Egypt’s Sisi, CIA Director Discuss Ethiopian Dam Crisis

Sisi meets the CIA chief in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency spokesman)
Sisi meets the CIA chief in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency spokesman)
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Egypt’s Sisi, CIA Director Discuss Ethiopian Dam Crisis

Sisi meets the CIA chief in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency spokesman)
Sisi meets the CIA chief in Cairo. (Egyptian Presidency spokesman)

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed his country’s interest in boosting cooperation with the US in various fields, namely on the security and intelligence levels in light of the growing threat of terrorism and extremism.

He made his remarks during a meeting with the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency William Burns, in Cairo on Sunday.

Developments in Afghanistan and the Palestinian cause, the dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and the crisis in Libya were tackled during the meeting, according to spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency Bassam Rady.

Burns expressed his country’s pride in the constructive cooperation and inextricable relations with Egypt, Rady added.

He stressed Washington’s keenness on the continued coordination with Egypt regarding various challenges, especially in light of developments in the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa.

Separately, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aty ordered the continuation of work on the national project to rehabilitate canals and transform them into modern irrigation projects.

The minister said the modern irrigation project aims to shift 3.7 million feddans of lands to modern irrigation over three years.

So far, up to 393,000 feddans have adopted the new system.



Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
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Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi militias in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, following several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeidah, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations. It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.”

Netanyahu monitored the new strikes along with military leaders, his government said. The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated as a terrorist organisation.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Houthi attacks against Israel, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday.