Middle East & North Africa

CAIRO, June 9 (Reuters) - Two ships caught on fire after being hit by projectiles off Yemen's Aden, two UK maritime agencies reported on Sunday.

The British security firm Ambrey said on Sunday an Antigua- and Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship was struck by a missile 83 nautical miles southeast of Aden and caught fire. The fire was later contained.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report from a captain of a vessel of an incident 80 nautical miles southeast of Aden.

CAIRO, June 9 (Reuters) - Israeli forces pounded central Gaza anew on Sunday, a day after killing 274 Palestinians during a hostage rescue raid, and tanks advanced into further areas of Rafah in an apparent bid to seal off part of the southern city, residents and Hamas media said.

07 June 2024; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is poised to raise more than $11.2 billion from its secondary offering of oil giant Aramco’s shares, after pricing them towards the lower end of a price range at 27.25 riyals ($7.27), people familiar with the matter told Reuters today.

Aramco did not immediately give a comment. The Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

07 June 2024; MEMO: Turkiye has signed a letter of offer and acceptance for the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States, the US State Department confirmed, Daily Sabah reports.

“Getting this particular sale over the finish line took some time,” State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, told a news conference late Thursday.

“This is good for US national security, Turkish national security and NATO interoperability,” he added while thanking the “hard work” of Turkish defence and foreign affairs ministries.

07 June 2024; MEMO: Houthi security forces have detained 11 United Nations personnel in Yemen over the past three days and the UN is seeking their safe and unconditional release as soon as possible, UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Friday, Reuters reports.

He said the UN was very concerned about the developments and was seeking clarification from the Houthis about why the Yemeni staff was detained. The two women and nine men work for five different UN agencies and the UN envoy for Yemen.

08 June 2024; MEMO: Israeli opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman said Friday that Israel’s government faced “complete humiliation” in Gaza, while “losing the north and continuing to surrender” to Hezbollah, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The Israeli government lost the north and continues to surrender to Hezbollah, which does everything it can,” the head of Yisrael Beiteinu party wrote on X.

08 June 2024; MEMO: Qatari Defence Minister Khalid Bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah on Friday described Gaza as: “The largest open prison in the world and now the largest mass grave” as a result of the devastating Israeli war on the Strip, which has entered its ninth month.

08 June 2024; MEMO: At least 40 people were reported dead following artillery bombardment by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Omdurman area of Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The local Karari Resistance Committee said in a statement that certain residential areas in Omdurman were subjected to intense artillery bombardment by the RSF.

According to the statement, there have been 40 confirmed deaths and over 50 injuries, suggesting that the number of dead and injured could increase.

09 June 2024; MEMO: The Lebanese Hezbollah group on Friday announced more attacks against the Israeli army’s positions and soldiers’ gatherings near the border areas with Lebanon, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement, the group said its fighters targeted a deployment of Israeli soldiers in an area known as Horsh Matawa, northern Israel, with missiles.

Hezbollah also targeted military vehicles inside the Birkat Risha site with rockets, and claimed to achieve a direct hit.

08 June 2024; MEMO: A senior Israeli official recommended Friday that the government classify the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) as “a terrorist organization,” according to a media report, Anadolu Agency reports.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Gilad Erdan, Israel’s envoy to the UN, said the recommendation was in response to the UN blacklisting Israel as an entity that violates children’s rights in conflict zones.