Middle East & North Africa

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians clashed with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Friday as thousands gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. Medics said more than 150 Palestinians were wounded in the most serious violence at the site in nearly a year.

The holy site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has often been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions were already heightened amid a recent wave of violence. Clashes at the site last year helped spark an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

15 April 2022; MEMO: More than 150 Palestinians were injured at dawn on Friday as the Israeli police stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Anadolu Agency reports.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that 152 Palestinians were injured during clashes with the Israeli police in the courtyards of the mosque.

The Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets, tear gas, and beaten by the Israeli police which also fired a barrage of stun grenades.

15 April 2022; MEMO: Syrian state media said late Thursday that Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes targeting the capital Damascus, Anadolu Agency reports.

Israeli air elements carried out the attack from the direction of the Golan Heights, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported.

The attack targeted some locations in the western Damascus countryside, it noted.

SANA added that Syria's air defense systems intercepted and downed some of the missiles and only material losses were suffered.

15 April 2022; MEMO: The US denied Iranian claims that a deal has been reached to unfreeze $7 billion in the Islamic Republic's overseas funds, Anadolu Agency reports.

An Iranian media report said the deal was part of an agreement to secure the release of Iranian-Americans detained in Iran.

15 April 2022; MEMO: Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday warned against heading for early elections, citing turbulent security situation and political instability, Anadolu Agency reports.

"As a nation, we are dealing with challenges that are not simple," Herzog told the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation in an interview. "We have to think carefully before jumping again into another instability in form of early elections, because we will pay the price for that."

14 April 2022; MEMO: Christians alongside Muslim Palestinians will die in defence of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and will never hand over its keys to the Israeli occupation, head of the World Popular Organisation for Jerusalem Justice and Peace, Father Manuel Musallam, said yesterday.

14 April 2022; MEMO: Turkish economic researchers may face up to three years in prison if they publish unofficial data on indicators without first seeking approval from the country's statistics agency, Bloomberg reports.

According to the report, the Turkish government had planned to submit the proposed legislation to parliament this week but has held off while officials do further work on it, two party officials said on condition of anonymity.

14 April 2022; MEMO: Israel is responsible for a recently bombing, which targeted civilians in an area near the Western Sahara on Sunday, while Morocco was "merely a tool" in the operation, analysts have said.

Algerians denounced the bombing, while the number of victims is as yet unclear.

14 April 2022; MEMO: A chef in Turkey launched a kebab into the stratosphere on Tuesday, to coincide with the International Day of Human Flight marking the 61st anniversary of the first human space flight made by Soviet Yuri Gagarin.

According to the Daily Sabah, Yasar Aydin – who owns a kebab restaurant, and local entrepreneur and space engineering student Idris Albayrak launched the eponymous Adana kebab into the stratosphere, becoming Turkey's "first export to space".

14 April 2022; MEMO: The normalisation and improvement of ties between Turkey and Egypt are vital for the stability of the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated.

Speaking on the Turkish news channel NTV, Cavusoglu said "Relations with Egypt must be improved. The two countries' ties are significant for many regions. Reciprocal reappointment of ambassadors is possible."