Middle East & North Africa

24 May 2022; MEMO: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed "inevitable revenge" following the assassination of Revolutionary Guards Colonel, Sayyad Khodaei which took place in the capital, Tehran, on Sunday.

"Revenge against the criminals for the blood of the great martyr [Khodaei] will definitely be taken, without any doubt," Raisi told reporters yesterday.

23 May 2022; MEMO: Iran and Oman have agreed to form a committee to jointly develop the Hengam oilfield which straddles both countries' sea border, according to a report today by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.

The report cited Oil Minister Javad Owji who explained that the "Joint exploitation, in contrast to competitive exploitation, will be mutually beneficial to both countries as this method leads to less damage to the reservoir and allows for more extraction."

24 May 2022; MEMO: Cairo's Court of Misdemeanours sentenced Yahya Hussein Abdel Hadi, co-founder of the Civil Democratic Movement, to four years in prison, for disseminating false news, his lawyer, Khaled Ali said.

The prosecution argued that Abdel Hadi had "deliberately disseminated false news inside and outside" Egypt and demanded he be punished.

24 May 2022; MEMO: Islamic institutions in Jerusalem warned on Monday of "dangerous" Israeli decisions that undermine the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, stressing that they will never recognise any of these decisions, Quds Press has reported.

RAMALLAH, May 23 (NNN-WAFA) – The U.S. State Department’s decision to remove the Israeli extremist “Kach” movement from the list of foreign terrorist organisations, has sparked condemnation and outrage among Palestinians.

The Palestinian presidency said in a press statement yesterday that, it strongly condemned the decision as the movement was responsible for “incitement to kill and expel Palestinians.”

AMMAN, May 23 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan yesterday condemned an Israeli court decision, allowing “extremists” to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Haitham Abu Al-Foul, said that, the decision is null and void, which “lacks legal status under international law that does not recognise Israeli jurisdiction on territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem,” according to a ministry statement.

ANKARA, May 23 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Ankara would soon launch new military operations along its southern borders to create 30-km deep safe zones to combat terrorist threats from these regions.

"The main target of these operations will be areas which are centers of attacks to our country and safe zones," Erdogan said, without elaborating.

Erdogan said the operations would be launched as soon as military, intelligence and security forces have completed their preparations.

TUNIS, May 23 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful labour union said on Monday it would hold a national strike over wages and the economy after refusing to take part in a limited dialogue proposed by the president as he rewrites the constitution.

With more than a million members, the UGTT is Tunisia's most powerful political force and its call for a strike may present the biggest challenge yet to President Kais Saied after his seizure of broad powers and moves to one-man rule.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s hard-line president vowed revenge on Monday over the killing of a senior Revolutionary Guard member gunned down in the heart of Tehran the day before, a still-mysterious attack on the country’s powerful paramilitary force.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hailed Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei as a martyr and blamed “the hand of global arrogance,” a reference to the United States and its allies, including Israel, for his slaying.

BAGHDAD (AP) — A sandstorm blanketed parts of the Middle East on Monday, including Iraq, Syria and Iran, sending people to hospitals and disrupting flights in some places.

It was the latest in a series of unprecedented nearly back-to-back sandstorms this year that have bewildered residents and raised alarm among experts and officials, who blame climate change and poor governmental regulations.