Middle East & North Africa

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A rocket at an Iranian space center that was to conduct a satellite launch criticized by the U.S. apparently exploded on its launch pad Thursday, satellite images show, suggesting the Islamic Republic suffered its third failed launch this year alone.

While Iranian state media did not acknowledge the incident at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran’s Semnan province, a top official wrote on Twitter early Friday that a satellite Tehran planned to launch was safe in a lab.

Tehran, Aug 29, IRNA - Defense Minister Major General Amir Hatami said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is working on several research satellites to further strengthen the country's scientific aerospace program. 

“The Ministry of the Defense is carrying out its research activities about launching satellites and missiles based on a well-defined plan,” said the minister, stressing that such measures are “completely natural”. 

“Some people see some points every now and then which might raise questions for them which is completely natural. 

29 Aug 2019; MEMO: Chief of Staff of the President of Iran Mahmoud Vaezi has said that Washington “must build confidence and lift sanctions” imposed on the country before starting dialogue with Tehran, the New Khaleej reported yesterday.

Vaezi denied reports that a meeting was to be held between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his American counterpart Donald Trump.

29 Aug 2019; MEMO: President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey’s deal with the United States to set up a “safe zone” in northeast Syria was a correct step and that Ankara would not let Washington delay the plan, CNN Turk and Reuters reported on Thursday.

Ankara revealed last weekend that a joint operations centre for the proposed zone along Syria’s northeastern border is now fully operational.

29 Aug 2019; MEMO: Qatar’s reserves grew 18.82 per cent year-on-year in July, setting a new record.

According to data released by the Central Bank of Qatar today, the value of reserve assets amounted to 196.169 billion riyals ($53.92 billion) as of July.

Reserve assets rose from 165.091 billion riyals ($45.38 billion) in July 2018.

The rise is the 17th in a row since March 2018.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug 29 (NNN-NNA) – The Lebanese army said Wednesday, it fired at an Israeli reconnaissance drone, in southern Lebanon, near the border.

An Israeli reconnaissance drone violated Lebanese airspace, hovering over a Lebanese army’s position, in Aadaysit area, in southern Lebanon, so the Lebanese army fired at it and forced it to fly back to Israel, according to a statement from the army.

Another Israeli reconnaissance drone, also hovered for a while, over the Kfarkela area in southern Lebanon, then left and flew towards Israel, added the statement.

KUWAIT, Aug 29 (NNN-KUNA) – Iraq handed over, on Wednesday, 42,000 books to Kuwait, which were seized by the Iraqi side, during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

At a handover ceremony, held in Kuwait City, Iraqi Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, Hazem Al-Yousefi, said, the books were seized by the Iraqis, during its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and were recently found in Iraq.

GAZA, Palestine, Aug 29 (NNN-WAFA) – Two suicide bombers, blew themselves up and killed three policemen, at two police checkpoints in Gaza, a Hamas-run interior ministry official said, Wednesday.

Eyad al Bozzom, spokesman of the Hamas-run ministry of interior, said in an emailed press statement that, “two suicide bombers blew themselves up, at two police checkpoints in southwest Gaza city last night, and we recognised their identity. We will carry on with our investigations, to know who is behind them and behind the explosions.”

29 August 2019; AFP: The Yemen government said it seized back the interim capital Aden on Wednesday, a claim contested by the separatists who took control of the city and other parts of the south earlier this month.

The tussle between the pro-independence Southern Transitional Council (STC) and government troops comes nearly three weeks after the separatists took control of Aden, the government's base since Huthi rebels took over the northern capital Sanaa in 2014.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At checkpoints leading into the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the flags of Brigade 30, a paramilitary force, still fly nearly two months after the Baghdad government ordered all militias to leave.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s decree gave Iran-backed paramilitary groups, which have wielded increasing power in Iraq, a month to fully integrate with the armed forces, leave checkpoints and sever ties with political groups.