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Tel Aviv Boosts Ties with Abu Dhabi, Rabat

At the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House, September 2020(File photo: Reuters)
At the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House, September 2020(File photo: Reuters)
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Tel Aviv Boosts Ties with Abu Dhabi, Rabat

At the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House, September 2020(File photo: Reuters)
At the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House, September 2020(File photo: Reuters)

Israel is expanding its consular headquarters in Dubai and Rabat in light of the progress made in the relations with the UAE and Morocco.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry will launch an additional floor at the headquarters of its embassy in Dubai and establish a permanent building for the embassy in Rabat that will be four times larger than the current headquarters.

A source in the ministry revealed that the new headquarters is practically the one that the Israeli government bought in the nineties of the last century, which it used as a representative office. It left the building when Morocco cut ties with Israel in the wake of the second intifada.

The building is on Ben Barka Street, in the posh Suissa neighborhood, and will be rebuilt at the cost of $4 million, which does not include the residence of the ambassador, who is renting a building in the Suissa neighborhood.

The financial resource official, Tzvia Shimon, revealed that she visited Morocco last April and arranged the construction with a local contracting company that agreed to give him a free ten-year guarantee.

Shimon also agreed with a local company to monitor the quality of construction. A similar agreement was conducted with an Emirati company in Dubai.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Police Commissioner, Kobi Shabtai, arrived in Rabat Monday on a first-of-its-kind visit to meet with senior Moroccan police officials and the General Directorate of National Security.

Israeli sources said that Shabtai will discuss with Moroccan officials "bolstering operational, intelligence, and investigative cooperation, to strengthen the relationship.”

During the five-day stay, Shabtai will visit several police and "security" stations in Morocco.

He is the eighth key figure in Israel to visit Morocco since joining the Abraham Accords. He was preceded by: Prime Minister Yair Lapid when he was a Foreign Minister, Minister of Defense Benny Gantz, Chief of Army Staff Aviv Kohavi, Minister of the Interior Ayelet Shaked, Minister of Economy Orna Barbivai, Minister of Regional Cooperation Issawi Frej, and Minister of Science and Technology Orit Farkash.

A police official in Tel Aviv stated that Shabtai would try to reach serious understandings with his Moroccan counterparts about a problem Israeli police face with criminal offenders escaping Israel and finding refuge in Morocco.

Several Arab citizens establish solid economic ties in Morocco, evading the Israeli police and taking advantage of their birthright to attain citizenship and remain in the country.

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Arab World

UN Peacekeepers Say Came Under Fire in Southern Lebanon

United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)
United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)
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UN Peacekeepers Say Came Under Fire in Southern Lebanon

United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)
United Nations Spanish UNIFIL forces inspect chalets after the Israeli army booby-trapped and blew them up at dawn, on the outskirts of the town of al-Khiam, southern Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2026. (AFP)

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Tuesday that one of its patrols came under fire in the country's south, without saying who was responsible.

The force, whose mandate in Lebanon expires at the end of this year, said the patrol "was fired upon with about a dozen rounds" near Wadi Jilu and returned fire, after which the shooting stopped.

It reported no casualties and called for an investigation.

"We reiterate the obligation under international law for all actors to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times," it said.

UNIFIL has served as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, but its presence has been unable to prevent several rounds of conflict, including the latest between Israel and Hezbollah, which broke out in March amid the wider Middle East war.

Despite a patchy ceasefire and recent direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah still refuses to disarm and Israeli troops continue to occupy parts of the south.

Under US pressure, the UN Security Council last year voted to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026.

Lebanese officials have called for it to be extended.

At a meeting in Paris on Tuesday, G7 foreign ministers agreed on "the need to avoid a security void" in Lebanon after UNIFIL withdraws, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

But he acknowledged there had been no breakthrough on what should replace the force, which numbers around 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries.

Arab World

Iraqi Ex-Lawmaker Found Strangled to Death in Beirut

Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)
Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)
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Iraqi Ex-Lawmaker Found Strangled to Death in Beirut

Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)
Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani. (INA)

Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani was found strangled to death in a Beirut apartment, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP on Tuesday, adding one of three suspects had been arrested.

"The security services found the body of the former lawmaker on Monday night, and confirmed his identity on Tuesday," the official said on condition of anonymity.

His family had previously reported him missing to Lebanese authorities, according to the source.

Alwani was sentenced to death in Iraq in 2014 for the murder of two soldiers, but was ultimately released from prison last year.

Alwani arrived in Beirut last week, according to the judicial official, who said that surveillance cameras showed him "voluntarily arriving with two other people at the building where his body was found".

Preliminary findings of the investigation indicate that he was strangled in the apartment.

A Lebanese national suspected of involvement has been arrested, and authorities are looking for two Syrians suspects still at large, the official said.

He added that the suspects had taken Alwani from the airport to his hotel when he arrived in Beirut last week.

Arab World

Syria Says Killed Leader of Armed Cell in Tartus

Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)
Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)
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Syria Says Killed Leader of Armed Cell in Tartus

Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)
Members of Syria's Internal Security Forces. (SANA)

Syrian authorities said on Tuesday that they had killed the leader of an armed cell linked to the former government and wounded another member during an operation in the countryside of Tartus.

In a statement, the Internal Security Forces said they had carried out a "carefully planned ambush" after monitoring the four-member group, which was allegedly planning to carry out "terrorist attacks and armed robberies".

The forces said the ensuing clash resulted in the "neutralization of the cell's leader" and the wounding of another member.

The forces confirmed that specialized units are continuing intensive sweep and pursuit operations across the surrounding rural areas to locate and apprehend the remaining fleeing members of the cell.

State security authorities reiterated their commitment to maintaining public order, eliminating remnants of illegal armed groups, and safeguarding civilian lives and property across all Syrian provinces.