Middle East & North Africa

21 Aug 2020; MEMO: The International Federation of Jurists denounced Israel’s detention of Palestinian activist Raed Salah and called on the international community and non-governmental organisations to defend the Palestinian people’s rights.

The Istanbul-based rights organisation added in a statement that Israel commits “terrorist acts” by “killing of innocent [Palestinian] civilians using heavy arms, warplanes, and missiles,” Anadolu Agency reported.

GAZA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army artillery bombed on Saturday morning two lookout posts that belong to the Islamic Hamas movement's militants in the Gaza Strip, Hamas security sources said.

The sources said the two posts belong to al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic movement that rules the Gaza Strip, adding that the artillery bombs destroyed the two posts in the southern towns of Rafah and Khan Younis.

No injuries was reported, said the sources.

21 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Houthi movement yesterday announced that their forces had killed the head of the Yemeni branch of Daesh.

According to a statement released on Al-Masirah TV, the movement claimed to have carried out an ambush operation in the Qifah district in the central province of Al-Baydah which resulted in the death of Daesh emir Abu Al-Walid Al-Adani. They also announced the arrest of another terrorist leader Salem Hassan Al-Saaimi along with 40 others.

22 Aug 2020; MEMO: Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tripoli announced a ceasefire on Friday and the leader of a rival parliament in eastern Libya also appealed for a halt to hostilities, Reuters reports.

The statements offered hope for a deescalation of a conflict that has wrecked the country since a 2011 uprising, displacing hundreds of thousands, slashing oil production, and opening space for migrant smugglers and militants.

ISTANBUL, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday announced that his country, which is almost entirely reliant on imports to meet its energy needs, found significant natural gas resources in the Black Sea.

"Our drilling ship has made a substantial natural gas discovery in the Black Sea," he said in a statement broadcasted live by news channels.

He indicated that a reserve as big as 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas in size was discovered and it would be available for use by 2023, the centennial of the Republic of Turkey.

20 Aug 2020; MEMO: Pakistan’s effort to repair relations with Saudi Arabia has been snubbed by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. The de facto ruler of the kingdom refused to meet with Islamabad’s Army Chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, who was in the Gulf state to mend ties between the two countries.

BEIRUT, Aug 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Still reeling from a deadly port blast that ravaged their Beirut homes and businesses, Lebanese wearily braced themselves for a new coronavirus lockdown due to start on Friday.

Lebanon is to partially close down for two weeks from Friday to stem a string of record daily infection rates that have brought the number of COVID- 19 cases to 10,952, including 113 deaths.

KHARTOUM, Aug 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The spokesman for Sudan’s foreign ministry was fired Wednesday, a day after telling a media outlet that Sudan is getting ready to sign an agreement with Israel to normalize relations between the two countries.  

Acting foreign minister Omer Gamaruddeen Ismail said the government was surprised by the statement from spokesman Haider Badawi Saddiq, adding that relations between Sudan and Israel have not been discussed in the foreign ministry at all.   

“No one tasked Badawi with making statements on this matter,” said Ismail. 

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tripoli announced a ceasefire on Friday and the leader of a rival parliament in eastern Libya also appealed for a halt to hostilities.

The statements offered hope for a deescalation of a conflict that has wracked the country since a 2011 uprising, displacing hundreds of thousands, slashing oil production, and opening space for migrant smugglers and militants.

GAZA/TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Gaza militants fired rockets towards Israel which responded with air strikes overnight, the Israeli military said, in the most serious escalation of cross-border violence in months, prompting mediators to step up de-escalation efforts.

There were no reports of injuries on either side. An Israeli military spokeswoman said its Iron Dome system intercepted nine of 12 rockets.

Anticipating Israeli retaliation, Hamas, Gaza’s Islamist rulers, routinely evacuates personnel from its sites.