Arab Meeting in Cairo Reviews Nuclear Dangers of Israel, Iran

A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)
A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)
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Arab Meeting in Cairo Reviews Nuclear Dangers of Israel, Iran

A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)
A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, 1,200 km south of Tehran, August 21, 2010. (Reuters)

The 55th meeting of the Arab Senior Officials Committee on Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) discussed in Cairo on Wednesday nuclear dangers posed by Israel and Iran.

The current meeting, held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, is chaired by Iraq and attended by representatives of foreign ministries of the Arab League member-states.

For two days, the Committee will discuss a number of topics pertaining to nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, in addition to armament in the region.

Participants will also evaluate the work of the 63rd session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, held in Vienna last September, in addition to an item on the dangers of the Iranian Bushehr nuclear reactor.

The Director of the Arab League's Department of Disarmament and Regional Security, Fadi Hanna Ashaia, said in a statement that the meeting would also evaluate the work of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, which was held in New York last month, upon a UN General Assembly resolution.

“The Arab strategic position is to free the Middle East from nuclear weapons, support the right of states to peaceful use of nuclear energy and any efforts to denuclearize the Middle East,” he said.



Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
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Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi militias in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, following several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeidah, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations. It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.”

Netanyahu monitored the new strikes along with military leaders, his government said. The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated as a terrorist organisation.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Houthi attacks against Israel, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday.