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Greece and Egypt Call Turkish-Libyan Gas Deal ‘Illegal’

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)
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Greece and Egypt Call Turkish-Libyan Gas Deal ‘Illegal’

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)

Egypt and Greece on Sunday said a deal allowing Turkish hydrocarbon exploration in Libya's Mediterranean waters was "illegal" as Athens said it would oppose it by all "legal means".

On Monday, Türkiye said it had signed a memorandum of understanding on exploration for hydrocarbons in Libya's seas with the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU)

"This agreement threatens stability and security in the Mediterranean," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in Cairo, where he met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The deal follows an agreement Türkiye signed three years ago with Tripoli that demarcated the countries' shared maritime borders.

Greece, Egypt and Cyprus believe the 2019 agreement violates their economic rights in an area suspected to contain vast natural gas reserves.

"We will use all legal means to defend our rights," Dendias added.

He said Tripoli "does not have the necessary sovereignty over this area", and that the agreement is therefore "illegal and inadmissible".

Shoukry charged that the mandate of the authorities in Tripoli has "expired" and that "the government of Tripoli does not have the legitimacy to sign agreements".

A rival Libyan administration in the war-torn country's east -- which since March has been attempting to take office in Tripoli and also argues the government's mandate has expired -- has rejected the accord.

Monday's deal builds on an agreement signed between Ankara and a previous Tripoli-based administration in 2019, at the height of a battle for the capital after eastern-based military chief Khalifa Haftar attempted to seize it by force.

The delivery of Turkish drones to Tripoli-based forces shortly afterwards was seen as crucial in the victory over Haftar.

The question of rights to Libya's vast hydrocarbon resources has become more urgent this year as global energy prices have soared.

The European Union has denounced the 2019 maritime border deal, while France has said the recent agreement was "not in accordance with international law".

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Arab World

Jordan Arrests Three Suspects in Deadly Church Attack

A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)
A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)
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Jordan Arrests Three Suspects in Deadly Church Attack

A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)
A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)

Jordanian security forces have arrested three suspects in connection with an attack on a church that killed nine people, state television reported on Monday.

The attack, in which gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church on Friday in the village of Hamoud in Karak governorate, about 120 km (75 miles) southwest of the capital Amman, also wounded 40 others. The shooting lasted several minutes, witnesses ‌said.

Jordan's Public Security ‌Directorate said security forces located the three ‌suspects ⁠early on Monday ⁠hiding in an abandoned house in Karak. The suspects refused to surrender and opened fire on security forces, who returned fire and arrested all three after they were wounded, the directorate said in a statement carried on state media.

No security personnel were injured, and a number of firearms ⁠and ammunition were found in the suspects' ‌possession after their arrest, reported Reuters.

"Terrorism has ‌no place among us," the directorate said, adding that the suspects ‌had met their "just fate".

The Public Security Directorate did not ‌identify the suspects' affiliation or say whether they belonged to any militant group.

Jordanian authorities have said the attack was carried out by "extremist terrorists", but it was too early to determine whether they had ‌links to known groups inside or outside Jordan. There has been no claim of ⁠responsibility.

Interior Minister ⁠Mazen al-Faraya said on Monday authorities were reviewing the circumstances that led young people towards extremism and would hold accountable anyone found to have participated in the attack.

King Abdullah has ordered security forces to respond with an "iron fist" to the rare attack on Jordan's Christian minority.

Such violence is highly unusual in Jordan, a relatively stable state in the Middle East, though authorities say they have foiled several extremist militant plots over the years.

Arab World

Strike on Gaza University Kills Three

Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)
Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)
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Strike on Gaza University Kills Three

Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)
Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)

An Israeli strike on a university in Gaza City killed three people on Sunday, staff and a local hospital said, while the civil defense agency reported five others killed elsewhere in the territory.

Reached for comment on the strike at the Islamic University, the Israeli army said that it was currently under review.

Al Shifa hospital reported receiving three bodies and treating eight people who were wounded in the drone strike, with two sources at the university saying the dead were employees and the injured were students.

The university said the campus and its surroundings had been targeted twice on Sunday, condemning the attacks and mourning those killed in a statement.

Gaza's education ministry likewise condemned the strike, saying: "The global silence regarding attacks on students and universities serves as encouragement for the continuation of these crimes".

"This strike occurs at a time when the higher education sector is facing total annihilation, with 95 percent of the buildings belonging to academic institutions having been damaged as a result of the war," it continued.

"This heinous assault is part of a continuous series of attacks on education; over the past six days, 10 students and educators have been killed by the occupation's fire."

In a statement, the army said it had been "targeting a terrorist from Hamas' military wing".

"Following the identification of uninvolved individuals in the area, the munition was diverted in order to mitigate harm to them. The incident is under review," it said, without specifying whether those killed at the university were hit by accident.

A truce has been in effect in Gaza for over a year, but has failed to completely halt the violence there.

Gaza civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said five other people were killed on Sunday, three in strikes around the southern city of Khan Younis, one in central Deir al-Balah and one northwest of Gaza City.

One more person was wounded by Israeli gunfire in Jabalia refugee camp in the north.

Arab World

Commander of Yemeni Coast Guard: Our Duties Are Continuing Normally and Our Morale Is High

Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)
Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)
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Commander of Yemeni Coast Guard: Our Duties Are Continuing Normally and Our Morale Is High

Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)
Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)

Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli stated that three Houthi missiles targeted coast guard positions in the interim capital of Aden, causing infrastructure damage. He stressed that the attack did not halt operations, which continue normally with high morale.

Al-Qamli told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Three Houthi missiles targeted the Yemeni Coast Guard Authority in Aden, resulting in infrastructure damage.”

The Interior Ministry said two missiles struck on Saturday the coast guard headquarters at the ministry’s offices, while a third hit the coast guard building in the Tawahi district.

It noted that the targeting of security and service facilities is an extension of previous assaults on civilian and vital infrastructure in Aden. This includes Aden International Airport, which has been subjected to ballistic missile and drone attacks on multiple occasions.

It added that the relevant authorities are continuing to gather information and evidence to assess the damage and are taking the necessary measures to boost security and protect both infrastructure and citizens.

The Coast Guard in the Gulf of Aden sector performs critical duties that include securing ports and their facilities, monitoring vessel traffic, maritime lanes, and the coastline, alongside escorting vessels when necessary and executing rescue operations.

These responsibilities carry heightened significance amid Yemen's ongoing efforts to bolster port security and streamline coordination among maritime security entities.

To that end, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) convened a workshop in Aden last August, drawing representatives from the Coast Guard, government bodies, and port authorities to address maritime security governance, information sharing, and the protection of port infrastructure.

In Shabwah, Governor Awadh Mohammed bin Al-Wazir praised a "qualitative security achievement" by the Rapid Intervention Forces, which dismantled a 13-member Houthi cell and seized a truck laden with weapons, ammunition, highly explosive improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and various projectiles.

The seized items included sniper rifles, ammunition, IEDs, and various projectiles. Preliminary investigations revealed the shipment was smuggled through a boat and received by members of the cell on the coast of the Radum district ahead of sending it to the Houthis.