Israeli Delegation Secretly Visited Sudan

Head of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (AFP)
Head of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (AFP)
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Israeli Delegation Secretly Visited Sudan

Head of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (AFP)
Head of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (AFP)

An Israeli delegation of security officials met with senior Sudanese military officials during a secret visit to Khartoum earlier this week, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported Friday, citing Sudanese sources.

The delegation also met with head of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who stated several times that ties with Israel stand on intelligence, security, and military cooperation.

This is the third visit for a security Israeli delegation in six months.

An envoy was sent by Burhan to Israel in February 2022.

Sudan is the third Arab country to sign the US-brokered Abraham Accords with Israel after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Sudan moved toward normalizing ties with Israel in 2020.

In 2021, Sudan’s ruling sovereignty council and cabinet voted to abolish the Israel boycott law as part of the normalization of ties between the two countries. The law had been in force since 1958.

However, steps toward full normalization of ties have not been completed yet.



Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
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Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed.

The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice," Sharaa said in a statement, AFP reported.

The attack "reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability", he added.

Condemnation has continued to pour in from the international community after the attack -- the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor, in a country where security remains one of the new authorities' greatest challenges.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.