Qasem Soleimani

"According to preliminary data, all passengers and crew members are dead", Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Facebook.
The plane is said to have fallen due to technical problems, Iranian media reported, as much of the airspace in the region is clear due to Iran's missile attacks on US bases in Iraq tonight.

At least 50 people were killed and another 48 were injured during the funeral of the killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Kerman.

The victims were run over by a the crowd. Millions of people gathered in the city's central square for the final part of the funeral ceremony.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived today on an unannounced preliminary visit to Syria, where he met with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, TASS and the Associated Press reported.

Bilateral negotiations took place between the Russian and Syrian delegations.

Romania and Croatia said on Tuesday that they have joined other NATO countries in withdrawing military personnel from Iraq following the Baghdad parliament's call for foreign troops to leave the country in reaction to the US killing of a top Iranian general near the Iraqi capital on January 4.

The United States has declined to issue a visa to the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was scheduled to attend a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Thursday. This was reported by Reuters, citing a US official who requested anonymity.

Turkey's defense minister held a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart to discuss recent developments in Iraq, an official statement from Turkey said on Jan. 6.

According to the statement issued by Turkey's National Defense Ministry, Turkey's Hulusi Akar and the U.S.'s Mark Esper addressed security issues in the region concerning both countries.

UNESCO has reminded the US and Iran that they have signed international treaties that oblige them not to damage cultural heritage sites in armed conflict, Reuters reported.

They blocked it because it did not take into account the US airstrike near the ensuing Baghdad airport that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

NATO ambassadors will hold an extraordinary meeting at the headquarters in Brussels, according to BGNES. The news comes after an escalation of tensions in the Middle East over the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

""The North Atlantic Council will address the situation in the region," a NATO official said.

NATO ambassadors will meet at their Brussels headquarters on Jan. 6 as Middle East tensions mount after U.S. forces killed a top Iranian general. 

"The North Atlantic Council will address the situation in the region," a NATO official said.     

"The secretary general decided to convene the meeting of NATO ambassadors following consultations with allies."