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.



Lebanon Joins Middle East Green Initiative

 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
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Lebanon Joins Middle East Green Initiative

 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister announced that the country has joined the Middle East Green Initiative, launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to mitigate the impact of climate change on the region.

“This is an essential step for Lebanon, especially since our southern villages and towns have been exposed to significant environmental and agricultural damage due to Israeli attacks, which requires cooperation with all of Lebanon's friends,” a statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers quoted Mikati as saying.

Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan welcomed Lebanon’s participation in the initiative, confirming that a high committee has been established to ensure the project’s sustainability and facilitate relevant cooperation.

He noted that the timing of the announcement “comes in light of the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and this matter must be drawn to attention, especially since Israel is destroying very large areas, whether agricultural lands, fruit trees or forests.”

Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said that the Middle East Green Initiative has very important goals to plant 40 billion trees across the region and protect the Gulf and the Middle East from climate change, stop land degradation and desertification and find the means to adapt to future challenges.

The Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture estimates that more than 2.8 million square meters of forest and agricultural land were completely burned, while about 6.7 million square meters of agricultural and forest land were partially damaged as a result of Israel’s attacks and its use of internationally-banned incendiary munitions.