Middle East & North Africa

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Thursday revealed an underground missile production facility, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The factory of the IRGC is the underground ballistic missile production site which was put on show for the first time, the report said.

The IRGC also unveiled a ballistic missile, named Dezful, in the production site.

Dezful is a smart surface-to-surface missile with the range of 1,000 km and high destruction power, according to Fars.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s state TV says Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pardoned a “large number” of prisoners in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The report Thursday did not say how many prisoners were released, but previous reports suggested it would apply to some 50,000 prisoners, the largest number ever covered in a single pardon. Some prisoners would be released while others would have their sentences reduced.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran appears to have attempted a second satellite launch despite U.S. criticism that its space program helps the country develop ballistic missiles, satellite images released Thursday suggest. Iran did not immediately acknowledge conducting such a launch.

Images released by the Colorado-based company DigitalGlobe show a rocket at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran’s Semnan province on Tuesday. Images from Wednesday show the rocket was gone with what appears to be burn marks on its launch pad.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Seeking re-election under a cloud of criminal investigations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks to be channeling his inner Donald Trump in an angry campaign against perceived domestic enemies.

Drawing clear inspiration from Trump, Netanyahu’s Likud party has plastered huge billboards of the two leaders together and launched a Trump-like weekly webcast to counter what it calls the “fake news” industry.

JERUSALEM: 06 Feb 2019; AA: Israel's top court has rejected a petition to postpone a decision by the attorney-general on the indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on graft allegations until after the April polls.

Last week, Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit said that he would decide whether or not to indict Netanyahu on multiple graft charges before Knesset elections slated for April 9.

06 Feb 2019; AA: Israeli defense officials have warned that the health system in the blockaded Gaza Strip was close to collapse, according to Israeli daily Haaretz on Wednesday.

In an assessment to Israel’s security cabinet, the officials warned that the deteriorating health conditions in the Palestinian territory would make it difficult for the Israeli army to fight in Gaza for a long time.

ANKARA; 06 Feb 2019; AA: Turkey Wednesday strongly condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s declaration of April 24 as a national day marking the so-called Armenian genocide.

“Allegations of a so-called Armenian genocide are political lies lacking any legal basis, contrary to historical facts. They are null and void for Turkey,” Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish presidential spokesman, said in a statement.

06 Feb 2019; AA: A team of Turkish scientists are developing clothing especially designed to withstand sub-zero weather conditions in Antarctica, the world’s coldest continent.

According to Caner Filiz, an instructor at Turkey’s Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy, the project is being carried out in coordination with Turkey’s Coast Guard Command and with contributions from the Turkish Mountaineering Federation.

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. The Iranian leadership has sufficient forces to prevent the destabilization of the country after the resumption of US sanctions, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan said in an interview with TASS.

TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran pledged on Tuesday full support to Syria facing threats from terrorists and Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Israel does not favor the establishment of peace and security in Syria and in the region, official IRNA news agency reported.

Regional countries should boost convergence and cooperation to counter any plots against them, Zarif said in a meeting with his visiting Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem.