Middle East & North Africa

Saudi Arabia appoints 1st ambassador to Syria since 2012

26 May 2024; MEMO: Saudi Arabia appointed a new ambassador to Syria on Sunday, for the first time since 2012, Anadolu Agency reports.

Faisal Al-Mujfel was appointed the kingdom’s ambassador in Damascus, the state news agency SPA reported.

The move came months after the two countries resumed their diplomatic relations after they severed their ties more than a decade ago.

Netanyahu, you will meet Hitler's fate says Erdogan

28 May 2024; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Israel’s actions in Rafah, calling them “a revelation of the ugly face of a terrorist state.” He asserted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates will not escape punishment and will meet the same fate as Adolf Hitler and other war criminals.

Egypt soldier killed in exchange of fire with Israel army near Rafah

28 May 2024; MEMO: The Egyptian army announced yesterday that a soldier was killed in a shooting near the border with the Gaza Strip, saying it is investigating the incident, Anadolu reported.

“The Egyptian Armed Forces are conducting an investigation by the competent authorities regarding the shooting incident in the border area in Rafah, which led to the martyrdom of one of the personnel in charge of security,” a military spokesman said in a statement.

The spokesman did not point the finger at any party.

Vessel hit by missiles off Yemen coast, say shipping sources

28 May 2024; MEMO: A Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier off the Yemeni coast took on water after being targeted with three missiles, maritime security and shipping sources said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

The ship issued a distress call, saying it had sustained damage to the cargo hold and was taking on water about 54 nautical miles south-west of Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah, British security firm, Ambrey, said.

Irish FM: EU discuss imposing sanction on Israel for the first time

29 May 2024; MEMO: Irish Foreign Minister, Micheál Martin, announced yesterday that European Union foreign ministers have held a “significant” discussion for the first time on imposing sanctions on Israel if it fails to adhere to international humanitarian law.

“There was a very clear consensus about the need to uphold the international humanitarian legal institutions,” Martin told reporters following the Foreign Affairs Council.

Israel: Requests for psychological treatment tripled since October

29 May 2024; MEMO: The number of Israelis who sought mental health assistance has tripled since the beginning of Israel’s ruthless war on the besieged Gaza Strip on 7 October until the end of 2023, reaching about 18,000 people, Israel’s KAN broadcaster reported.

At the beginning of this year, the Eurasia journal published a joint study by the Ruppin Academic Centre in Israel and Columbia University which examined the impact of 7 October on mental health in Israel.

Lebanon: Nasrallah sees ‘no future for this Nazi regime in the region’

29 May 2024; MEMO: In a televised speech yesterday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah condemned the Rafah massacre on Sunday, stating that it stripped away any false facade portraying the Israeli occupation regime as “civilised”. Speaking after receiving condolences for his mother’s passing, Nasrallah asserted, “We are facing an enemy without values or morals, surpassing the Nazis.”<

UK: Amnesty condemns Israeli airstrikes on Rafah as ‘war crimes’

29 May 2024; MEMO: Amnesty International UK strongly condemned on Tuesday the recent Israeli air strikes on Rafah, describing them as “horrific”. The rights organisation accused Israeli forces of escalating attacks in the occupied Gaza Strip “in defiance of international law,” Anadolu has reported.

Israel: war cabinet split on Hamas demand to stop the war

29 May 2024; MEMO: There is a split in Israel’s War Cabinet on the demand from Hamas for the occupation state to stop its war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority Kan 11 has reported. According to the broadcaster, there are ministers in the cabinet who believe that this is a negotiable matter, but it noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and those close to him insist that this would be a “surrender” to the resistance movement.

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