Israel Says Normalizing Ties with Turkey Hinges on Closure of Hamas’ Istanbul Officehttps://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2750671/israel-says-normalizing-ties-turkey-hinges-closure-hamas%E2%80%99-istanbul-office
Israel Says Normalizing Ties with Turkey Hinges on Closure of Hamas’ Istanbul Office
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, prior to their meeting in Istanbul, February 1, 2020. (AP)
Israel Says Normalizing Ties with Turkey Hinges on Closure of Hamas’ Istanbul Office
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, prior to their meeting in Istanbul, February 1, 2020. (AP)
Israel relayed a statement to Ankara that there would be no thaw in relations until the Hamas office in Istanbul is shut down, the Israel’s Ynet reported on Monday.
Israel has made this a precondition to returning its ambassador to Ankara.
Israel issued a statement to Turkey on Monday, saying it will not normalize its relations with Ankara until it shutters the activities of the Hamas office, which effectively operates as a military wing.
The office is responsible for directing terrorist activities in the West Bank, recruiting Palestinians for terrorist activities, financing terrorist activities in the West Bank and transferring funds to Hamas' military infrastructure, political sources in Tel Aviv told Ynet.
Bilateral ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv have been strained for over a decade, ever since the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, when Israeli soldiers seized the “freedom flotilla” sailing towards the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the blockade against it.
Both countries pulled out their ambassadors respectively in 2018, downgrading their ties to the level of charges d'affaires.
The crisis did not impact economic, commercial and tourist ties between them. In fact, the cooperation increased and Haifa Port became a key station for Turkish trade to the Arab world (via Jordan). The volume of trade between the two sides exceeds USD6 billion.
Ankara would like better ties with Israel, but the Israeli policy towards the Palestinians remains “unacceptable”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month.
“The Palestine policy is our red line. It is impossible for us to accept Israel’s Palestine policies. Their merciless acts there are unacceptable,” he added.
Sudanese Powers Reject Burhan’s Call for National Dialoguehttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5310397-sudanese-powers-reject-burhan%E2%80%99s-call-national-dialogue
Sudanese Powers Reject Burhan’s Call for National Dialogue
Nairobi Declaration forces meet in Addis Ababa on Sunday. (Nairobi Declaration forces)
Sudanese political and civilian powers rejected on Sunday the call for dialogue by Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Sudanese Army Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
After two days of discussions in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the powers said the dialogue consolidates division in Sudan.
Earlier this month, al-Burhan declared that he was agreeing to an initiative to form an independent national mechanism that would prepare “comprehensive dialogue”. He vowed to provide legal, security, political and logistic guarantees for the participants, saying no foreign powers would be involved.
While agreeing to the dialogue, al-Burhan also rejected peace that would return the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its supporters to power.
Peace begins with the RSF laying down its weapons, otherwise the army will continue its operations against it, he warned.
In a statement on Sunday, the gatherers in Addis Ababa said that any political process run from areas controlled by one of the warring parties, and under its protection, seeks to grant political legitimacy to military rule and empower members of the ousted regime
The talks in Ethiopia included that Nairobi Declaration forces of the Somoud civilian alliance, led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Arab Socialist Baath Party, Sudan Liberation Movement faction, led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur, National Umma Party, led by Mubarak al-Fadil, and other independent national figures and civilian and youth organizations.
The gatherers agreed on a document that stresses the importance of humanitarian efforts, a ceasefire and political process, which should be based on negotiations under independent parties.
These parties must include civilian and political forces that are opposed to the war and the parties that are allied with the army and RSF.
They agreed that the role of the two warring parties should be limited to the humanitarian and security tracks, excluding the political one, and that the “National Congress” party and its front, the Islamic Movement”, must be completely barred from the peace process.
They considered the roadmap proposed in August 2025 by the Quad nations – Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt - to be the best reference for the peace process.
They agreed to form a joint committee to develop understandings and coordinate positions among anti-war factions.
‘Eagles of Civilization’ Gives Momentum to Egypt-China Military Tieshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5310394-%E2%80%98eagles-civilization%E2%80%99-gives-momentum-egypt-china-military-ties
‘Eagles of Civilization’ Gives Momentum to Egypt-China Military Ties
Part of the "Eagles of Civilization 2025" exercise (Military Spokesperson)
Egyptian-Chinese military relations are entering a new phase of cooperation with the launch of the joint air combat maneuvers “Eagles of Civilization 2026,” amid ongoing regional tensions.
The drills are the second of their kind between Egypt and China in two years and represent a new boost to military ties between the two countries, according to an Egyptian military and strategic expert who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.
He believes the cooperation could later expand into broader military collaboration as part of Cairo’s efforts to diversify its sources of military production.
On Saturday, the Egyptian military announced in a statement the start of “Eagles of Civilization 2026,” involving a number of multi-role fighter aircraft of various types.
The statement noted that the drills are being conducted over several days at several air bases across Egypt as part of the second edition of the exercise between the two countries.
The initial phases include a series of theoretical and practical lectures aimed at harmonizing combat concepts between the two sides, in addition to joint air sorties and training on planning and managing combined air operations.
According to the Egyptian statement, the exercises aim to exchange expertise and enhance the skills of participating forces within the framework of Egypt’s joint training program with allied and friendly nations. The goal is to strengthen cooperation across various military fields.
On August 14, Senior Colonel Chen Xi, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), stated during a press conference that the exercises would conclude in early September.
He noted that this is the second joint training program between the air forces of the two countries.
According to Xi, “the training will focus on such subjects as air combat tactics, air superiority operations, and combat search and rescue, and will include force employment drills.”
"As the second iteration of its kind, the joint training will further enhance mutual trust and traditional friendship, deepen substantive cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries, and contribute to regional peace and stability," stressed the spokesperson.
The first edition, “Eagles of Civilization 2025,” was held in April 2025 at an Egyptian air base and involved various types of multi-role fighter aircraft.
Fighter jets from the "Eagles of Civilization 2025" exercise (Military Spokesperson)
Boost to Military Relations
Military and strategic expert Major General Samir Farag told Asharq Al-Awsat that the exercise directly contributes to strengthening military relations between Egypt and China.
He said the second edition reflects the success of the first exercise, stressing that the deployment of Chinese aircraft to Egypt for joint training demonstrates that Beijing is deriving significant benefits from the cooperation.
“Egypt is known for the diversity of its partnerships and is among the countries that conduct the largest number of joint military exercises. We benefit from them, and so do our partners,” Farag added.
Expanding Cooperation
Egyptian-Chinese military cooperation has previously been a source of concern for Israel. In February 2025, Israeli media reported serious concerns among Israeli security agencies regarding the possibility of Egypt acquiring Chinese J-10C fighter jets equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles.
Israeli sources said at the time that the main concern was not the fighter aircraft itself but rather the long-range Chinese air-to-air missile, a capability the Egyptian Air Force had not previously possessed. Such missiles, they argued, could enable Egyptian aircraft to engage Israeli aircraft even before they entered visual range.
This was followed by a report in The National Interest magazine in December, stating that Egypt had turned to China to develop an advanced fleet of drones as part of efforts to counter what it described as Israel’s aggressive actions along Egypt’s eastern border.
Addressing speculation that the current maneuvers are linked to specific arms deals, Farag said that discussions about the purchase of J-10 fighters or other weapon systems fall outside the scope of the drills. “The exercise has nothing to do with that issue,” he stressed.
He added that Egyptian-Chinese military relations are moving toward broader partnership, particularly given existing cooperation in the field of drones that are being manufactured locally in Egypt. He noted that further military collaboration is likely in both joint training and defense-industrial production.
Israeli Military Operations Paving Way for Battle in South Lebanonhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5310390-israeli-military-operations-paving-way-battle-south-lebanon
Israeli Military Operations Paving Way for Battle in South Lebanon
Smoke rises as Israeli forces demolish homes in Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP)
Israeli incursions and raids on southern Lebanon are paving the way for a military battle as the army has been striking heights overlooking villages and towns it is occupying. Israel has also been targeting roads and routes that run deeper into Lebanese territory, notably around Bint Jbeil city, security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The operations and raids are focusing on the Ali al-Taher heights in the eastern sector that Israel has been trying to capture for ten weeks. In the central sector, it has been focusing on routes leading to Bint Jbeil and, closer to the coast, it has been carrying out similar incursions and detonations in the towns of Majdal Zoun and al-Mansouri.
The security sources said the operations appear to be paving the way for a military battle. The attacks are targeting all the hills surrounding Ali al-Taher, especially the al-Dabsha and al-Tahra that were occupied by Israel before it withdrew from the South in 2000.
The sources explained that focusing attacks on the hills and destroying houses around Ali al-Taher means that the troops are trying to isolate the entire strategic area from its surroundings.
For the past week, Israeli raids struck under-constructions houses and villas in the Dawhet Kfar Rumman and Nabatieh al-Fawqa areas, located north and southwest of Ali al-Taher respectively. It also continued to blow up houses in Kfar Tebnint that is located directly west of Ali al-Taher.
Israel has also struck Ali al-Taher itself with artillery and phosphorous bombs.
Lebanese media on Sunday said Israel used artillery to hit Mayfadoun and airstrikes hit Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Dawhet Kfar Rumman.
In the central sector, Israeli troops carried out incursions into four unoccupied towns: Beit Yahoun, Baraachit, Hadatha and Aita al-Jabal, all of which lead to Bint Jbeil, which is occupied by Israel.
The sources said a potential military battle in the future will not be limited to Ali al-Taher, but encompass the central sector.
The incursions are covering an area stretching some five kilometers from Baraachit to Hadatha in an attempt to create a buffer zone close to Ali al-Taher and capture areas that overlooking nearby valleys.
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