Israeli FM Heads Delegation to Discuss Sudan Normalization

Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
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Israeli FM Heads Delegation to Discuss Sudan Normalization

Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
Eli Cohen speaks after a handing over ceremony and taking the office as the new Israeli Foreign Minister in Jerusalem January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen was in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday to discuss the normalization of ties between the two countries, two Sudanese government sources said.

The trip was part of an exchange of visits between Sudan and Israel and involved discussions on reaching and signing a normalization deal as well as military and security issues, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Sudan agreed to take steps to normalize ties with Israel in a 2020 deal brokered by former US President Donald Trump's administration, alongside normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco known as the "Abraham Accords".

In January 2021, Sudan said that its justice minister at the time, Nasredeen Abdulbari, had signed on to the Abraham Accords during a visit by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials, but Cohen's office said he would in the evening convene a news conference "upon his return from an historic state visit". It did not elaborate.



Houthi Attack Sees Explosions Near Ship in Red Sea

Houthi soldiers march during a military course, in Sanaa, Yemen, 08 November 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi soldiers march during a military course, in Sanaa, Yemen, 08 November 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Houthi Attack Sees Explosions Near Ship in Red Sea

Houthi soldiers march during a military course, in Sanaa, Yemen, 08 November 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi soldiers march during a military course, in Sanaa, Yemen, 08 November 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

A suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi militias saw multiple explosions strike near a vessel traveling through the Red Sea on Tuesday, though no damage was immediately reported by the ship.

A vessel in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, about 130 kilometers southwest of Hodeida, reported the attack, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

No one was wounded on board in the blasts, and the ship was continuing on its journey, the UKMTO added.

The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign, which also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.