The Palestinian Authority announced it will resume security and civil cooperation with Israel, which it had halted in May over Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Those plans were suspended pursuant to Israel’s deal to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates (Haaretz).

The Pentagon announced yesterday that thousands of U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq by January 15, days before President-Elect Joe Biden takes office. The countries will keep roughly 2,500 troops each, down from 4,500 in Afghanistan and 3,000 in Iraq. Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller said the move does not change U.S. policies or objectives (CNN).

The Pentagon announced yesterday that thousands of U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq by January 15, days before President-Elect Joe Biden takes office. The countries will keep roughly 2,500 troops each, down from 4,500 in Afghanistan and 3,000 in Iraq. Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller said the move does not change U.S. policies or objectives; the United States had already withdrawn several thousand troops from Afghanistan since signing an agreement with the Taliban in February (CNN). Nevertheless, the announcement disturbed U.S. allies and congressional lawmakers (New York Times). North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Afghanistan could become a terrorist haven and a home to the Islamic State. A U.S. withdrawal would gut NATO operations in the country, as the United States provides the bulk of its military and logistical support (Washington Post).

Iran denied reports that Israeli agents in Tehran killed al-Qaeda’s second-ranking leader, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Masri, at the behest of the United States. The New York Times first reported al-Masri’s death in August (New York Times).

The Afghan and Indian governments denied Pakistan’s accusation that India is funding terrorist groups and training them in Afghanistan. Pakistan said it has “irrefutable” evidence that it plans to present to the United Nations (Agence France-Presse).

At least seventy-four migrants died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya, according to the United Nations. It was at least the eighth wreck in the Central Mediterranean since October 1 (Al Jazeera).

Protesters in Armenia have continued calling for the prime minister’s resignation after he agreed to a peace deal ceding territory in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).

Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, criticized the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, lamenting that they have not led to a reduction in violence in the country (TOLO).

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian called for early parliamentary elections to resolve a political crisis triggered by a deal to end the conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan fired Armenia’s foreign minister yesterday amid calls to resign over the Russia-brokered truce, which ceded Armenian territory (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).

Libya’s rival factions agreed to cooperate to protect oil facilities following UN-brokered talks. Oil production, Libya’s main source of revenue, halted for nine months this year due to the country’s civil war (Al Jazeera).