of Houston, a former employee shot dead two people before committing suicide. Police say the two slain people were probably the gunman’s ex-colleagues. Tens of thousands of Americans are killed by guns each year.

Iran rallies

Iranians are holding rallies across the country to mark the 2009 nationwide marches in support of the Islamic establishment following months of post-election unrest back then. Millions of people have flooded the streets to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the mass rallies held on December 30, 2009 in support of the Islamic Republic. Rallies are being held in various cities including the capital Tehran to mark the day, dubbed ‘Dey 9 epic’. The 2009 rallies restored calm to the nation after months of political unrest sparked after the presidential election. Back then, millions of people took to the streets in Tehran and several other major cities to condemn the foreign-orchestrated unrest.

US Syria presence

The US defense secretary says Washington will increase the number of its diplomats and contractors in Syria as the fight against Daesh terrorists approaches its end. James Mattis added that the US will shift from an offensive approach to a stabilizing one. The pentagon chief claimed the diplomats would help ensure that Daesh terrorists do not retake Syrian territories. The comments came as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had previously called US troops in the country as illegal invader forces. The Pentagon says there are about two-thousand US troops in Syria. Damascus has time and again said that Washington is neither invited nor permitted to be present in Syria.

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