Middle East & North Africa

Saudi delegation heads to China without Crown Prince due to King's illness - sources

22 May 2024; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is sending a delegation that includes the Kingdom’s investment minister to China this week, four people familiar with the matter said, as the world’s largest oil exporter looks for foreign funding for its ambitious economic transformation, Reuters reports.

Israel military permits the return of Israelis to settlements evacuated in 2005 Adam Baker 23/05/2024 - 11:21

22 May 2024; MEMO: The Israeli military this morning granted permission for Israelis to return to three former settlements in the northern occupied West Bank they had been prohibited from entering as part of the 2005 Disengagement Plan.

The three settlements, Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim, are located near the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus in the Occupied Territory.

Iran: Officials from 68 countries attend President's funeral in Tehran

22 May 2024; MEMO: High-ranking officials from at least 68 countries attended a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday to pay respect to Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, and his companions killed in a helicopter crash this weekend, Anadolu Agency reports.

The ceremony was held hours after hundreds of thousands of people took part in a funeral procession in the Iranian capital for Raisi and others killed in Sunday’s accident, including Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

US warns Israel of 'major insurgency' if there is 'full-on' assault on Rafah

22 May 2024; MEMO: The US, on Wednesday, warned about a lack of a “concrete plan” regarding post-war Gaza, adding that Israel will inherit a “major insurgency” if it moves forward with a full assault into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where 1.3 million Palestinians have been sheltering, Anadolu Agency reports.

“If Israel goes full on into Rafah to eliminate the remaining battalions, as they put it, the problem will not be solved,” Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, told House of Representatives.

Palestine: Hamas’s military wing claims it killed 5 Israeli soldiers in Gaza Adam Baker 23/05/2024 - 11:03

22 May 2024; MEMO: Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, announced Wednesday that five Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip were either killed or injured while fighting with the group, Anadolu Agency reports.

“Al-Qassam fighters managed to snipe 3 Zionist soldiers in northern Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, and killed 2 Zionist soldiers at point-blank range in the Brazil neighbourhood south-east of Rafah city,” it said in a statement.

Palestine: Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian village in West Bank, set fire to farmlands Adam Baker 23/05/2024 - 10:16

22 May 2024; MEMO: Illegal Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village in the northern Occupied West Bank on Wednesday and set fire to farmlands, according to witnesses, Anadolu Agency reports.

Illegal settlers attacked with gunfire and rocks Palestinian residents in the village of Asira Al-Qibliya near Nablus and set ablaze farmlands there, witnesses said.

Palestinian villagers resisted the attackers, triggering clashes between the two sides, they added.

Egypt sends delegation to Israel, its latest effort to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas

CAIRO 26 April 2024; AP: Egypt sent a high-level delegation to Israel on Friday with the hope of brokering a cease-fire agreement with Hamas in Gaza, two officials said. At the same time, it warned that a possible Israeli offensive focused on Gaza’s city of Rafah — on the border with Egypt — could have catastrophic consequences for regional stability.

6 iranian border guards held by Taliban released

Birjand, IRNA - Six border guards who had been arrested by Taliban near the southeastern borders were released by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Following the necessary measures taken by Iran, six Iranian border guards who were arrested by Taliban forces an hour earlier in the southeast of the country were released.

It should be noted that this evening Taliban forces arrested 6 Iranian border guards on the pretext of illegal entry into Afghanistan.

Iran calls on BRICS to help stop Zionist crimes in Gaza

Moscow, IRNA – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri has underscored the need for BRICS member states to make efforts to help put an end to the Zionist brutalities in the Gaza Strip.

Bagheri made the remarks during a meeting of BRICS deputy foreign ministers in Moscow on Thursday where they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and North Africa.

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