Middle East & North Africa

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. France is partly to blame for the crash of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft in Syria and the death of Russian military servicemen, military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok told reporters.

"The French Navy's frigate, The Auvergne, did not make the best contribution to the air situation, creating additional difficulties for Syrian air defense teams," he said, adding that "the French frigate was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Syria's air defenses were triggered Monday evening by an Israeli missile attack on the coastal city of Latakia, which lasted for an hour and a half, state TV reported.

The state media reports said the air defenses intercepted many missiles before reaching their targets, airing footages showing the air defense missiles beaming in the sky over Latakia and the nearby city of Tartus.

The footages also showed areas that had been struck by the missile attack, which the TV said was carried out from the sea.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States believed that the Russian aircraft that went missing on Monday over the Mediterranean had been mistakenly shot down by Syrian forces, U.S. media reported on Monday citing a U.S. official with knowledge of the incident.

A Russian aircraft with 14 servicemen on board went off radar near the Hmeymim airbase in Syria Monday evening and the Hmeymim airbase has launched a search and rescue operation for the missing aircraft, said the Russian Defense Ministry in a statement.

ANKARA, September 17. /TASS/. Turkey is determined to continue strengthening its military positions in Syria’s Idlib province, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters upon returning from Azerbaijan on Monday.

"It is true that we have been strengthening the positions of our troops [in Idlib]. We cannot afford to have any weak spots," he said, as cited by the Haberturk newspaper. "If we don’t strengthen our observation points, then someone else will take the initiative, which may lead to civilian harm," Erdogan added.

DOHA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Qatar has announced plan to produce first Qatari electric cars by 2023, local media reported on Monday.

The Qatari electric vehicles will be manufactured by the factory which will be established at a cost of nine billion U.S. dollars, said "Qatar Tribune" newspaper.

The project will be the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East as it is a whole new brand, said Ali bin Nasser al Misnad, Chairman of the Qatar Quality company, which is responsible for this project.

CAIRO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League urged on Sunday the international community to exert immediate pressure on Israel to halt the demolition of Al-Khan Al-Ahmar Bedouin village east of Jerusalem.

Israel should also be pressured to halt the systematic settlement activities meant to isolate East Jerusalem, the Arab League's Palestine and the occupied Arab territories sector said in a statement.

Such moves will divide the West Bank and eliminate any chances to reach a peaceful settlement based on the two-state solution, the pan-Arab group noted.

RIYADH, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali signed on Sunday the Jeddah Peace Accord in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, Al Arabiya reported.

The deal was sponsored by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and attended by the United Nation's Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of the United Arab Emirates.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea were in Saudi Arabia on Sunday ahead of a meeting described as the signing of a peace accord between the two East African nations.

Terms of the agreement to be signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in the Red Sea port city of Jiddah remain unclear.

KHARTOUM, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ministers of Sudan's new government on Saturday took the constitutional oath before Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

"There are priorities for this new government in improving the livelihood of the people, addressing the economic situation and achieving peace and stability," Bushara Juma'a Aror, Sudan's new information minister, told reporters following the oath-taking ceremony.

Interior Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman reiterated that the current economic crisis represents the main challenge for the new government.

TEHRAN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran would increase uranium enrichment if the European Union (EU) fails to implement its obligations following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian landmark nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday.

"The Europeans and the other signatories must act in order to compensate for the effects of the U.S. sanctions," Zarif was quoted as saying by Press TV.