Discrepancy Over Sudanese Army’s Conditions to Return to Jeddah Talks

Smoke billows in the distance around a Khartoum district amid ongoing fighting on July 14, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows in the distance around a Khartoum district amid ongoing fighting on July 14, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
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Discrepancy Over Sudanese Army’s Conditions to Return to Jeddah Talks

Smoke billows in the distance around a Khartoum district amid ongoing fighting on July 14, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows in the distance around a Khartoum district amid ongoing fighting on July 14, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the army delegation’s readiness to return to the Jeddah negotiations as soon as the Saudi and American mediators managed to overcome the obstacles that prevented the continuation of the talks.

The army delegation withdrew from the negotiations on Wednesday, accusing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of obstructing an agreement to end the hostilities, because of its refusal to evacuate homes and service facilities. For its part, the RSF attributed the faltering of the agreement to the army delegation’s condition to open a safe passage for the exit of its commanders besieged in military headquarters in Khartoum.

In the statement, the Foreign Ministry expressed Sudan’s desire to reach a just agreement to stop hostilities, which would pave the way for discussing the post-war phase.

“The Foreign Ministry renews its appreciation for the efforts made by Saudi Arabia and the United States to facilitate the rounds of negotiations in Jeddah, and their keenness to make them a success,” it said, adding that the intransigence of the Rapid Support Forces and their non-compliance with the implementation of their obligations were the reason behind the failure of the Jeddah negotiations, which prompted the army delegation to return to the country.

The RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, stressed that the war would end if the current army leadership stepped down.

The RSF claims that it is besieging the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his deputy, Lieutenant General Shams al-Din Kabashi, and senior officers at the main headquarters of the army command, in the center of the capital, Khartoum. Al-Burhan and Al-Kabashi appeared more than once in the vicinity of the place in video recordings.

On the other hand, Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council Malik Agar, accused the RSF of committing heinous crimes against civilians, pointing to the targeting of some ethnic groups in the Darfur region.

Addressing the Russian-African summit in St. Petersburg, Agar blamed the RSF for the current crisis in Sudan, saying that the group launched an all-out war on the capital and some cities, causing heinous crimes and unprecedented human suffering.



Iraq Closes Three Iran Crossings, Pursues Those Behind Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Travelers at the Shalamsheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran after Iraqi authorities ordered its closure as a precautionary measure following the latest drone attacks on Saudi Arabia on September 12, 2026 (Reuters)
Travelers at the Shalamsheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran after Iraqi authorities ordered its closure as a precautionary measure following the latest drone attacks on Saudi Arabia on September 12, 2026 (Reuters)
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Iraq Closes Three Iran Crossings, Pursues Those Behind Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Travelers at the Shalamsheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran after Iraqi authorities ordered its closure as a precautionary measure following the latest drone attacks on Saudi Arabia on September 12, 2026 (Reuters)
Travelers at the Shalamsheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran after Iraqi authorities ordered its closure as a precautionary measure following the latest drone attacks on Saudi Arabia on September 12, 2026 (Reuters)

Iraq closed three border crossings with Iran on Saturday, officials told AFP, after a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian pipeline that both Riyadh and Baghdad said was launched from Iraq.

An Iraqi security source and a government official told AFP that authorities ordered the closing of three border crossings with Iran.

The security source said the decision was "part of an intelligence effort to track down the perpetrators and prevent their escape... and to hinder the smuggling of drones through these crossings".

Both sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media, could not specify when the crossings would reopen.

The closed crossings are Shalamsheh in Basra province, al-Shib in Missan and al-Mandali in the central province of Diyala.

Other border crossings with Iran are still open.

A security official said that "security forces found drone launchers near the Iraq-Iran border in the al-Tib" region, a remote part of Missan, close to the al-Shib crossing. A second security source gave the same account.

Military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said the prime minister had approved "Iran's request to conduct a joint investigation into finding drone launch platforms near the Iraq-Iran border".

The government's security media cell said earlier that authorities "have started administrative and security reorganization operations at several border crossings".

It added that they had stepped up "intelligence activities" to determine "the breaches and violations that took place at these crossings".

It later announced that passengers stranded for hours at two crossings were permitted to pass.


Al-Halbousi Condemns Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Speaker of parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi speaks with the news media as he departs the Department of State after meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Washington, on March 28, 2019. (AP)
Iraqi Speaker of parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi speaks with the news media as he departs the Department of State after meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Washington, on March 28, 2019. (AP)
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Al-Halbousi Condemns Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Speaker of parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi speaks with the news media as he departs the Department of State after meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Washington, on March 28, 2019. (AP)
Iraqi Speaker of parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi speaks with the news media as he departs the Department of State after meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Washington, on March 28, 2019. (AP)

Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives Haibat Al-Halbousi strongly condemned the attacks targeting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that originated from within Iraqi territory.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Al-Halbousi rejected the use of Iraq's territory or airspace to threaten Saudi Arabia's security or that of any neighboring state, describing such actions as unacceptable violations that contradict Iraq's national interests, stated foreign policy, and regional relations.

Al-Halbousi emphasized the critical need to restrict weapons exclusively to the state and its constitutional institutions under the authority of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

He stressed that enforcing state control over arms is vital to reinforcing national sovereignty, preserving domestic stability, and preventing Iraq from being drawn into wider regional conflicts.


Lebanese Army Detains Bashar Assad’s Relative on Weapons and Drugs Charges

Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad - File Photo
Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad - File Photo
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Lebanese Army Detains Bashar Assad’s Relative on Weapons and Drugs Charges

Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad - File Photo
Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad - File Photo

Lebanese authorities have detained a relative of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad along with the son of a notorious drug dealer in northeast Lebanon on charges of carrying weapons and drugs, officials and the Lebanese army said Saturday.

Suleiman Assad and Ali Zeiter, son of Noah Zeiter, the suspected drug trafficker arrested last year, were detained Friday near the northeastern city of Baalbek, said the two judicial officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Suleiman Assad is the son of Hilal Assad, a cousin of the ousted president, The AP news reported.

A number of Syrian officials and relatives of Assad have fled from Syria to other countries including Lebanon, after the five-decade Assad family rule came to an end in December 2024, when the opposition seized power. Bashar Assad and his younger brother, Maher, have been living in Russia.

The Lebanese army said in a statement that it detained three people, including a Syrian citizen who did not have documents proving that he is staying legally in Lebanon.

The army said they had weapons with them along with hashish, a drug that is processed from cannabis that are widely planted in northeast Lebanon. The army did not release the names but the initials of their first and family names matched those of Assad and Zeiter. The army said they were questioned under the supervision of judicial officials.

The arrest of Suleiman Assad comes weeks after Lebanon handed over to Syrian authorities a retired major general who commanded a division in Bashar Assad’s army.