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☆ Middle East Crisis Iran Blames Israel for Deaths of Top Commanders in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The covert war has previously included Israel’s targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists, and Iran’s use of foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests. “For years, Israel and Iran have been engaged in what’s usually called a ‘shadow war,’” Ali Vaez, the Iran director for the International Crisis Group, said Monday in a social media post. Israel and Iran differed in their descriptions of the building that was hit. Iran described it as part of its diplomatic mission in Syria, but Israel said it was being used by the Revolutionary Guards, making it a legitimate military target. Mr. Akbari said among those killed were several Iranian military advisers deployed to Syria.

Persons: Israel, Israel’s, Mohamad Reza Zahedi, General Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haj Rahimi, Hossein Aman Allahi, ’ ” Ali Vaez, “, ” Nasser Kanaani, Mr, Kanaani, Daniel Hagari, ” Mr, Vaez, ”, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Hossein Akbari, Akbari, Iran’s, Peyman Syed Taheri, Taheri Organizations: Iranian Embassy, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Corps, Hamas, Quds Force, Quds Forces, Quds, Guards, International Crisis, Iran’s, Palestinian, Revolutionary Guards, CNN Locations: Damascus, Syria, Iranian, Syrian, Iran’s Quds, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Quds, “ Iran, Jihad, ”, Tehran

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned. These gut-wrenching casualties were described to The Associated Press by Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive-care doctor from Jordan, following a 10-hour overnight shift at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah. After nearly six months of war, Gaza’s health sector has been decimated. In the early stages of the war, Israel severely limited the entry of food, fuel and medical supplies into Gaza.

Persons: Tanya Haj, Hassan, “, ” Haj, Arvind Das, Mustafa Abu Qassim, ”, Abu Qassim, “ It’s, ___ Chehayeb Organizations: Hamas, Associated, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, International Rescue Committee, Medical Aid, World Health Organization, Health Ministry, Israel Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Jordan, Al, Aqsa, Deir, Haj, Israeli Israel, Israel, Gaza's, Beirut, ___, israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has bolstered defenses at a base in Jordan that was attacked by Iran-backed militants as it prepares for a wider U.S. response to a drone attack that killed three service members, a U.S. official said Friday. Even as a larger U.S. military response seemed imminent, some Iran-backed factions pledged to continue to attack U.S. forces in the region. A second U.S. official confirmed the military had taken self-defense strikes inside Yemen against Houthi military targets deemed an imminent threat. The U.S. options under consideration include targets in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, where the Iranian-made drone that killed the service members was fired from, the official said. The U.S. has blamed the Jordan attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias.

Persons: Harakat, Jordan, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, CQ Brown, Defense SecretaryAustin, ” Austin, Austin, ”, Aamer Mahdani, Abdulrahman Zeyad, Ahmed al, Haj Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Joint Chiefs, Dover Air Force Base, Defense, Hezbollah, Washington , D.C Locations: Jordan, Iran, U.S, The U.S, Yemen, Red, Yemeni, Hajjah, Sanaa, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Delaware, Iranian, Iraqi, backchannels, Washington ,, Baghdad

☆ The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Long Shadow of 1948
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Emily Bazelon | A Discussion Moderated Emily Bazelon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

In 1948, Jews realized their wildly improbable dream of a state, and Palestinians experienced the mass flight and expulsion called the Nakba, or catastrophe. It’s only in 1948 that the Arabs become Palestinians and the Jews become Israelis. Many Jews became lower-level officers during World War II, and they brought their new military expertise to the 1948 war. Zoltan Kluger/GPO, via Getty Images Palestinian bombers destroyed buildings on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in March 1948. Bettmann/Getty Images A Palestinian refugee cut off from her home by the border established after the 1948 war.

Persons: Matson, —, Khalil Raad, Yaakov Ben Dov Delegates, Haj Amin al, Husseini, ”, It’s, Avraham Avinu, David, Fox, King David Hotel, David Ben, Gurion, “, Hitler, Hans Pinn, Abd al, Qadir al, Chalil, Zoltan Kluger, Ben Yehuda, Hugo H, Mendelsohn, John Phillips, Palestine ”, UNSCOP, Bettmann, Ruth Orkin, David Seymour, Jordan, Israel, Abdullah, Nadim, Leena Dallasheh, Abigail Jacobson, Moshe Naor, ” Derek Penslar, ” Itamar Rabinovich, Salim Tamari, Emily Bazelon, Herzl, Faisal Al, Hashemi, James Russell &, Bain, Jabotinsky, Abraham Pisarek, Weizmann, Heinrich Hoffmann Organizations: Congress, Institute for Palestine, Palestinian, . Institute for Palestine, Matson, Palestine, Getty, of Congress British, Peel, Zionist, Jewish, British Armed Forces, Allied, King, of Congress Women, Hulton, Biltmore, British, Agence France, Getty Images, Refugees, West Bank, Shutterstock, United Nations, League of Nations, United, United Nations Jewish, Madver, The, Palestine Studies, Columbia University, Columbia University , New York University, Rice University, Islamic, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, Tel Aviv University, Birzeit University, Institute for Palestine Studies, The New York Times Magazine, James Russell & Sons, of Congress, Israel, Ben, General Photographic Agency, Society, International Affairs Locations: Palestine, City, Jerusalem, Canadian American, Israel, British, Jaffa, Damascus, Old City, Hebron, Safed, Europe, Arab, North Africa, New York City, Middle Eastern, Haifa, Cyprus, Jenin, U.S, United Nations, Iraq, Tel Aviv’s Lod, Lebanon, Eyal, el Bared, Egypt, Syria, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Palestinian, United States, Qatar, Iran, Columbia University ,, Nazareth, Israeli, Husseini

☆ U.S. Troops Are Injured in Attack on Air Base in Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Eric Schmitt | Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Israel and Iran have been locked in a shadow war for years, long before the latest war in Gaza began. They have traded covert attacks by land, sea and air, as well as online. Israel has conducted targeted killings of key Iranian figures and strikes aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities. Syria is a close ally of Iran and a conduit for Iranian weapons shipments to its proxies, especially Hezbollah. Iran and Pakistan Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza Clashes along Israel-Lebanon border Qatar Iranian strike targeting militants Saudi Arabia U.A.E.

Persons: Israel, Ebrahim Raisi, Israel —, SANA, Hojatallah Omidvar, Haj Sadegh Omidzade, General Omidvar, Sayyed Razi Mousavi, Ronen Bergman, Victoria Kim Organizations: Guards, Quds Force, Islamic, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards, Human Rights, SYria AFghanistan IRAQ Israel Iran Clashes, West Bank, Qatar, Qatar INdia Saudi Arabia U.A.E, Red Sea, TURKEY U.S, EGYPT Qatar Saudi Arabia U.A.E, SYria IRAQ Iran Israel Clashes, West Bank KUWAIT PAK, Qatar Iranian, Saudi Arabia U.A.E, Quds Forces, Brig, Senior Locations: Iran, Damascus, Israel, Gaza, Syria, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Gaza . Israel, Syrian, Britain, East TURKMENISTAN Syria, Iraq TURKEY Iran, SYria AFghanistan IRAQ Israel Iran, West, Gaza PAKISTAN KUWAIT Iran, Pakistan EGYPT, Qatar INdia Saudi Arabia, OMAN Red, YEMEN Sudan, Red, Red Sea U.S, Iraq TURKMENISTAN Iran, TURKEY, Gaza Iran, Pakistan KUWAIT PAKISTAN, EGYPT Qatar Saudi Arabia, Sudan YEMEN U.S, SYria IRAQ Iran Israel, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, OMAN, YEMEN, Iranian, Gen, Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq, Israeli, United States

The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza. The U.S.-led bombardment came in response to a recent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas. The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brig. Tesla, meanwhile, said it would temporarily halt most production at its German factory because of attacks in the Red Sea.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ”, Yemen’s Houthis, “, " Biden, Lloyd Austin, Donald Trump Lt, Douglas Sims, Yahya Saree, Nikolas, Iran’s, Hussein, George W, Bush, Friday's, Nasser Kanaani, Vassily Nebenzia, Linda Thomas, Ambassador Barbara Woodward, Thomas, Greenfield, ” ___ Gambrell, Ahmed Al, Haj, Bassem, Jill Lawless, Nasser Karimi, Fatima Hussein, Ellen Knickmeyer, Chris Megerian, Seung Min Kim, Edith M, Lederer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Britain, Associated Press, U.S . Central Command, Navy, White, Camp, U.S . Navy, Republicans, Pentagon, Joint Chiefs of Staff, . Air Forces Central Command, Tomahawk, Foreign Ministry, Brent, Food, U.S, U.S ., United Arab Emirates, . Security, Ambassador, United Nations Locations: Yemen, U.S, Sanaa, Iran, Aden, Gaza . U.S, Houthi, Gen, Red, Gaza, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, United Kingdom, Bani, Abbs, Gulf of Oman, Tehran, Washington, Suez, America, Britain, Houthis, Greenfield, U.K, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Beirut, London, Emmaus , Pennsylvania

☆ Lebanon and Palestine draw 0-0 in World Cup qualifier held in UAE
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Palestine drew 0-0 with Lebanon on Thursday in a World Cup qualifier played without fans in the United Arab Emirates due to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Despite starting official training only four days ago, the Palestinians started the game well. Karim Darwich missed a good chance for Lebanon three minutes into the second half and Palestine, ranked 94th by FIFA, had a Tamer Seyam shot saved by Lebanon goalkeeper Moustafa Matar. Lebanon's Ali Al Haj shot into the side netting after 87 minutes before Matar saved Oday Dabbagh's close-range shot with his out-stretched leg in the final minute. The Palestinians usually host games at Al-Ram's Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium on the West Bank but they will meet Australia next in Kuwait on Nov. 21.

Persons: Hassan Maatouk, Atta Gaber, Karim Darwich, Moustafa Matar, Lebanon's Ali Al Haj, Matar, Oday Dabbagh's, Ram's Faisal Al, Ashraf Hamed Atta, Toby Davis Organizations: United, Palestinian, FIFA, Al, West Bank, Australia, Thomson Locations: Palestine, Lebanon, Emirates, Israel, Gaza, Beirut, Sharjah, Asia, Kuwait

The vast majority of fatalities – 73% – are women, children and the elderly, according to the health ministry. Women are in great pain, they sleep on the floors, without mattresses,” Bashir, the 32-year-old mother, told CNN. She told CNN she received confirmation the products reached the Rafah crossing, but does not know when the aid will enter Gaza. Palestinian mothers told CNN they cannot protect their kids from the terror of Israel's persistent bombardment. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty ImagesSo many aspects of motherhood, once routine, are now a matter of life or death.

Persons: —, MedGlobal, OCHA, ” Musleh, “ I, can’t, “, Ahmed Al, Sadi, ”, Tanya Haj, Hassan, Médecins, jeopardizing, ” Haj, Hiba Tibi, Israel's, Said Khatib, Amal, Khan Younis, Bashir, Heather Barr, Barr, ” Bashir, CNN Amal, Nesma ElFar, MotherBeing, ‘, ’ ” Haj, Ahmad Hasaballah, Musleh, – Organizations: CNN, US, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Medical, CARE International, CARE ., CARE West Bank, UN, Getty, Haj, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Human Rights Watch Locations: Al, Gaza, Ramallah, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, AFP, Gaza City, Cairo, Khan, Palestine

CNN —Israel has claimed responsibility for an attack on an ambulance outside Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the enclave, which witnesses say killed and wounded dozens of people. Israel said it had targeted the ambulance because it was being used by Hamas, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). A spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, who was at Al-Shifa Hospital, said that Israel was responsible for the attack. Blood is splattered on the side of an ambulance after an Israeli airstrike outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on November 3. “When the ambulances moved towards the south, the occupation [Israel] targeted the ambulances in multiple locations, including on the gate of Al-Shifa medical compound,” he said.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Israel, “, ” PRCS, Saeed Jaras, Dr, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Cross, ”, Medhat Abbas, Israel’s, Yousef Abu Al, Tanya Haj, Hassan Organizations: CNN, Shifa, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Al, Palestine Red Crescent Society, of Health, International Committee, ICRC, Gaza Health Ministry, United Nations, Medical Locations: Gaza, Al, Palestine, Gaza City, Rafah, Israel, Ramallah

☆ Surgery without drugs, patients piling up: Gaza’s hospitals overwhelmed as power run out
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —In Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, a dazed and drowsy woman sits on the floor with a bleeding leg. “The situation in hospitals is miserable… (it) makes you weep,” Rajaa Musleh, a 50-year-old woman sheltering at Al-Shifa, told CNN on Thursday. ‘Overloaded’Hospital staff are exhausted, Dr. Alaa Shitali, a medical officer at Al-Shifa’s emergency department, told CNN Tuesday. “And the doctors are left to treat them with limited pain control, (as they are) running out of anesthetic drugs.” she told CNN. Hospitals in the besieged and heavily battered enclave are “hanging by a thread,” the UN said Monday, adding that around 10 hospitals in Gaza are still operational.

Persons: Rajaa, ”, Musleh, Mustafa Hassona, Alaa, “, Shitali, Tanya Haj, Hassan, Gaza’s, Israel, Sobhi Skaik, Skaik, Khan, Ahmad Hasaballah, Atef Al Kahlout, Ali Jadallah, Bashar Morad, Morad, ” Morad, ” Musleh Organizations: CNN, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN’s, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Getty, Palestinian Ministry of Health, ’ Hospital, Al, of Health, Nasser Medical Hospital, Israel Defense Forces, Care International, Quds Hospital, The, Care, UN, Palestinian, Crescent, Palestinian Red Crescent Society Locations: Al, Gaza, Anadolu, Ramallah, Gaza City, Israel, Turkish, Palestinian, Hamas, Khan Younis, GAZA, Quds, Tel al, The Geneva

GAZA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A heatwave and worsening power cuts in Gaza have left some of those living in the overcrowded Palestinian enclave struggling to breathe. Power cuts, which are unpredictable at the best of times, now last for around 12 hours a day instead of 10 as demand for air conditioning soars. "Power cuts deprive patients of their right to regular oxygen ventilation and that pushes patients to keep visiting hospital," Haj said. Alongside cases of acquired pulmonary fibrosis, Gaza health officials say more than 300 people in the enclave were born with cystic fibrosis, which causes the lungs and digestive system to become clogged with sticky mucus. Abdel-Majeed Al-Sbakhi, who has diabetes as well as cystic fibrosis, was among those forced in hospital by the heat.

Persons: Ismail Nashwan, Mohammad Al, Haj, Gaza's Shuhada, Majeed Al, Sbakhi, Nidal al, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Hamas, Aqsa, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Gaza's, Gaza's Shuhada Al

☆ Morocco stun South Korea to claim first ever Women's World Cup victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ADELAIDE, July 30 (Reuters) - Debutantes Morocco claimed their first ever victory at the Women's World Cup with a 1-0 win over South Korea in their second Group H encounter on Sunday, all but confirming the Asian side's exit. Morocco are 55 rungs below South Korea in the women's rankings, but the African side made an early breakthrough with their first ever World Cup goal from striker Ibtissam Jraidi. "There's a sense of pride for us to pull this first World Cup win out of the bag," coach Reynald Pedros said, dedicating the victory to the king of Morocco. Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina, who became the first player to wear a headscarf at the Women's World Cup, made crucial interventions, while she almost scored from a set-piece when she volleyed a snapshot over the bar. We saved the worst two performances in my tenure for the World Cup.

Persons: Ibtissam Jraidi, Ait, Ait El Haj, Jraidi, Reynald Pedros, Pedros, Nouhaila Benzina, yun, Collin Bell, Korea's Casey Phair, Bell, I'm, we've, Rohith Nair, William Mallard Organizations: Debutantes, South, South Koreans, Moroccan, Germany, Asian, Thomson Locations: ADELAIDE, Debutantes Morocco, South Korea, Morocco, Ait El, Germany, Colombia, Korea, Bengaluru

☆ Popp doubles down as Germany maul Morocco 6-0
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, July 24 (Reuters) - Talismanic captain Alexandra Popp scored a brace as Germany launched their bid for a third Women's World Cup title with a 6-0 demolition of debutants Morocco on Monday. I look forward to the next match, but today we want to be happy with what we did today. "As it stands we came across a team which was superior to our own -- David and Goliath," said Morocco coach Reynald Pedros. Whirling around in the box, Popp scored again in the 39th minute, Buehl's corner pinging off the back of her head. Lea Schueller completed the rout a minute before stoppage time, smashing in the sixth goal after team mate Lena Lattwein's attempt careened off the keeper.

Persons: Alexandra Popp, Popp, Klara Buehl, Lea Schueller, Martina Voss, Tecklenburg, Lionesses, David, Goliath, Reynald Pedros, Khadija Er, Ghizlane Chebbak, Merle Frohms, Lina Magull, Hanane Ait, Hanane Ait El Haj, Zineb Redouani, Lena Lattwein's, Ian Ransom, Christian Radnedge Organizations: MELBOURNE, Germany, Melbourne, Colombia, South, Thomson Locations: Morocco, Germans, South Korea, Sydney, Germany, Moroccan, Qatar, Hanane Ait El, Melbourne

☆ Journey to Mecca: Scenes from the Haj pilgrimage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The contest, dominated by international concern over corruption, will have to be settled in a second round of voting with the leading candidate former first lady Sandra Torres on track to fall well short of the 50% plus one vote needed for outright victory.

Persons: Sandra Torres

☆ Podcast: What's next for Putin and Ukraine after mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin breaks his silence for the first time since a group of mercenaries threatened to march on Moscow. We look at how this Russian infighting could impact the battlefield in Ukraine and the balance of power back home. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt-out of targeted advertising. Further ReadingJet linked to Prigozhin arrives in Belarus following mutinyZelenskiy discusses Russian turmoil with Biden, Trudeau, DudaDefying high prices, Muslim pilgrims head to Mecca for hajOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Zelenskiy, Biden, Trudeau, Duda Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Thomson, Reading Jet, haj Our Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, Mecca

☆ Journey to Mecca: Images from the Haj pilgrimage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The partnership is "stronger, closer and more dynamic than at any time in history," Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with Modi. The press conference itself was a reflection of contrasting political traditions, marking the first time Modi has taken questions in such a format in his nine-year tenure.

Persons: Biden, Modi

☆ Defying high prices, Muslim pilgrims head to Mecca for haj
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Arafat Barbakh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 65-year-old struggled to pay the bill despite choosing the cheapest-offered package, which included travelling to Saudi Arabia by land and sharing hotel rooms with other pilgrims. "For the sake of the holy mosque and seeing the Kaaba... everything is worth it, but the economic conditions are really tough," he added. Abu Rahal was one of more than 2 million haj pilgrims expected to attend the 2023 pilgrimage season this week in Mecca and Medina, defying global inflation and higher prices for haj services. Authorities in the kingdom said more than 1.6 million pilgrims had already arrived for the pilgrimage as of Sunday. Many pilgrims said they were happy to take the spiritual journey and buy gifts for their family members despite high prices.

Persons: Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Anas Abu Rahal, haj, Abu Rahal, Haj, Eid Al, Omar, Abdullah Abbas, Aziz El Yaakoubi, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, haj, Thomson Locations: El, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Abd El Ghany MECCA, Medina, Saudi, Mecca's, haj, Egypt

Neither Azour nor Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Frangieh came close to winning the 86 votes needed to win in a first round vote. Azour, the IMF's Middle East Director and an ex-finance minister, won the support of 59 of 128 lawmakers. Hezbollah and its allies then withdrew from the session, denying the two-thirds quorum required for a second vote in which 65 votes are enough for victory. Azour thanked lawmakers who backed him, saying he hoped the will expressed by "the majority of deputies" would be respected. George Adwan, a Christian lawmaker with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party, said the vote was "a major victory" because it showed Azour close to 65 votes.

Persons: Gebran Bassil, Azour, Suleiman Frangieh, Frangieh, Nabih Berri, Michel Aoun, Hussein al, Haj Hassan, Bashar al, Assad, George Adwan, Mohamed Azakir, Matthew Miller, Miller, Mohanad Hage Ali, Riad Salameh, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan dialled, Issam Abdallah, Simon Lewis, Tom Perry, John Stonestreet, Mark Heinrich, William Maclean Organizations: BEIRUT, Hezbollah, IMF, Maronite, Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, REUTERS, U.S . State Department, Carnegie Middle East Center, West, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Iran, Muslim, Saudi Arabia, Lebanese, Yemen, Beirut, Washington, U.S, United States, Israel, Damascus

Just after the ceasefire expired at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) witnesses said clashes and artillery fire resumed in the north of Omdurman. "The truce made us relax a bit, but the war and fear are returning today," said Musab Saleh, a 38-year-old resident of southern Khartoum. Fighting has been concentrated in the capital, much of which has become a war zone plagued by looting and clashes. 'LOOTING EVERYWHERE'Another affected city is El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan State southwest of Khartoum and on a major route to Darfur. The 24-hour ceasefire that began on Saturday morning was negotiated at talks led by Saudi Arabia and the United States in Jeddah.

Persons: Witnesses, Haj Youssef, Musab Saleh, Mohamed Salman, Khalid Abdelaziz, Mohamed Nureldin, Aidan Lewis, William Mallard, Jason Neely, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, Darfur Bar Association, Thomson Locations: Khartoum, Egypt, KHARTOUM, Sudan's, Sunday, Haj, Bahri, Omdurman, Shambat, Darfur, El Geneina, Chad, El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Kordofan, Sudanese, Saudi Arabia, United States, Jeddah, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ Iraq to pay $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAGHDAD, June 10 (Reuters) - Iraq has agreed to pay about $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran after receiving a sanctions waiver from the United States, a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official said. Due to decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraq is dependent on imports from Iran for a lot of its gas needs. However, U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil and gas have hampered Iraq's payments for imports, putting it in heavy arrears and leading Iran to retaliate by cutting gas flows regularly. Iran has been unable to access billions of dollars in assets in several countries due to U.S. sanctions. The United States has insisted that oil-rich Iraq, the OPEC group's second-largest producer, moves towards self-sufficiency as a condition for its exemption to import Iranian energy, yet Baghdad has struggled to do so.

Persons: Fuad Hussein, Antony Blinken, Ahmed Al, Sahhaf, Hussein, Yahya Al, Ahmed Rasheed, Amina Ismail, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: U.S, Riyadh Conference, Reuters, Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Commercial Bank of Iraq, United, OPEC, Dubai, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraq, Iran, United States, Iraqi, Riyadh, Baghdad

☆ Sudanese warring factions to resume indirect talks as clashes intensify
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya said the two sides had agreed to indirect talks without providing details. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said on Sunday he had spoken with Farhan and expressed his support for the Jeddah platform. Artillery and air strikes continued overnight, with residents in southern and eastern Khartoum and northern Bahri reporting sounds of artillery and gun clashes on Tuesday morning. Looters, some of whom Khartoum residents and neighbourhood committees said belong to the RSF, have pillaged neighbourhoods, stealing cars, breaking open safes, and occupying homes. Aid groups have struggled to provide extensive assistance to Khartoum residents, who face electricity and water shortages as well as dwindling supplies in shops and pharmacies.

Persons: Al Arabiya, RSF, General Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Faisal bin Farhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Farhan, Jawahir Mohamed, El Obeid, Dafallah al, Haj, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Adam Makary, Christina Fincher, Grant McCool Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, Sovereign, Artillery, army's Engineers Corps, Engineers ' Corps, Emergency Lawyers, Nafisa, Thomson Locations: KHARTOUM, United States, Saudi Arabia, Al Arabiya, Khartoum, Saudi, Jeddah, Bahri, OMDURMAN, Omdurman, Darfur, Egypt, Sudan, Dubai, Cairo

☆ Iraq launches $17 billion road and rail project to link Asia and Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Development Road is not just a road to move goods or passengers. This road opens the door to development of vast areas of Iraq," Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, told Reuters. The Grand Faw Port, which was devised over a decade ago, is halfway to completion, Fartousi said. Passenger transport between Iraq and Europe harkens back to grand plans at the turn of the 20th century to create a Baghdad to Berlin express. But officials say the Development Road is based on something new: a period of relative stability since late last year that they hope can be maintained.

☆ Iraq says Iran blames reduced gas exports on 'technical' matter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Iraqi delegation led by the electricity minister will travel to Iran next week to discuss the issue, Iraqi state media reported on Tuesday, noting gas imports had decreased by 20 million cubic meters at the time. Iraq usually imports between 50 million to 70 million cubic meters of gas, according to Iraq's electricity ministry spokesperson Ahmed Moussa. Iraq imports electricity and gas from Iran that in total makes up between a third and 40% of its power supply, especially crucial in the sweltering summer months when temperatures can top 50 degrees Celsius (122°F) and power consumption peaks. During Friday's phone call, Amirabdollahian thanked Iraq for trying to resolve the issue of financial transfers with Washington, the statement said. Iraq spends roughly $4 billion per year on imports of Iranian gas and power while at the same time burning massive quantities of natural gas as a byproduct of its hydrocarbons sector.

☆ Israel says it is discussing possible direct Haj flights to Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Netanyahu's centrist predecessor, Yair Lapid, said on March 10 that, as prime minister last year, he secured Saudi consent for what would be the first direct Haj flights from Israel, some 18% of whose population are Muslim. Asked whether the direct flights would happen for next month's pilgrimage to the holy Saudi city of Mecca, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said a request had been submitted. "But with that, I am optimistic that we can advance peace with Saudi Arabia." The Biden administration last June predicted there would be direct charter flights from Israel to Saudi Arabia for the Haj. Saudi Arabia has been allowing Israeli airlines to overfly it to UAE and Bahrain since 2020, a corridor that it and next-door Oman have since expanded to include other destinations.

☆ Iran and Saudi Arabia: Key developments towards resumption of ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 10 (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to re-establish relations after a seven-year diplomatic rupture, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China. Here are key dates in Saudi-Iranian relations since the suspension of ties in 2016:Jan. 2, 2016: Saudi Arabia executes nearly 50 people including prominent Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Jan. 3, 2016: Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran. Jan. 7, 2016: Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of air strikes on its embassy in Yemen. Sept. 14, 2019: Saudi Arabia blames Iran for attacks on its oil installations that knocked out half of the kingdom's supply.

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