Middle East & North Africa

27 Feb 2021; MEMO: A Senior Iran-backed militia official in Baghdad has revealed that the January drone attack on the Saudi royal palace was launched from Iraq, Associated Press (AP) reported.

On Thursday, the militia official told AP that three drones were launched from Iraqi-Saudi border areas by a relatively unknown Iran-backed faction in Iraq, and crashed into Riyadh's royal complex on 23 January.

27 Feb 2021; MEMO: The Israeli District Court of Beersheba on Friday indicted an Israeli-Arab citizen for allegedly collaborating with the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, Israeli media reported.

The man was identified as Mohammad Abu Adra, 43, who was arrested on 3 February following Israeli police and Shin Bet investigations, The Times of Israel divulged.

27 Feb 2021; MEMO: The National Assembly Party (NAAS) welcomes the decision of the US administration to release the unclassified CIA report on the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Congress.

27 Feb 2021; MEMO: Allegations that authorities in Lebanon have smuggled money out of the country have sparked widespread anger here when one considers that Lebanese have not been able to withdraw money from banks since October 17, 2019, Anadolu Agency reports.

CAIRO, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit expressed on Saturday support for Saudi Arabia's rejection of a recent U.S. intelligence report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

"Saudi judicial authorities are the only ones in charge of holding those involved in Khashoggi case accountable," the AL chief said in a statement.

RAMALLAH, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye announced on Saturday that tightened precautionary measures against the spread of coronavirus will be imposed in Palestine for 12 more days.

Ishtaye told a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah that the new measures will be valid starting Sunday for 12 days, adding that the measures were taken to curb the increasing numbers of infections in the Palestinian territories.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli-owned cargo ship that suffered a mysterious explosion in the Gulf of Oman came to Dubai’s port for repairs Sunday, days after the blast that revived security concerns in Mideast waterways amid heightened tensions with Iran.

SANAA/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ahmadiya Juaidi’s eyes are wide as she drinks a nutrition shake from a large orange mug, her thin fingers grasping the handle. Her hair is pulled back and around her neck hangs a silver necklace with a heart and the letter A.

Three weeks ago the 13-year-old weighed just nine kilograms (20 pounds) when she was admitted to al-Sabeen hospital in Yemen’s capital Sanaa with malnutrition that sickened her for at least the past four years. Now she weighs 15 kilograms.

(Reuters) - Friday’s U.S. air strikes against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria encourage terrorism in the region, Iran’s top security official, Ali Shamkhani, said on Saturday.

Washington said the strikes on positions of the Kataib Hezbollah (KH) paramilitary group along the Iraq border were in response to rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq.

RABAT, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Morocco on Friday urged Libyan political parties to accelerate the formation of a new government to lead Libya during the transition phase.

"The establishment of a new government will clarify the vision on the Libyan political path," Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita told the press after his meeting in capital Rabat with visiting Speaker of the Libyan eastern-based House of Representatives Aguila Saleh.