Cairo, Islamabad to Enhance Cooperation in Military Production

Egyptian Minister of Military Production Salah El-Din Mostafa met with Pakistani Ambassador in Cairo Aamir Shouket in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian cabinet) 
Egyptian Minister of Military Production Salah El-Din Mostafa met with Pakistani Ambassador in Cairo Aamir Shouket in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian cabinet) 
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Cairo, Islamabad to Enhance Cooperation in Military Production

Egyptian Minister of Military Production Salah El-Din Mostafa met with Pakistani Ambassador in Cairo Aamir Shouket in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian cabinet) 
Egyptian Minister of Military Production Salah El-Din Mostafa met with Pakistani Ambassador in Cairo Aamir Shouket in Cairo on Sunday (Egyptian cabinet) 

Egypt and Pakistan on Sunday discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in military and civil manufacturing.

Egyptian Minister of Military Production, Salah El-Din Mostafa, highlighted during his meeting with Pakistani Ambassador in Cairo, Aamir Shouket, the longstanding and steadily growing relations between Egypt and Pakistan, reinforced by the strong support of both countries’ political leadership.

The minister referred to recent high-level engagements, including President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha.

He also praised the recent signing of a joint defense strategic agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, aimed at strengthening regional military cooperation.

Mostafa outlined the broad capabilities of Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production, which operates 15 industrial subsidiaries, a construction company, a center for scientific and technological excellence, a maintenance company, a training sector, a medical center, ammunition and weapons testing grounds, and an academy for engineering and advanced technology.

He then emphasized that the Ministry’s core mission is to supply the Armed Forces and police with military-grade products—including small, medium, and heavy ammunition, weapons, equipment, armoured vehicles, tanks, and electronic systems.

The minister added that its surplus production capacity is also directed toward manufacturing competitively priced civilian goods and participating in national development projects.

“The ministry is committed to cooperating with all global companies to localize the latest manufacturing technologies and improve the quality of military and civil products,” Mostafa said.

The minister expressed his hope for establishing strategic partnerships between Egyptian military production companies and their Pakistani counterparts in manufacturing fields, which would benefit both parties.

In July, al-Sisi met with Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, to discuss strengthening bilateral military and security cooperation.

In May, Cairo welcomed the announced ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

In a statement by the Foreign Ministry, Egypt described the agreement as a positive step toward stability in South Asia.
Cairo expressed hope that both sides would commit to the deal, build mutual trust, and work toward peace and prosperity for their peoples.
Egypt reiterated the importance of peaceful conflict resolution and called for continued dialogue to settle international disputes.

On Sunday, the Pakistani ambassador to Egypt affirmed the depth of Egypt–Pakistan relations, which are built on mutual respect, cultural affinity, and shared geopolitical interests.

He recalled that Egypt was the first Middle Eastern country where Pakistan established an embassy following its independence.

Shouket noted that bilateral ties have expanded significantly in recent years, particularly in the areas of politics, defense, economics, and culture.

He commended Egypt’s efforts to advance its industrial base, enhance the investment climate, and undertake major infrastructure projects, thereby positioning the country as a strategic hub for access to African and Middle Eastern markets.

Shouket then expressed strong interest from Pakistani companies in collaborating with Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production, citing the Ministry’s manufacturing, technological, and human resources capabilities.

He praised its subsidiaries for their efficiency, precision, and successful track record in executing national development projects, noting that these strengths present clear opportunities for future joint ventures.

 



Palestinian Ministry Says Israeli Troops Kill 2 Children, Parents in West Bank

A Palestinian flag is placed at the site where a Jewish settlers' attack killed 3 Palestinians and injured seven others on March 8, in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian flag is placed at the site where a Jewish settlers' attack killed 3 Palestinians and injured seven others on March 8, in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Palestinian Ministry Says Israeli Troops Kill 2 Children, Parents in West Bank

A Palestinian flag is placed at the site where a Jewish settlers' attack killed 3 Palestinians and injured seven others on March 8, in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian flag is placed at the site where a Jewish settlers' attack killed 3 Palestinians and injured seven others on March 8, in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (AFP)

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian husband and wife and their two young children in the north of the occupied West Bank on Sunday.

The Palestinian Red Crescent also said its teams had recovered the bodies of two adults and two children from a vehicle that had been fired on by Israeli forces in the town of Tammun.

The Israeli military said it was looking into reports of the incident in response to AFP's request for comment.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that "four martyrs from one family arrived at the Turkish Public Hospital in Tubas after the occupation army shot at them in Tammun".

It said the hospital had received the bodies of the man, aged 37, the woman, 35, and two boys aged five and seven, adding that all had gunshot wounds.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the couple's two other children, aged eight and 11, were wounded by shrapnel after Israeli forces opened fire on their vehicle early on Sunday morning.

Palestinian authorities and the United Nations say there has been a spike in deadly attacks, mostly by Israeli settlers, in the West Bank in recent days, with at least five Palestinians killed since the start of March.

Israel's military launched an operation in November against Palestinian armed groups in the north of the West Bank, including areas around Tubas.

More broadly, violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. It has continued despite a ceasefire since October 10.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,045 Palestinians -- many of them fighters, but also scores of civilians -- in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.

Official Israeli figures say that 45 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.

In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.


Lebanon, Israel Near First Round of Negotiations

An Israeli artillery unit deployed at an undisclosed location at the Israeli border with Lebanon shells targets in Lebanon, 14 March 2026. (EPA)
An Israeli artillery unit deployed at an undisclosed location at the Israeli border with Lebanon shells targets in Lebanon, 14 March 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanon, Israel Near First Round of Negotiations

An Israeli artillery unit deployed at an undisclosed location at the Israeli border with Lebanon shells targets in Lebanon, 14 March 2026. (EPA)
An Israeli artillery unit deployed at an undisclosed location at the Israeli border with Lebanon shells targets in Lebanon, 14 March 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon and Israel have taken a step forward towards holding a first meeting to negotiate an end to the war on Lebanon.

An agreement has yet to be reached on the necessary arrangements, even as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said from Beirut on Saturday that the “diplomatic avenues” were available to end the war.

Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that an agreement has been reached to hold a meeting between Lebanon and Israel, but the location and date have not been set.

France and Cyprus have both offered to host the talks.

The sources revealed that parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has not yet decided whether to send a Shiite representative to the meeting or not.

The negotiations team does not yet have a Shiite representative.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri tied his agreement to negotiations and President Joseph Aoun’s initiative to end the war with two conditions: the ceasefire and the return of the displaced.

He refused to go into further details “ahead of time”.

Berri refuses to take part in direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel and has demanded a ceasefire be implemented before taking any other step to resolve the conflict.

Sources have quoted him as saying that he is still committed to the Mechanism committee and UN Security Council resolution 1701 to end the war.

‘Only diplomacy’

Guterres urged on Saturday the international community to support Lebanon.

Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war last week when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, and the Tehran-backed group's leader has said the fighters were ready for a long confrontation with Israel.

On Saturday, Israel kept up strikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah claimed attacks against northern Israel and Beirut said the death toll in the country since March 2 had climbed to 826, including 106 children.

US news site Axios reported on Saturday that Israel was planning a major ground invasion of Lebanon "aiming to seize the entire area south of the Litani River", citing US and Israeli officials.

The area, covering hundreds of square miles, is already subject to Israeli evacuation warnings.

Israel has already sent some ground forces into Lebanon and late on Saturday Hezbollah said it was engaged in ongoing "direct clashes" with Israeli forces in Khiam.

Guterres, however, insisted "there is no military solution, only diplomacy" and dialogue.

The UN chief arrived in Beirut on Friday for what he called a solidarity visit and launched a $325 million humanitarian appeal to support Lebanon as it responds to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people amid sweeping Israeli army evacuation orders.

Guterres urged the international community to "step up your engagement, empower the Lebanese state" and support the army, which has committed to disarming Hezbollah.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Ankara feared Israel could commit "genocide" in Lebanon and called for the international community to intervene.

Turkey has been fiercely critical of Israel since the start of the Gaza war.

Paramedics

The health ministry said 31 paramedics had been killed this month, after the bodies of additional health workers were found following an overnight strike that authorities said hit a healthcare center in Burj Qalawiya in the country's south, killing doctors, paramedics and nurses.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee said the center was one of its facilities, pledging such attacks would not deter it from "performing our humanitarian duty".

The Israeli military accused Hezbollah of using ambulances militarily, and its spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that Israel would act "in accordance with international law against any military activity" by any Hezbollah use of medical facilities or ambulances.

Lebanon's health ministry accused Israel of repeatedly "targeting ambulance crews while they were performing rescue duties".

The Israeli army said that it had struck Hezbollah operatives on Friday "who were bringing rockets into a weapons depot" in Majedel, near Burj Qalawiya.

It also said it had struck "approximately 110 Hezbollah command centers" since the regional conflict broke out.

On Saturday, a strike hit an apartment building in a northern Beirut suburb that had been targeted a day earlier.

An AFP correspondent in the Nabaa-Burj Hammoud area saw rescue workers at the scene and damage including a hole in a building, outside Hezbollah's strongholds in the capital's southern suburbs.

The health ministry said the strike killed one person in Burj Hammoud, a densely populated, mixed area known for its large Armenian-Lebanese community.

'No safety'

Levon Ghazalian, 42, who lives in the building next door, said "it's the first time this happens" in the area, which was spared in the previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024.

"All the neighbors are afraid," he told AFP.

Hanadi Hachem, 50, who was in her pyjamas, said "there's no safety anymore... you never know where a strike will come from".

She said she and some family members were sleeping in their car out of fear.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the Lebanese government was ready to engage in "direct talks" with Israel and offered to host negotiations in Paris, warning that "everything must be done to prevent Lebanon from descending into chaos".

The French foreign ministry later denied there was a French plan to end the war, saying it had only offered to facilitate talks, after Axios reported that Paris had drawn up a proposal involving Lebanon formally recognizing Israel.


US Embassy Urges Americans to Leave Iraq

A photograph shows the damage following a reported drone strike on the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" on March 14, 2026. (Photo by Murtadha RIDHA / AFP)
A photograph shows the damage following a reported drone strike on the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" on March 14, 2026. (Photo by Murtadha RIDHA / AFP)
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US Embassy Urges Americans to Leave Iraq

A photograph shows the damage following a reported drone strike on the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" on March 14, 2026. (Photo by Murtadha RIDHA / AFP)
A photograph shows the damage following a reported drone strike on the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" on March 14, 2026. (Photo by Murtadha RIDHA / AFP)

US citizens should leave Iraq immediately, the US embassy in Baghdad said in an updated security alert ⁠on Saturday, following ⁠an overnight missile attack on the ⁠embassy's building.

"US citizens choosing to remain in Iraq are strongly encouraged to reconsider in light of the ⁠significant ⁠threat posed by Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups," the embassy said.