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Ship Carrying First Ukraine Grain Cargo Nears Syria

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. (Reuters)
The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. (Reuters)
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Ship Carrying First Ukraine Grain Cargo Nears Syria

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. (Reuters)
The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. (Reuters)

The first ship to depart Ukraine under a deal to resume grain exports from the country two weeks ago was approaching the Syrian port of Tartus on Sunday, two shipping sources said, after the vessel had been sailing with its transponder off.

The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni set sail from Ukraine's Odesa port on Aug. 1 under the deal between Moscow and Kyiv, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, but its location had not been clear in the past days without the transponder.

The cargo of 26,000 tons of corn had originally been destined for Lebanon, which has been suffering an economic crisis that has plunged about half of its population into food insecurity.

However, the original buyer refused the delivery over quality concerns and the ship sailed to Turkey, docking in Mersin on Aug. 11.

When it set sail again the following day, it did not keep its transponder on. Two shipping sources, one of them in Tartus, confirmed to Reuters on Sunday that the ship was approaching the northwest Syrian port.

Ukraine has previously accused Syria of importing at least 150,000 tons of grain it said was plundered from Ukrainian warehouses after Russia's invasion in February. Russia has denied stealing Ukrainian grain.

Ukraine cut off diplomatic ties with Syria in June after Damascus recognized the independence of the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Lebanon sent Reuters a statement from the Ministry of Transport, which said it was "not responsible for vessel and cargo after it has left the Ukraine, moreover after vessel's departure from (a) foreign port".

"Our task has been to reopen seaports for grain cargo and it has been done," the statement said, adding it had no information about the position of the vessel or cargo destination.

Meanwhile, the UN-chartered ship Brave Commander will depart Ukraine for Ethiopia in the coming days, a UN official said. It will be the first humanitarian food aid cargo bound for Africa since Russia sent troops into Ukraine and under the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

And the first ship carrying Ukrainian wheat to be exported under the deal arrived in Istanbul on Sunday, the Joint Coordination Center based in the Turkish city, said.

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Arab World

Israeli Fire Kills Father and Son in Gaza, Medics Say

Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Fire Kills Father and Son in Gaza, Medics Say

Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians inspect tents buried under rocks and earth a day after a large sandstone slab collapsed at a displacement camp, killing at least five people, including four children, according to health officials, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP)

Israeli forces ‌killed at least three Palestinians, including a father and his 13-year-old son, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health officials said.

Medics said Fadi Rajab and his son Abubakr were killed in an airstrike that hit the roof of a displacement shelter in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, while a ‌third person ‌was killed by gunfire in Khan ‌Younis, ⁠in the south ⁠of the enclave.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on either of the incidents.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year called for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza, but little progress has been made. Negotiators ⁠have failed to agree on ‌terms for ‌Hamas to disarm or for Israel to withdraw its ‌troops, which control about two-thirds of ‌the territory and from which residents have been ordered to leave.

Israel says Hamas is trying to regroup and refill its arsenal, while ‌Hamas says it is committed to the ceasefire agreement and accuses ⁠Israel ⁠of trying to undermine it.

At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement, according to the territory's health officials, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed.

Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Arab World

Iraq Reopens Border Crossing with Iran

Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Iraq Reopens Border Crossing with Iran

Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Stranded Iranians and Iraqis wait at the Iraq-Iran border following the Iraqi government's decision to close the Shalamsheh border crossing in the southern Basra province on September 12, 2026. (AFP)

Iraqi authorities reopened on Tuesday a border crossing with Iran after closing it last month amid mounting US pressure to isolate Tehran.

The Iraqi government closed the Al-Sheeb crossing in the Maysan province in October. Two political sources told AFP that the US was pressuring Baghdad to close most crossings with neighboring Iran.

The head of Iraq's border crossings authority Alaa al-Waeli told the state news agency (INA) that Al-Sheeb crossing would reopen Tuesday morning after the completion of the "necessary procedures" required to resume operations and "ensure the smooth movement of travelers and goods".

He added that authorities would temporarily close the Al-Mandali border crossing in Diyala province starting on Friday for "maintenance".

The closure of the Al-Sheeb crossing sparked tensions between the central government and local authorities in Maysan, with several protests erupting over the shutdown of a key route.

In September, Baghdad temporarily closed several crossings with Iran after authorities determined that an unclaimed drone attack on a Saudi pipeline originated from an area near Al-Sheeb.

Pro-Iran armed groups have supported Tehran during the Middle East war, claiming hundreds of attacks on US bases in Iraq and across the region.

Arab World

Egypt Permanently Lists Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organization

A scene from a previous trial of Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt (File photo: AFP). 
A scene from a previous trial of Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt (File photo: AFP). 
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Egypt Permanently Lists Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organization

A scene from a previous trial of Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt (File photo: AFP). 
A scene from a previous trial of Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt (File photo: AFP). 

Egyptian authorities have permanently placed the Muslim Brotherhood on the country’s list of terrorist entities, according to decisions by the Public Prosecution published in the Official Gazette on Monday.

The Brotherhood has been designated a terrorist organization in Egypt since 2013 and has been placed on the country’s terrorist entities list several times.

Most of its senior leaders, including Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, remain in Egyptian prisons in cases involving violence and murder following the group’s removal from power that year.

Other Brotherhood members wanted by Egyptian authorities remain abroad, where they continue to lead the organization amid deep internal divisions, according to observers.

Under the latest decisions, the Public Prosecution terminated the effects of two temporary listings issued in 2022: Decision No. 6 concerning terrorist entities and Decision No. 13 concerning individuals designated as terrorists. Both were published in Egypt’s official legal gazette, Al-Waqa’i Al-Masriyya, on January 3, 2023.

Prosecutors also ordered the Brotherhood’s permanent inclusion on the list of terrorist entities.

The decision permanently added three Brotherhood figures convicted under final, binding court rulings to the list of designated terrorists.

They were identified as Abdel Rahman Hassan Mohamed Meligy, Jamal Abdel Hamid Jomaa and Osama Ibrahim Mohamed Mostafa.

The Public Prosecution cited Law No. 8 of 2015, governing lists of terrorist entities and individuals, and its subsequent amendments as the legal basis for the decisions.

A judicial source familiar with the procedures explained that listing an individual as a terrorist automatically triggers measures including asset freezes, travel bans, placement on arrival watchlists and the withdrawal or cancellation of passports.

According to observers, publication of the decision in the Official Gazette also activates a range of restrictions against the Brotherhood, including a ban on the organization, suspension of all its activities and closure of its premises.

The measures prohibit direct or indirect financing, fundraising and the collection of material donations on its behalf, as well as civic or religious outreach activities conducted under any name.

Local media reports on Monday explained that the main distinction between temporary and permanent designation lies in their legal basis.

Temporary listing follows a judicial decision issued at the request of the prosecutor general, while permanent designation is based on a final criminal conviction against an organization or individual.

International Campaign Against Brotherhood Expands

The campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood has expanded across the Arab world and internationally in recent months.

In May, US President Donald Trump’s administration discussed a national counterterrorism strategy that focused primarily on the Brotherhood, portraying it as the ideological source of modern extremist terrorism.

The move followed Washington’s designation in January of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and its branches in Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations.

In March, the United States added the Brotherhood’s Sudanese branch to the same list.

Argentina also moved earlier this year to designate the Brotherhood’s branches in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations.