عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egyptian Central Security Forces Chief Survives Assassination Attempt in North Sinai

Egyptian police inspect cars at a checkpoint in North Sinai. (AFP)
Egyptian police inspect cars at a checkpoint in North Sinai. (AFP)
TT
TT

Egyptian Central Security Forces Chief Survives Assassination Attempt in North Sinai

Egyptian police inspect cars at a checkpoint in North Sinai. (AFP)
Egyptian police inspect cars at a checkpoint in North Sinai. (AFP)

A police officer and a man were killed in two separate attacks north of Sinai, while head of the Central Security Forces (CSF) survived an assassination attempt by unknown gunmen, Egyptian local and security sources said.

Head of Egypt’s CSF in the North Sinai city of al-Arish Nasser al-Husseini and other police personnel survived on Saturday an assassination attempt that targeted their security patrol.

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was planted on the road of the patrol near the al-Khazan district in Arish, and a large-scale sweep was launched to arrest the perpetrators.

Since 2013, when the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated former President Mohamed Morsi was removed from power, the Egyptian army and police forces have been engaged in a low-intensity war with various militant groups, most prominently in North Sinai.

The most active militant group in the area is Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which in 2014 pledged allegiance to ISIS.

Local sources in north Sinai said that gunmen killed Mahmoud Salam, 38, and injured two of his children after placing an IED in his car in the city of Sheikh Zuweid.

Salam is one of the most prominent figures of a group that supports the army in its crackdown on militants in the city, according to the sources.

In Arish, medical and security sources announced that a police officer was killed by armed elements while he was walking in the street.

His corpse was transferred to Arish Public Hospital as relevant authorities started their investigation, sources pointed out, adding that the police are combing the area to search for those involved in the attack.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
TT
TT

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.