Curfew to End in Jordan as COVID Cases Drop

Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP
Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP
TT

Curfew to End in Jordan as COVID Cases Drop

Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP
Security officers during curfew in Amman | Photo: AFP

Fifteen COVID-19 deaths and 1,227 infections, were recorded on Saturday, bringing the caseload to 23,998, the Jordanian government announced.

The new fatalities took the Kingdom's death toll to 181, according to a statement by the Health Ministry.

Observers expressed surprise towards the drop in infection cases during the full curfew imposed on the weekend, following opposite expectations.

Social media activists doubted the accuracy of figures announced by the Health Ministry.

In this context, former Health Minister Saad Jaber admitted to having mistakes in the data entry leading to inaccurate statistics.

The highest tallies are found in the highly populated cities in the governates of Zarqa, Irbid, and Kerak.

Last week, the kingdom saw a sharp rise in cases recording 8,366 local cases and 75 deaths. During the same period, a total of 132,883 tests were carried out.

Jordanians had to remain home during the weekend due to a curfew imposed by the authorities and overseen by the Jordanian Armed Forces on the cities’ main entrances and exits. Meanwhile, the Public Security oversaw residential areas.

The curfew ends on Sunday morning, but the night curfew will remain in place.



Israel’s Netanyahu: Attempt by Hezbollah to Assassinate Me Is ‘A Grave Mistake’

Israeli security forces secure a road near where Israel's government says a drone launched toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, Israel Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
Israeli security forces secure a road near where Israel's government says a drone launched toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, Israel Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
TT

Israel’s Netanyahu: Attempt by Hezbollah to Assassinate Me Is ‘A Grave Mistake’

Israeli security forces secure a road near where Israel's government says a drone launched toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, Israel Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
Israeli security forces secure a road near where Israel's government says a drone launched toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house in Caesarea, Israel Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attempt of Iran's proxy Hezbollah to assassinate him and his wife on Saturday was "a grave mistake," after his spokesman said a drone was launched from Lebanon at his holiday home.

None of the groups firing on Israel over the last year, including the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, have claimed responsibility for that attack.

Israel’s government said a drone was launched toward the prime minister’s house Saturday, with no casualties.  

Sirens wailed Saturday morning in Israel, warning of incoming fire from Lebanon, with a drone launched toward Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea, the Israeli government said.

Neither he nor his wife were home, said his spokesperson in a statement.

The strikes into Israel come as its war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah — a Hamas ally — has intensified in recent weeks.  

Hezbollah said Friday that it planned to launch a new phase of fighting by sending more guided missiles and exploding drones into Israel. The armed group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in late September, and Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon earlier in October.  

A standoff is also ensuing between Israel and Hamas, which it’s fighting in Gaza, with both signaling resistance to ending the war after Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar this week.  

On Friday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said Sinwar’s death was a painful loss but noted that Hamas carried on despite the killings of other Palestinian militant leaders before him.  

“Hamas is alive and will stay alive,” Khamenei said.