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Arab World

Expanded Egyptian Investment Plans to Demarcate Western Maritime Borders with Libya

Egyptian President Sisi chairs a meeting in Cairo to discuss energy exploration plans in the Mediterranean. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Sisi chairs a meeting in Cairo to discuss energy exploration plans in the Mediterranean. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Expanded Egyptian Investment Plans to Demarcate Western Maritime Borders with Libya

Egyptian President Sisi chairs a meeting in Cairo to discuss energy exploration plans in the Mediterranean. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Sisi chairs a meeting in Cairo to discuss energy exploration plans in the Mediterranean. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed on Thursday “current and future investment plans for research and exploration in the eastern and western regions of the Mediterranean” as part of efforts to demarcate the marine borders with Libya.

Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Tarik Al Mulla stressed that all “activities carried out by Egypt are in accordance with the principles and customs of international law and UN conventions.”

The reviewed plans cover the period until 2025.

About a week ago, Sisi issued a decision for demarcating the country’s western maritime borders with Libya.

The move drew protests from the Foreign Ministry of Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity over the weekend.

Sis’s meeting, which included Mulla and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, tackled state efforts following natural gas and oil research and exploration, said Presidency Spokesman Bassam Rady.

“Sisi ordered intensifying research efforts and expanding new exploration areas in order to achieve the optimal economic and developmental utilization of Egypt’s resources,” revealed Rady.

For his part, Mulla also reviewed the current and future investment plans in terms of gas exploration until 2025 in the eastern and western regions of the Mediterranean.

Major international energy companies are part of these plans with a total investment of about $2.1 billion, said a presidential statement.

According to preliminary results, it is expected that exploration efforts will result in promising discoveries that will support the national economy and consolidate Egypt's position as a regional hub for energy production and trading.

Thursday's meeting also discussed the development of the Soda Ash project in the industrial zone in New Alamein City, which is being implemented in partnership between the state and the private sector with a total investment of about $500 million.

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Arab World

Arman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Terminating UNITAMS Mission May Lead to War Escalation

The leader of the Forces of Freedom and Change, Yasser Saeed Arman.
The leader of the Forces of Freedom and Change, Yasser Saeed Arman.
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Arman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Terminating UNITAMS Mission May Lead to War Escalation

The leader of the Forces of Freedom and Change, Yasser Saeed Arman.
The leader of the Forces of Freedom and Change, Yasser Saeed Arman.

The leader of the Forces of Freedom and Change, Yasser Saeed Arman, said that ending the tasks of the UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) would not support the endeavors to end the war in the country.

The UN Security Council on Friday decided to terminate the mandate of the UN political mission in Sudan as of this Monday, after Khartoum called for its immediate withdrawal last month.

In statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, Arman said that the UN Security Council should not have ended the mission’s tasks, stressing that the international community would not abandon the issue of war in Sudan due to its internal and external repercussions on civilians.

The prominent Sudanese politician also warned that the decision to end the mission of UNITAMS would bring about “negative results to those who called for the termination.”

“Despite the current divisions in the Security Council, all of these measures encourage the escalation of the war instead of working to end it as quickly as possible, because they constitute a danger to the Sudanese state and herald its collapse...” He stated.

In mid-November, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a request from Khartoum to immediately end the mandate of the UN mission, and decided to appoint the Algerian diplomat, Ramtane Lamamra, as his personal envoy to Sudan.

Asked about the priorities and goals that the Sudanese political forces must seek to achieve in the coming period, Arman stressed that those should include securing access to humanitarian aid, protecting the civilians, and ending hostilities.

He added that the Sudanese components should work to “stop the war and build a new state, new army, and institutions that give the opportunity to establish a national project that achieves democracy and stability in the country.”

Since the announcement of the termination of the UNITAMS, questions were raised about whether Sudan would fall under the provisions of Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter, which includes mechanisms for actions taken in cases of threat to peace.

According to Arman, falling under this chapter “depends on the developments of the war, and the extent to which it poses a major challenge for civilians, which forces the international community to resort to that path that entails large and extensive costs.”

Arab World

Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank Raid

Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
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Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank Raid

Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in a car and detained two others during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, without immediately providing further details.

Asked about the overnight incident in Qalqilya, an Israeli military spokesperson said "there was counter-terrorism activity there" and that further details would be published later, Reuters reported.

The West Bank has seen surging violence in parallel to Israel's eight-week-old war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, another territory where Palestinians seek statehood.

Arab World

Netanyahu Calls on Ministers, Lawmakers Not to Criticize Security Forces During War

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (dpa)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (dpa)
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Netanyahu Calls on Ministers, Lawmakers Not to Criticize Security Forces During War

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (dpa)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (dpa)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Likud ministers and lawmakers on Sunday to avoid getting into personal arguments, including criticizing security forces.

“Be careful with your words, in particular during a time of war.”

According to the Times of Israel, the prime minister said that the war cabinet is acting “quickly but not recklessly” in its decisions about fighting and added that the focus remains on both the southern and northern fronts.

Netanyahu discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages in Gaza through military operations.

“We are continuing now to speak with our enemy about continuing to free hostages — speaking with fire,” he added.

Israel resumed its shelling on the Gaza Strip on Friday following a 7-day humanitarian truce that witnessed an exchange of captives and detainees held by Hamas.

Arab World

3 Commercial Ships Hit by Missiles in Houthi Attack in Red Sea, US Warship Downs 3 Drones

The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Suez Canal, Egypt October 18, 2023. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau/Handout via REUTERS.
The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Suez Canal, Egypt October 18, 2023. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau/Handout via REUTERS.
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3 Commercial Ships Hit by Missiles in Houthi Attack in Red Sea, US Warship Downs 3 Drones

The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Suez Canal, Egypt October 18, 2023. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau/Handout via REUTERS.
The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney transits the Suez Canal, Egypt October 18, 2023. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau/Handout via REUTERS.

Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi militias struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a US warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said.

“These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security,” the US military's Central Command said in a statement. “They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world.”

It added: “We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”

The attack began around 9:15 a.m. local time (0615 GMT) in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, Central Command said.

The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, detected a ballistic missile fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen at the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier Unity Explorer. The missile hit near the ship, the US said. Shortly afterward, the Carney shot down a drone headed its way, although it's not clear if the destroyer was the target, Central Command said.

About 30 minutes later, the Unity Explorer was hit by a missile. While responding to its distress call, the Carney shot down another incoming drone. Central Command said the Unity Explorer sustained minor damage from the missile.

Two other commercial ships, the Panamanian-flagged bulk carriers Number 9 and Sophie II, were both struck by missiles. The Number 9 reported some damage but no casualties, and the Sophie II reported no significant damage, Central Command said.

While sailing to assist the Sophie II around 4:30 p.m. local time (1330 GMT), the Carney shot down another drone heading in its direction. The drones did no damage.

The Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has shot down multiple rockets the Houthis have fired toward Israel during the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It hasn't been damaged in any of the incidents and no injuries have been reported on board. The Defense Department initially described the assault as simply an attack on the Carney before providing more details.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed two of Sunday's attacks, saying the first vessel was hit by a missile and the second by a drone while in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Arab World

Sudan’s Commander-in-Chief Threatens to 'Crush' Rapid Support Forces

Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)
Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)
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Sudan’s Commander-in-Chief Threatens to 'Crush' Rapid Support Forces

Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)
Army Commander and Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a visit to Wad Madani (Sovereign Council media)

Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman and Sudanese Army Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan reiterated his unwavering commitment to eradicate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its supporters.

Burhan was speaking at the First Infantry Division in Wad Madani. He said the “battle of dignity” will continue until “Sudan is cleaned,” asserting that the Council and its supporters who believe in the unity of Sudan will “crush the enemy” and destroy its followers.

Since last April, the Army and the RSF have been fighting, and the battles have spread to large parts of the country, inflicting heavy losses.

Estimates indicate the number of civilian deaths was about 9,000, including women, children, and the elderly. Over six million persons have been displaced because of the clashes.

Burhan strongly condemned the civil opposition, asserting that solutions would not come from abroad and couldn’t be imposed on the country.

“The solution lies with the Sudanese people at home.”

The commander asserted that power can’t be achieved through war, adding that if any entity is wrong it thought it could rule the country after plundering its resources and killing its people.

Burhan addressed the “supporters of the Rapid Support,” namely politicians, saying the people will reject them, just as they did with the insurgents.

Referring to the Jeddah negotiations sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the US, Burhan reiterated that the RSF must exit the “combat zones,” stating that they headed to the talks with “open hearts” aiming to achieve peace in the country.

However, he noted that negotiations that do not meet the desire of the Sudanese people will not be acceptable, and talks that do not include the exit of forces from the combat zones will never be good.

Burhan welcomed the UN Security Council resolution to end the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), warning the new Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Ramtane Lamamra, of facing “the same fate as his predecessors” if he aligns with a party to the conflict.

“We do not refuse to work with the UN, but we require a neutral mission to help us restore security and stability in Sudan,” asserted Burhan, welcoming the new Envoy.

Arab World

Pope Deplores End to Gaza Truce, Urges New Ceasefire

Pope Francis holds a weekly general audience in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, April 28, 2021. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS
Pope Francis holds a weekly general audience in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, April 28, 2021. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS
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Pope Deplores End to Gaza Truce, Urges New Ceasefire

Pope Francis holds a weekly general audience in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, April 28, 2021. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS
Pope Francis holds a weekly general audience in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, April 28, 2021. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

Pope Francis said Sunday that he was saddened the truce in the Gaza Strip had been broken and urged those involved in the conflict to reach a new ceasefire deal as soon as possible.

"There is so much suffering in Gaza," the pontiff said in comments from his private residence, which were read by an aide and broadcast on giant screens in Saint Peter's Square, AFP reported.

The 86-year-old is suffering from a lung infection that has caused breathing difficulties, and forced him to cancel a trip to Dubai to attend the international COP28 climate summit.

"Still today, I cannot read this all. I'm doing better, but my voice...," Francis said, before the aide took over.

In the comments, Francis said the end of the ceasefire meant "death, destruction, misery", stressing that the besieged Palestinian territory lacked even essential supplies.

He said the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories was "serious". "Many hostages have been freed but so many others are still in Gaza," he said.

Arab World

Damascus 'Rejects' Watchdog Vote Curbing Chemical Exports to Syria

General photo of Syria's Bab al-Salam crossing (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
General photo of Syria's Bab al-Salam crossing (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
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Damascus 'Rejects' Watchdog Vote Curbing Chemical Exports to Syria

General photo of Syria's Bab al-Salam crossing (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
General photo of Syria's Bab al-Salam crossing (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Syria's foreign ministry on Sunday lambasted a decision by the world's chemical weapons watchdog to limit chemical exports to the war-torn country.

"Syria rejects the resolution that was adopted" at the annual meeting Thursday of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a ministry statement said.

It slammed Western nations that put forward the resolution, saying the vote "reflects Western hatred towards developing countries".

On Thursday, a majority of OPCW member countries voted for "collective measures" to stop the transfer of certain chemicals and chemical-making technology to Syria.

It cited Syria's "continued possession and use of chemical weapons" and "its failures to submit an accurate and complete declaration and to destroy all its undeclared chemical weapons and production facilities".

Syria agreed in 2013 to join the world's chemicals watchdog following after an alleged chemical gas attack killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus.

But the OPCW, based in The Hague, has since accused the Damascus of carrying out a series of chemical attacks during the civil war.

The Syrian government has denied the allegations.

Syria's OPCW voting rights were suspended in 2021, an unprecedented rebuke, following poison gas attacks on civilians in 2017.

Damascus has also denied the accusations.

The Syrian civil war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests, escalating into a deadly armed conflict involving foreign powers and global jihadist groups.

The war has killed more than half a million people and displaced half of the country's pre-war population.

Arab World

Israel Calls for More Evacuations in Southern Gaza as it Widens Offensive

A Palestinian man mourns at al-Najjar hospital near the shrouded bodies of relatives killed in Israeli bombing on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 3, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)
A Palestinian man mourns at al-Najjar hospital near the shrouded bodies of relatives killed in Israeli bombing on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 3, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)
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Israel Calls for More Evacuations in Southern Gaza as it Widens Offensive

A Palestinian man mourns at al-Najjar hospital near the shrouded bodies of relatives killed in Israeli bombing on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 3, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)
A Palestinian man mourns at al-Najjar hospital near the shrouded bodies of relatives killed in Israeli bombing on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 3, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)

Israel's military called for more evacuations in southern Gaza as it widened its offensive aimed at eliminating the territory's Hamas rulers. The war has already killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced over three-fourths of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, who are running out of safe places to go.

The Health Ministry in Gaza said the death toll in the territory since Oct. 7 has surpassed 15,500, with more than 41,000 wounded. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but said 70% of the dead were women and children.

Israel says it targets Hamas operatives and blames civilian casualties on the militants, accusing them of operating in residential neighborhoods. It claims to have killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence. Israel says at least 81 of its soldiers have died.

Hopes for another temporary truce faded after Israel called its negotiators home over the weekend. Hamas said talks on releasing more of the scores of hostages seized by Palestinian militants on Oct. 7 must be tied to a permanent cease-fire, The Associated Press reported. 

The United States, along with Qatar and Egypt, which mediated the earlier cease-fire, say they are working on a longer truce.

Israel expanded its offensive against Hamas in besieged Gaza on Monday, as international concern deepened over the mounting civilian death toll in a war sparked by the October 7 attacks.

Over the weekend, Israeli air strikes on northern Gaza threw thick clouds of smoke and dust into the sky.

On Sunday, the Israeli army reported a string of rocket salvos from Gaza into Israel, adding that most had been intercepted.

The Hamas-run government in Gaza and the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said a strike had hit the entrance of the Kamal Adwan hospital in the north of the territory late Sunday.

Several people were killed in the strike, the news agency said, while Hamas accused Israel on Telegram of a "grave violation" of humanitarian law.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not immediately comment on the alleged strike.

Fighting resumed between the two sides on Friday despite international calls for an extension.

The mounting death toll in Gaza has sparked growing international concern over Israel's conduct of the war to eradicate Hamas.

On Sunday, hospitals in southern Gaza were overflowing with dead and wounded, some crying out in pain.

"I am running out of ways to describe the horrors hitting children here," James Elder, a spokesman for the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, said in a video from Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis.

"This is the worst bombardment of the war right now in south Gaza. I am seeing massive child casualties," he said in the video, posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Nine-year-old Huda, who was wounded in the head, arrived at the Deir al-Balah hospital with an International Committee of the Red Cross convoy bringing casualties from northern Gaza.

"She doesn't answer me any more," her father Abdelkarim Abu Warda said, sobbing.

Israel's ally the United States, which provides it with billions of dollars in military aid annually, has intensified calls for the protection of Gaza's civilians.

"Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed," Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters at UN climate talks in Dubai.

 

Arab World

UN Report Projects that Climate Change Will Kill 121,000 People in Yemen by 2060

With no action, it is projected that climate change will be responsible for over 121,000 deaths in Yemen by 2060. Reuters
With no action, it is projected that climate change will be responsible for over 121,000 deaths in Yemen by 2060. Reuters
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UN Report Projects that Climate Change Will Kill 121,000 People in Yemen by 2060

With no action, it is projected that climate change will be responsible for over 121,000 deaths in Yemen by 2060. Reuters
With no action, it is projected that climate change will be responsible for over 121,000 deaths in Yemen by 2060. Reuters

A UN report projects an increase in malnutrition and poverty in Yemen if climate action to build resilience is not undertaken.

“With climate change, by 2060, it is projected that a cumulative $93 billion would be lost in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 3.8 million more people would suffer from malnutrition in Yemen,” said the report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Sunday.

“Today, climate change is not theoretical; we are already witnessing changing weather patterns in Yemen, and the worse is yet to come. With no action, it is projected that climate change will be responsible for over 121,000 deaths in Yemen by 2060,” said UNDP Yemen Resident Representative Zena Ali Ahmad.

“UNDP’s new report outlines how a strategy to build resilience can help to mitigate the projected impacts of climate change in Yemen, to secure a decent future for the next generation in an already fragile context,” he added.

Arab World

Israel, Hezbollah Trade Fire Across Border

This picture taken from southern Lebanon shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike between the villages of Qaouzah and Ramia near the border with Israel on December 3, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from southern Lebanon shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike between the villages of Qaouzah and Ramia near the border with Israel on December 3, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
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Israel, Hezbollah Trade Fire Across Border

This picture taken from southern Lebanon shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike between the villages of Qaouzah and Ramia near the border with Israel on December 3, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from southern Lebanon shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike between the villages of Qaouzah and Ramia near the border with Israel on December 3, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli forces and Hezbollah traded fire across the Israel-Lebanon border on Sunday for the third consecutive day and Israel said several of its soldiers were hurt.

The Israeli military said its soldiers were "lightly injured" when an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit a vehicle in the Beit Hillel area of northern Israel.

Eleven people — eight soldiers and three civilians — were wounded by Hezbollah fire in the area of Beit Hillel, army radio reported.

Israeli forces fired artillery in return, the military's statement read.

It also said its fighter jets struck other Hezbollah targets.

Hezbollah said it had targeted a number of Israeli positions with what it called "appropriate weapons.”

Following the eruption of the Hamas-Israel war on Oct. 7, Hezbollah mounted near-daily rocket attacks on Israeli positions at the frontier while Israel launched air and artillery strikes in south Lebanon. But the border was largely calm during a week-long truce in Gaza that collapsed on Friday.

Just over 100 people in Lebanon have been reported killed during the hostilities, 83 of them Hezbollah fighters. Tens of thousands of people have fled both sides of the border.