* Iran: "We'll make missiles for as long as US supports Israel" Revolutionary Guards head hits back at US threat of sanctions over weapons tests, says regime has so many missiles it doesn't know where to put them.
* The West Should Stop Apologizing for the Middle East Review: Efraim Karsh, 'The Tail Wags the Dog: International Politics and the Middle East'.
* As 2016 Dawns, Europe Braces For More Waves Of Migrants Bitter cold, biting winds and rough winter seas have done little to stem the seemingly endless flow of desperate people fleeing war or poverty for what they hope will be a brighter, safer future in Europe.
* China restructures military as Xi eyes 'strong army' China has unveiled changes to the structure of its military, adding three new units, described by President Xi Jinping as "a major policy decision to realise the Chinese dream of a strong army", state media reported.
* Putin names United States among threats in new Russian security strategy A new appraisal names the United States as one of the threats to Russia's national security for the first time, a sign of how relations with the west have deteriorated in recent years.
* Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr: Saudi Arabia executes top Shia cleric Saudi Arabia has executed the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the interior ministry said.
* Al-Shabab militant group uses Donald Trump in propaganda film The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has released a propaganda video featuring footage of the US presidential hopeful, Donald Trump.
* The Israelis have spoken - Putin is their person of the year for 2015 The poll of 527 respondents representing a statistical sample of the Jewish adult population, was taken Tuesday and has an error margin of ±4.3 percent.
* Russian Imperialism Meets Illusions of Ottoman Grandeur In a 2012 speech, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, then foreign minister, predicted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's days in power were numbered and that he would depart "within months or weeks."
* Is the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Shifting from a Political to a Religious War? Near-daily Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers have been ongoing since October.