Iraq, Egypt to Cooperate on Civilian, Military Production

Egyptian Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi met with Iraq Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Nayef al-Dleimy in Cairo (MENA)
Egyptian Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi met with Iraq Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Nayef al-Dleimy in Cairo (MENA)
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Iraq, Egypt to Cooperate on Civilian, Military Production

Egyptian Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi met with Iraq Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Nayef al-Dleimy in Cairo (MENA)
Egyptian Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi met with Iraq Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Nayef al-Dleimy in Cairo (MENA)

Egyptian and Iraqi officials expressed Tuesday willingness to enhance cooperation between the two countries in civilian and military production.

Egyptian Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi met with Iraqi Ambassador Ahmed Nayef al-Dleimy in Cairo. They explored the possibility of exchanging expertise and manufacturing technology in various industrial sectors.

“The meeting tackled the importance of cooperation between Egypt's military production companies and their Iraqi counterparts,” the ministry said in a statement.

It said Morsi expressed willingness to deploy the ministry's technological means and human resources for the reconstruction of Iraq by taking part in the execution of major industrial projects in the civilian and military sectors.

“The minister asserted the importance of encouraging cooperation between the two countries in many areas, and expressed his ministry's keenness to employ all the industrial, technological and human capabilities to participate in Iraq's reconstruction,” the statement added.

For his part, the Iraqi ambassador praised the ministry for its role in advancing both military and civilian industries, and its contribution in national megaprojects accomplished in Egypt.

Al-Dulaimi said the ministry will be a major factor in contributing to Iraq's military and civilian reconstruction.

“Iraq's keenness to cooperate with Egypt's Ministry of Military Production comes as part of the technological, manufacturing, technical, research, and infrastructure capabilities of the latter's subsidiary companies,” the Ambassador said.

The meeting comes amid a summit held by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdallah al-Thani, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi in Amman.

According to a statement by the Royal Hashemite Court, the summit focused on expanding economic, commercial and investment cooperation among the three countries, in order to achieve their common interests and serve Arab causes.

Also on Tuesday, Egyptian Minister of Housing Assem El-Gazzar held a meeting with president of the Iraqi Contractors Federation (ICF) Ali Sanafi to discuss mutual cooperation between the two countries.



Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

The technical analysis of the recovered black boxes from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, began as the investigation proceeded in cooperation with Libyan authorities, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officials and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

The wreckage was scattered across an area covering 3 square kilometers (more than a square mile), complicating recovery efforts, according to the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

A 22-person delegation, including five family members, arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation.


Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
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Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated on Thursday that the country’s parliamentary elections are a constitutional obligation that must be carried out on time.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency quoted Aoun as saying that he, alongside Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, is determined to hold the elections on schedule.

Aoun also emphasized that diplomatic efforts have continued unabated to keep the specter of war at bay, noting that "things are heading in a positive direction".

The agency also cited Berri reaffirming that the elections will take place as planned, with "no delays, no extensions".

The Lebanese parliamentary elections are scheduled for May next year.


Israel Calls Countries Condemning New West Bank Settlements ‘Morally Wrong’

Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Calls Countries Condemning New West Bank Settlements ‘Morally Wrong’

Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)

Israel reacted furiously on Thursday to a condemnation by 14 countries including France and Britain of its approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling the criticism discriminatory against Jews.

"Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"The cabinet decision to establish 11 new settlements and to formalize eight additional settlements is intended, among other things, to help address the security threats Israel is facing."

On Sunday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Fourteen countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Canada, then issued a statement urging Israel to reverse its decision, "as well as the expansion of settlements".

Such unilateral actions, they said, "violate international law", and risk undermining a fragile ceasefire in Gaza in force since October 10.

They also reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution... where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side in peace and security".

Israel has occupied the West Bank following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents.

Earlier this month, the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, all of which are illegal under international law, had reached its highest level since at least 2017.