Sudanese Delegation Set to Visit Israel

The head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council meets with the Israeli Foreign Minister. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council meets with the Israeli Foreign Minister. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Sudanese Delegation Set to Visit Israel

The head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council meets with the Israeli Foreign Minister. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council meets with the Israeli Foreign Minister. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

A high-ranking Sudanese delegation is expected in Israel in the coming days, a political source in Tel Aviv has revealed.

The upcoming visit will follow that of Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to Khartoum two weeks ago, during which he met his Sudanese counterpart as well as the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and other senior officials.

The Sudanese delegation will hold talks in Jerusalem on the draft peace agreement to advance bilateral relations.

The delegation will be headed by a Sudanese general who is also a minister.

During his visit to Khartoum, Cohen discussed the draft peace agreement between Israel and Sudan.

After his return, the minister said the deal should be signed this year after the transfer of power to a civilian government in Khartoum.

Sudan would thus become the fourth country to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, after the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.

During his discussions, Cohen spoke of Israel's willingness to assist Sudan's development efforts in various areas, including security, food, water resources management, and agriculture.

Both sides are expected to hold intensive talks on the agreement so that it is ready by the time power is transferred to civilians in Khartoum.



Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Strong explosions in Beirut's southern suburbs began near midnight and continued into Sunday after Israel's military urged residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh.

Photos and video showed the blasts illuminating the southern suburbs, and sparking flashes of red and white visible from several kilometers away. They followed a day of sporadic strikes and the nearly continuous buzz of reconnaissance drones.

Israel's military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed

from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

The strikes reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Rafik Hariri International Airport, and another building formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar. Social media reports claimed that one of the strikes hit an oxygen tank storage facility, but this was later denied by the owner of the company Khaled Kaddouha.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.”

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that Israel had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in its ground operations in southern Lebanon and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah has not released death tolls.

Israel says it stepped up its assault on Hezbollah to enable the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last Oct. 8.

Israeli authorities said on Saturday that nine Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon so far.