'Bright Star 2021' Multi-National Military Drill Kicks off in Egypt

Part of the Bright Star joint military drill (Egyptian military spokesman)
Part of the Bright Star joint military drill (Egyptian military spokesman)
TT

'Bright Star 2021' Multi-National Military Drill Kicks off in Egypt

Part of the Bright Star joint military drill (Egyptian military spokesman)
Part of the Bright Star joint military drill (Egyptian military spokesman)

The "Bright Star 2021" multi-national joint military drill kicked off Thursday in Egypt at the “Mohammed Naguib” base, with the participation of 21 countries.

The military training is expected to last until September 17.

Leaders of the participating forces expressed their delight with the high spirits of the participating forces from various countries.

They hoped that the Bright Star 2021 exercises would achieve their goals and cement military ties between the armies of the participant countries.

In the same context, Egyptian-Cypriot military training "Ptolemy 2021" kicked off, Thursday, with the participation of special forces from both countries.

The first phase of the exercise includes holding a set of theoretical and practical lectures, to unify combat concepts and refine the skills of the participating forces.

The exercise comes as part of the Armed Forces' plan to exchange expertise and boost military cooperation with sisterly and friendly countries, as well as advance joint action with their Cypriot counterparts.



Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Settlers Torched Cars in Ramallah

Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)
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Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Settlers Torched Cars in Ramallah

Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect their burnt vehicles at the site where Israeli settlers attacked in Al-Bireh near the West Bank city of Ramallah, 04 November 2024. (EPA)

Palestinian officials said Israeli settlers were behind an attack in which several cars were torched overnight just a few kilometers (miles) away from the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

No one was wounded in the attack overnight into Monday in Al-Bireh, a city adjacent to Ramallah, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority is headquartered. An Associated Press reporter counted 18 burned-out cars.

Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have surged since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel.

But attacks in and around Ramallah, home to senior Palestinian officials and international missions, are rare.

The Palestinian Authority, which administers population centers in the territory, condemned the attack. Israeli police, who handle law enforcement matters involving settlers in the West Bank, said they were investigating.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state. The territory’s 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited autonomy over less than half of the territory.

Over 500,000 Jewish settlers with Israeli citizenship live in scores of settlements across the West Bank, which most of the international community considers illegal.