Middle East & North Africa

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz yesterday dismissed the chief of special affairs Nasser Al-Nafisi from his position, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

SPA said the king replaced Al-Nafisi with Abdulaziz Al-Faisal.

The Saudi king also ordered the appointment of Majed Bin Muhammad Al Mazyed as Governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority and Badr Bin Abdulrahman Al-Qadi as Deputy Minister of Sports.

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: The Palestine Scholars Association yesterday criticised holding talks with Israel and rejected the normalisation of ties with the occupation state, stressing that "resistance is the best choice".

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: An improvised explosive device yesterday targeted a convoy providing logistical support for the international coalition forces in Al-Muthanna Governorate, southern Iraq, Anadolu reported citing a local security source.

A police captain in Al-Muthanna told the agency that "an explosive device, planted by unknown persons has exploded in a convoy of trucks carrying logistical equipment for the international coalition on the highway in Al-Muthanna Governorate".

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: Palestinian group Hamas on Sunday accused the Israeli government of escalating the situation in the Gaza Strip in an effort to evade its internal crises, reported Anadolu Agency.

Israeli warplanes carried out overnight airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian territory. No injuries were reported.

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi yesterday announced that they have reached an agreement to cancel the entry visa requirements between the two neighbouring countries.

Raisi said in a joint press conference following bilateral talks in Tehran that "several decisions were taken in the joint meeting with Al-Kadhimi", adding that Al-Kadhimi has also agreed to increase Iran's share of Arbaeen visitors, in reference to the Shia annual pilgrimage to the Iraqi city of Karbala.

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: Lebanese doctors in the northeastern Hirmil district stopped working yesterday in protest against fuel shortages and the inability to reach their workplace, the official Lebanese News Agency reported.

The doctors said in a statement that they took the decision after they were unable to secure petrol for their cars, and after making all efforts at all levels and appealing to officials, but to no avail.

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: Iraq must disarm Iranian Kurd "terrorists" and expel them from the Kurdistan region, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader declared yesterday.

"The increasing movements of terrorist groups in the Iraqi Kurdistan region are a threat to the security of the Iran-Iraq border," said Ali Shamkhani. He made his comment during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in Tehran.

13 Sep 2021; MEMO: Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid yesterday proposed a plan to defeat the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Gaza based on economic improvements.

In an address to the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism Conference, Lapid said: "We need to start a large, multiyear process of the economy for security."

He said that reoccupying Gaza or repeated Israeli offensives are not the best ways to deal with Gaza and neutralise Hamas and the other resistance groups.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets in the Gaza Strip early Monday in response to a series of rocket launches out of the Hamas-ruled territory. It was the third consecutive night of fighting between the enemies.

Tensions have been heightened following last week’s escape from an Israeli prison by six Palestinian inmates, as well as struggling efforts by Egypt to broker a long-term cease-fire in the wake of an 11-day war last May.

GAZA, Sept 12 (NNN-PNN) – Israeli fighter jets, early this morning, attacked military posts and facilities that belong to the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, but no injuries were reported, according to security sources.

The sources said that, the Israeli fighter jets struck by air-to-ground missiles, military posts and facilities in the central and southern Gaza Strip, for the second day in a row.