Middle East & North Africa

ANKARA, June 16 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Italian and Turkish navies, conducted joint maritime training in the Mediterranean, the Turkish defence ministry announced on Monday.

“Italian and Turkish submarines, conducted maritime training in the Mediterranean. Two Navies, having the most effective submarine force in the Mediterranean, continue to improve the interoperability with maritime training,” the ministry tweeted on Monday.

The joint exercise came, after the Turkish army held offshore training with its air and navy elements, in the Mediterranean, last week.

JERUSALEM, June 16 (NNN-WAFA) – Israel’s military said, war jet and tanks, on Monday night, attacked sites in the Gaza Strip, belonging to Hamas, citing an earlier rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.

A military spokesperson said, an aircraft hit a “Hamas infrastructure, used for underground activity in the southern Gaza Strip.” In addition, “IDF’s (Israel Defence Forces) tanks targeted Hamas military posts,” the statement read.

Earlier on Monday night, militants in Gaza fired a rocket, hitting an open field in southern Israel, without causing injuries.

TEHRAN, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that he had "productive" talks with the Turkish officials during his one-day trip to Istanbul on Monday.

"Productive talks with my friend @MevlutCavusoglu & other senior officials in Istanbul," Zarif tweeted.

The Iranian foreign minister hailed "in-depth exchange and fruitful decisions on bilateral cooperation, and also regional and global issues."

He also stressed close consultations between the two countries.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial for accepting gifts from wealthy friends. But that has not stopped him from seeking another gift from a wealthy friend to pay for his multimillion-dollar legal defense.

The awkward arrangement opens a window into the very ties with billionaire friends that plunged Netanyahu into legal trouble and sheds light on the intersection of money and Israeli politics.

15 June 2020; MEMO: The Interior Minister in the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), Fathi Bashagha, said that any initiatives to end the political crisis and unify the Libyan state institutions are welcome.

15 June 2020; MEMO: Secretary-General of International Union for Muslim Scholars, Ali Qaradaghi, condemned on Saturday escalating UAE normalisation with Israel.

On Twitter, the officials wrote: “We are still with justice and against oppression,” referring to the prisoners inside the UAE’s prisons. “Stop oppression and aggression,” he added.

“You hug the sons of Zion and humiliate the true believers.”

15 June 2020; MEMO: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) revealed on Saturday that Maher Al-Assad, the brother of Syrian regime President Bashar Al-Assad, has rejected direct orders from Russia to withdraw all checkpoints erected by the 4th Division from around the country.

According to the war monitor, the 4th Division led by Maher Al- Assad is deployed across Syria though it is only supposed to be stationed in the capital Damascus.

15 June 2020; MEMO: The Libyan Army said yesterday that Russian mercenaries, who are fighting with the militia of renegade General Khalifa Haftar, planted mines inside and outside houses in the city of Sirte to “obstruct the advance of the army”.

15 June 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week hailed US President Donald Trump for imposing economic sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, Israeli media reported.

15 June 2020; MEMO: The Riyadh Municipality has removed a street sign bearing the name of the renowned stree, also known as Suleiman the Magnificent, from one of its streets, local media reported.

The Riyadh Municipality did not give a reason for the move, however social media users believe strained relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey could be the trigger.