Sudan Says Joint Drills With Egypt Do Not Target a Certain Country

 Joint Egyptian-Sudanese drills (The official page of the Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman)
Joint Egyptian-Sudanese drills (The official page of the Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman)
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Sudan Says Joint Drills With Egypt Do Not Target a Certain Country

 Joint Egyptian-Sudanese drills (The official page of the Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman)
Joint Egyptian-Sudanese drills (The official page of the Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman)

Sudan’s Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Osman al-Hussein affirmed that the joint Sudanese-Egyptian military exercises “do not target a certain country.”

His comments came after the joint Sudanese-Egyptian air military drill, dubbed “The Nile Eagles 2”, were concluded on Sunday in Sudan’s Marwa air base.

Units from the Egyptian and Sudanese air forces, Sudan’s Thunderbolt Forces and Egypt’s Special Forces took part in the exercise, which was attended by al-Hussein and his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Farid Hegazy.

Al-Hussein hailed the event, affirming the importance of the exercise in boosting relations between Egypt and Sudan and integrating their national security.

The two sides carried out a number of intense training exercises, including storming operations, concealment, and camouflage operations.

The troops also conducted joint sorties to attack hostile targets and protect vital targets.

Commander of the Sudanese Air Force Essam al-Din Saeed said the activities help exchange expertise and enhance training in the fields of planning and implementing joint combat activities.



Airlines Keep Avoiding Middle East Airspace after US Attack on Iran

FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
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Airlines Keep Avoiding Middle East Airspace after US Attack on Iran

FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East on Sunday after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, with traffic already skirting airspace in the region due to recent missile exchanges.

"Following US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, commercial traffic in the region is operating as it has since new airspace restrictions were put into place last week," FlightRadar24 said on social media platform X.

Its website showed airlines were not flying in the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.

Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic.

Since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, carriers have suspended flights to destinations in the affected countries, though there have been some evacuation flights from neighbouring nations and some bringing stranded Israelis home.

Israel's two largest carriers, El Al Israel Airlines and Arkia, said on Sunday they were suspending rescue flights that allowed people to return to Israel until further notice.

Israel's airports authority said the country's airspace was closed for all flights, but land crossings with Egypt and Jordan remained open.

Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21 people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to Azerbaijan. It said it was the second such evacuation since Thursday and that it would conduct further evacuations if necessary.

New Zealand's government said on Sunday it would send a Hercules military transport plane to the Middle East on standby to evacuate New Zealanders from the region.

It said in a statement that government personnel and a C-130J Hercules aircraft would leave Auckland on Monday. The plane would take some days to reach the region, it said.

The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist, it added.