31 December 2025
Finland
Finnish police have seized a Saint Vincent-flagged Russian-owned cargo vessel on its way towards Israel suspected of using its anchor to damage upwards of five underwater-submarine cables operated by the Finnish telecommunication company Elisa. The Fitberg was ordered to stop, raise anchor and move into Finnish territorial waters. “Finland is prepared for security challenges of various kinds, and we respond to them as necessary,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on X.
UK-Europe
The Channel Tunnel connecting the UK to Europe was shut down on Tuesday after an issue with overhead power in the tunnel. By Wednesday, the tunnel operator Eurostar said it planned to run a full service. Despite the repairs, thousands of travellers were stranded in England and France.
Yemen
The UAE will be withdrawing its remaining forces from Yemen after Saudi Arabia bombed the port of Mukalla. Saudi Arabia targeted a shipment of military vehicles that were shipped from the UAE to the Yemeni separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council (STC). The UAE denies that the shipment was for any separatist group.
Turkey
Turkey, once again, conducted another crackdown on suspected ISIS members, with a further 357 arrested across 21 provinces on Tuesday. This comes after three police officers and six alleged militants were killed during an eight-hour siege in the northwestern town of Yalova. Less than a week ago, Turkish authorities arrested 115 people suspected of plotting Christmas and New Year’s attacks.
Iran
Iranian authorities say that a government building in the south has been attacked in Fasa, which is located 780 kilometers south of the capital Tehran. Iranian authorities say that “the provincial governors’ office door and its glass were destroyed in an attack by a number of people,” but did not specify who the people were.
Iran-China
Iran is seeking a railway from Afghanistan into China to expand regional transit and trade links. Jabbar Ali Zakeri, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Railway Authority, discussed the proposal during a meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, in Kabul. Currently, trade between Iran and China is primarily done through maritime routes.
Social media wires
Russia’s federal fuel reserve storage facility in Rybinsk hit by drone attack
Some stats related to the Iranian protests
Featured Photo: Finnish police boat, Wikimedia Commons, 2025
The Wires Brief is a daily breaking news report incorporating wire service news and social media updates. DefRep cannot verify the authenticity of social media reporters nor the accuracy of social media updates. Feature photos are altered with grayscale.