Middle East & North Africa

BEIRUT, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian refugees demonstrated for the seventh consecutive day in south Lebanon's Sidon to protest against measures adopted by the Labor Ministry, the National News Agency reported on Monday.

Palestinians also shut down all entrances leading to Ain El Helwe camp while burning tires and vowing to take escalatory measures if the Labor Minister does not exempt Palestinians from work permits.

ANKARA, July 22. /TASS/: Turkey is ready to take counter-measures, if the United States imposes sanctions over the delivery of Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a live broadcast of the TGRT television channel on Monday.

"If the United States takes measures against us, we will respond with counter-measures. Of course, we would like our relations to continue as two NATO partners. But if they display a hostile attitude towards us, we will take counter-measures," the Turkish foreign minister said.

22 July 2019; DW: The UK's COBRA emergency committee is discussing a response to Iran's seizure of a British tanker. After talks with France and Germany, the UK said safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz was "a top priority."

British Prime Minister Theresa May attended an emergency meeting of the country's top government and security leaders on Monday, as London mulls its reaction to Iran's seizure of a British oil tanker.

22 July 2019; DW: The Intelligence Ministry in Tehran said it had detained 17 agents it suspected of being US spies. An official said that the suspects were Iranian nationals recruited by US intelligence.

The Iranian government said on Monday that it had broken up a CIA spy ring, in the latest sign of  increased tensions between Iran, the US and other NATO powers.

BEIRUT (AP) — Multiple Airstrikes hit a busy market in a rebel-controlled town in northwestern Syria on Monday, killing at least 27 people and turning several buildings into piles of rubble, according to opposition activists and a war monitor. Shortly afterward, state media said rebels shelled a government-held village, killing seven.

JALAZON REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Hamedo Fakhouri clearly remembers the moment when the young Palestinian who worked at his neighborhood coffee shop was shot dead.

Israeli troops were lingering after an overnight arrest raid in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem when he noticed the mentally disabled Mohammed Habali limp up the street with his wooden walking stick. Seconds later, he heard gunshots and spun around to see Habali collapse.

“I cannot forget and will not forget how this poor man was killed,” said Fakhouri.

22 July 2019; MEMO: The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is continuing its efforts with the International Criminal Court to push forward a formal investigation into Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes, especially in the town of Sur Baher, southeast of occupied Jerusalem.

22 July 2019; MEMO: Russia is working to reform the Syrian army and end Iran’s influence over it by appointing and promoting pro-regime officers and excluding Iranian allies, the American Middle East Policy Institute has revealed.

In a study published this week, the organisation said that the war has destroyed most of the capabilities of the Syrian army through splits, military attacks, assassinations and desertions, leading to a significant decline in armoured mechanical capabilities.

22 July 2019; MEMO: A prominent opposition figure in Saudi Arabia has said that citizens across society in the Kingdom have been angry ever since Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman became the de facto ruler, Al-Khaleej Online has reported.

CAIRO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian aviation minister met on Sunday with Britain's ambassador to Egypt at the ministry headquarters, where he expressed displeasure with British Airways' decision to suspend flights to the Egyptian capital for seven days.

Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation Younis al-Masry "expressed his displeasure that British Airways makes a unilateral decision concerning the security of Egyptian airports without referring to the competent Egyptian authorities," the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Sunday.