Egypt's Govt Confirms its Transparency on COVID-19 Cases

 High school students wearing protective masks wait in line during the first day of final exams, amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
High school students wearing protective masks wait in line during the first day of final exams, amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Egypt's Govt Confirms its Transparency on COVID-19 Cases

 High school students wearing protective masks wait in line during the first day of final exams, amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
High school students wearing protective masks wait in line during the first day of final exams, amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

The Egyptian government said that it was dealing with transparency with the numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths, in light of a remarkable decrease in registered cases over the past days.

In remarks on Thursday, Osama Haikal, the Minister of State for Information said: “Since the first outbreak of the pandemic, the State has made sure that the Egyptian citizens be partners in managing the crisis and announced the facts about infections and deaths on a daily basis.”

The medical authorities recorded a decline in cases. In a statement, the Egyptian Health Ministry announced that 129 new positive cases were registered on Thursday, compared to 1,013 people who recovered and were discharged from hospitals the same day.

Hala Al-Saeed, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, said that a number of international institutions “praised the efforts made by the Egyptian government to confront the coronavirus,” noting that the country has performed well in all sectors and levels during this unprecedented crisis.

Her comments came during a meeting of the ministerial committee in charge with documenting the government’s efforts to combat the outbreak of Covid-19.

“The state was keen on transparency in dealing with the crisis and conveying the facts in full to the Egyptian citizens, who are partners in managing the crisis,” she said.

The Egyptian government had allowed the opening of cafes and restaurants until 12:00 midnight, increasing the occupancy rate to 50 percent of the capacity, as well as allowing the holding of official conferences and meetings, provided that the number of participants does not exceed 50 people.



Deadly Israeli Strike in Lebanon Further Shakes Tenuous Ceasefire

People spend time on a beach during sunset, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, in Tyre, southern Lebanon December 3, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
People spend time on a beach during sunset, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, in Tyre, southern Lebanon December 3, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
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Deadly Israeli Strike in Lebanon Further Shakes Tenuous Ceasefire

People spend time on a beach during sunset, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, in Tyre, southern Lebanon December 3, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
People spend time on a beach during sunset, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, in Tyre, southern Lebanon December 3, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Israeli forces carried out several new drone and artillery strikes in Lebanon on Tuesday, including a deadly strike that the Health Ministry and state media said killed one person, further shaking a tenuous ceasefire meant to end more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed keep striking “with an iron fist” against perceived Hezbollah violations of the truce. His defense minister warned that if the ceasefire collapses, Israel will target not just Hezbollah but the Lebanese state — an expansion of Israel’s campaign.
Israel also carried out an airstrike in Syria, saying it killed a senior member of Hezbollah responsible for coordinating with Syria’s army on rearming and resupplying the Lebanese militant group. Israel has repeatedly hit Hezbollah targets in Syria, but Tuesday's attack was a rare public acknowledgement. Syrian state media reported that an Israeli drone strike hit a car in a suburb of the capital Damascus, killing one person.

Since the two-month ceasefire in Lebanon began last Wednesday, the US- and French-brokered deal has been rattled by near daily Israeli attacks, although Israel has been vague about the purported Hezbollah violations that prompted them.
On Monday, it was shaken by its biggest test yet. Hezbollah fired two projectiles toward an Israeli-held disputed border zone, its first volley since the ceasefire began, saying it was a “warning” in response to Israel’s strikes. Israel responded with its heaviest barrage of the past week, killing 10 people.
On Tuesday, drone strikes hit four places in southern Lebanon, one of them killing a person in the town of Shebaa, the state-run National News Agency said. The Health Ministry confirmed the death, The Associated Press reported.

Asked about the strike, the Israeli military said its aircraft struck a Hezbollah militant who posed a threat to troops. Shebaa is situated within a region of border villages where the Israeli military has warned Lebanese civilians not to return, with Israeli troops still present.
Israeli forces fired an artillery shell at one location and opened fire with small arms toward a town, the news agency reported.
With Tuesday’s death, Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began have killed at least 15 people.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah is supposed to withdraw its fighters, weapons and infrastructure from a broad swath of the south by the end of the initial 60-day phase, pulling them north of the Litani River. Israeli troops are also to pull back to their side of the border.