Middle East & North Africa

26 August 2023; MEMO: The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas – condemned on Friday Britain’s stance to oppose International Court of Justice (ICJ) addressing the legality of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

26 August 2023; MEMO: Saudi Criminal Court has sentenced brother of prominent cleric  to death over tweets against corruption and for defending other imprisoned preachers during interrogations.

RIYADH, Aug 25 (APP):The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Friday categorically rejected the Human Rights Watch’s recent report claiming an assault on the Ethiopian citizens while attempting to cross the Saudi-Yemeni border.

“These allegations lack merit and are based on unreliable sources,” Saudi official sources said.

The publication and dissemination of politicized and misleading report was part of ‘malicious media campaigns’, which were repeatedly launched with questionable motives, they added.

RAMALLAH, Aug 25 (NNN-WAFA) — Representatives of European diplomatic missions in Palestine, yesterday paid a solidarity visit to a Palestinian village in the West Bank, and condemned the Israeli settlers’ acts against the Palestinians.

According to a joint statement, the European diplomats’ delegation, who visited the village of Burqa, east of the West Bank city of Ramallah, included representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Britain, Norway, and Canada.

TEHRAN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS have been formed to promote cooperation among countries to help them progress while respecting their independence.

Raisi made the remarks upon arrival in Tehran from Johannesburg, South Africa, where he took part in the 15th BRICS Summit, according to a statement released by the president's office.

He elaborated on the capacities of the two blocs, saying that they are newly emerging groups that are "completely against unilateralism."

TEHRAN, Aug 24 (NNN-IRNA) – A senior Iranian military commander, said yesterday that, Tehran and Moscow were determined to expand their cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force, Kioumars Heidari, made the remarks in Moscow, at the end of his official visit to the Russian capital, commenting on the agreements reached between the two countries during the trip.

SANAA, Aug 24 (NNN-SABA) – Two people were killed yesterday, in a landmine explosion in Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights said in a statement.

The landmine exploded when the two civilians walked over it, on the side of a road in the al-Hayet area, in the southern district of al-Durayhimi, killing them on the spot.

Hodeidah witnessed a shaky cease-fire between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi militia, since they reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in Dec, 2018.

BEIRUT, Aug 24 (NNN-NNA) – A Lebanese Air Force helicopter crashed last night, in Hammana, a town in central Lebanon, about 26 kilometres east of Beirut, killing two army service members and injuring another, local TV channel LBCI reported.

LBCI said, the helicopter crashed while conducting a training flight.

The reason behind the incident is still unknown.

22 August 2023; MEMO: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Monday that it rejects any attempts to impose Israeli sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem and its sanctities. The OIC issued its statement on the 54th anniversary of the arson attack against Al-Aqsa Mosque, with which, it pointed out, Muslims have an “eternal connection”.

A number of rare ancient artefacts stolen from Yemen are to be auctioned in Israel, according to a report by Al-Quds Al-Arabi last week. Citing a Yemeni researcher who specialises in tracing looted antiquities online, Abdullah Mohsen, the report said that the public auction will take place in Tel Aviv in October.

In a Facebook post, Mohsen said that among the exhibits was a bronze frame featuring the embossed faces of two young men and it is “probably from Tamnu, Al-Awd, or Dhafar (referring to areas of ancient Yemeni civilisation).”