Four Moroccans Killed, 84 Injured in Türkiye Earthquake

The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)
The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)
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Four Moroccans Killed, 84 Injured in Türkiye Earthquake

The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)
The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)

Four Moroccans were among the victims killed by the tragic earthquake that struck Türkiye on Monday, said government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas.

Baitas revealed that a crisis cell set up by the Kingdom's Embassy to follow-up relief efforts received 1,743 calls from members of the Moroccan community in Türkiye following the devastating earthquake.

Speaking during a press briefing after a government weekly session, Baitas confirmed that 84 Moroccans were injured by the earthquake, and that they are now in good health.

He said that telephone lines in the areas where the earthquake occurred were damaged, which made it difficult for the crisis cell to contact members of the Moroccan community in Türkiye.

The Moroccan Embassy in Ankara had provided members of the Moroccan community in Türkiye with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses following the violent earthquake that struck the south of the country.

Baitas noted that Moroccan King Mohammed VI sent a message of condolences to Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, extending his sincere compassion for the victims of the earthquake and their families.

On Tuesday, the Moroccan embassy in Ankara said a Moroccan woman, 51, died in Antakya in southern Türkiye in the devastating earthquake. She was married to a Turkish citizen. Her 16-year-old son was slightly injured in the quake.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.