Egypt, Mauritania Discuss Cooperation in Fighting Terrorism

Sisi receives Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Sisi receives Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Mauritania Discuss Cooperation in Fighting Terrorism

Sisi receives Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)
Sisi receives Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian and Mauritanian officials expressed on Tuesday keenness on cooperation in “fighting terrorism”.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received in Cairo Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the Chargé d'Affaires of the Mauritanian Embassy in Cairo attended the meeting.

Spokesman for the Presidency, Ahmad Fahmy said the Mauritanian FM handed Sisi a letter from Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who expressed his country’s appreciation for Egypt’s leadership and people and for its leading role on the Arab and African levels.

He underscored the commitment to fostering closer bilateral relations across various fields, and to benefiting from the remarkable developmental experience in Egypt in recent years.

For his part, Sisi said Egypt looks forward to activating frameworks of joint cooperation at various levels, particularly in developmental sectors, where Egyptian companies have gained great expertise in recent years.

Moreover, Sisi stressed Egypt’s keenness on providing assistance in the development and building of capacities and cadres in Mauritania in all areas.

During the meeting, there was an exchange of views on several Arab and regional issues as the two countries seek to boost joint Arab action.

During a meeting between the foreign ministers at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry headquarters, Shoukry stressed the need to maintain cooperation between their countries in combating terrorism.

Shoukry stressed Egypt's openness to secure technical support for Mauritania in various vital sectors, including industry, health, and education. He referred to the scholarships offered to Mauritanian students to study at Egyptian universities and Al Azhar.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said Shoukry highlighted the continued development in Egyptian-Mauritanian ties.

The ministers discussed regional issues of mutual concern, mainly the crises of Sudan, Libya, and Syria, agreeing on working closely to push forward cooperation.



Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Strong explosions in Beirut's southern suburbs began near midnight and continued into Sunday after Israel's military urged residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh.

Photos and video showed the blasts illuminating the southern suburbs, and sparking flashes of red and white visible from several kilometers away. They followed a day of sporadic strikes and the nearly continuous buzz of reconnaissance drones.

Israel's military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed

from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

The strikes reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Rafik Hariri International Airport, and another building formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar. Social media reports claimed that one of the strikes hit an oxygen tank storage facility, but this was later denied by the owner of the company Khaled Kaddouha.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.”

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that Israel had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in its ground operations in southern Lebanon and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah has not released death tolls.

Israel says it stepped up its assault on Hezbollah to enable the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last Oct. 8.

Israeli authorities said on Saturday that nine Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon so far.