US Stresses Need for Economic Reforms in Tunisia

 Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)
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US Stresses Need for Economic Reforms in Tunisia

 Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied reiterated his country’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected US intervention in its internal affairs. (EPA)

Tunisia's President Kais Saied held talks with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf at Carthage Palace on Tuesday.

The Tunisian presidency said the meeting was a chance for Saied to clarify many issues related to the situation in the country.

Saied called on the US authorities to hear from Tunisian counterparts to find out the reality of the economic and social conditions in his country.

He renewed Tunis’s adherence to its sovereignty and rejected any intervention in its internal affairs.

The US Embassy in Tunis quoted Leaf as underscoring that the US-Tunisia partnership is strongest when there is a shared commitment to democracy and human rights.

She stressed the importance of achieving economic reforms that will lead to equal measures of prosperity for all Tunisians.

Leaf also met with Tunisian Minister of Interior Taoufik Charfeddine to discuss security and counter-terrorism cooperation.

She underlined the importance of human rights, protecting rule of law, and freedom of expression for all Tunisians.

The meeting touched on the distinguished bilateral ties in all fields and means to bolster them.

Both sides also discussed joint cooperation projects in the security field, such as the police academy project in Enfidha.

Leaf later discussed with Tunisia’s Defense Minister Imed Memmiche direct regional and transcontinental threats.

They hailed the existing cooperation between Tunis and Washington to support the ability to address various challenges.

Barbara expressed her country’s commitment to continue supporting Tunisia to address security and development challenges.



Israeli Strike in Syria Kills 5 Soldiers

People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
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Israeli Strike in Syria Kills 5 Soldiers

People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
People fleeing from Lebanon arrive on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabus in southwestern Syria on September 25, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

An overnight Israeli airstrike on a military site in the area of Kfar Yabous in Syria near the border with Lebanon killed five Syrian army soldiers and injured another, Syrian state news agency SANA reported Friday, citing an unnamed military official.

Israel's military did not immediately acknowledge the strike. Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria and facilities linked to Iran and the Lebanon’s Hezbollah but rarely acknowledges them.

Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians have fled across the border from Lebanon into Syria since the beginning of the week amid intense Israeli bombardment that Israel says is targeting Hezbollah fighters and weapons. The strikes have killed an estimated 700 people to date, including at least 150 women and children.