Middle East & North Africa

ISTANBUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described on Friday the attempted military takeover in Armenia as "unacceptable," noting that Turkey is against all types of coups.

"We are against all kinds of coups. It is not possible for us to accept coups," Erdogan said after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

"If there will be a change in administration, the Armenian people will do that. It should be left to the will of the Armenian people," he added.

26 Feb 2021; MEMO: Turkey is opposed to all kinds of coups, the country's president said today, referring to recent developments in Armenia, Anadolu Agency reports.

"We are against all kinds of coups. It is especially not possible for us to accept coups," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul following Friday prayers.

26 Feb 2021; MEMO: Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi held talks Thursday with US Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking on the possibility of ending the war in Yemen, Anadolu Agency reports.

According to the Oman News Agency, the parties discussed developments in Yemen and efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.

26 Feb 2021; MEMO: Scores of Yemeni refugees, mostly women and children, arrived in Somalia's coastal city of Bosaso, Somali authorities announced on Wednesday, according to the Yemen Shabab, an independent website.

This is the third boatful of Yemeni refugees to arrive in Somalia. It had 164 families on board.

Somali authorities said that the refugees will undergo medical checkups before they are distributed between the cities of Bosaso and Qardho.

26 Feb 2021; MEMO: Israel today banned the raising of the Muslim call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Hebron under the pretext that settlers were celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ban was "a call for religious war" and went on to urge the international community and the relevant UN organisations and councils to assume their legal and moral responsibilities in protecting holy sites.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday, an unexplained blast renewing concerns about ship security in the region amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy. The explosion in the Gulf of Oman forced the vessel to head to the nearest port.

GAZA, Feb 26 (NNN-WAFA) – The Islamic Hamas movement said yesterday, it has released 45 prisoners from its jails in the Gaza Strip, ahead of the general elections.

The Hamas-run interior ministry said, the release of the prisoners is “a goodwill gesture aimed to prepare a positive atmosphere for holding the general elections and ending 14 years of internal Palestinian division.”

In a statement, Hamas said, the prisoners were arrested “for reasons that had caused harm to the local factions and their armed wings.”

BEIRUT, Feb 26 (NNN-NNA) – The Lebanese army received yesterday, medicines, medical equipment and five tonnes of food products from Egypt.

Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Yasser Alawi, said on the occasion that, Egypt’s support for Lebanon will continue, as long as there is need for it.

“This is our duty towards Lebanon,” the ambassador said, upon the arrival of the aircraft, carrying the aid to Beirut’s airport.

25 Feb 2021; MEMO: Kuwaiti aid organisations sent aid supplies to families in the northern Syria from Turkey's southeastern city of Sanliurfa, Anadolu Agency reports.

Thanks to a peaceful and secure environment in Tal Abyad and Rasulayn districts after Turkey's Operation Peace Spring, the Kuwait-based ATA and Rahma non-governmental organizations sent 28 truckloads of aid containing food, clothing and sheltering supplies.

TRIPOLI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the newly-selected prime minister of Libya, on Thursday presented the ministerial structure of his government to the House of Representatives.

"We presented the ministerial structure and the work program of the government, as well as the program of the selection and appointment of the ministers, to the House of Representatives," Dbeibah told a press conference in the capital Tripoli.