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Egyptian Army: 2 Drones from South of the Red Sea Crashed in Taba, Nuweiba

Smoke in the sky of Nuweiba, Egypt, which was targeted by drones (Reuters)
Smoke in the sky of Nuweiba, Egypt, which was targeted by drones (Reuters)
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Egyptian Army: 2 Drones from South of the Red Sea Crashed in Taba, Nuweiba

Smoke in the sky of Nuweiba, Egypt, which was targeted by drones (Reuters)
Smoke in the sky of Nuweiba, Egypt, which was targeted by drones (Reuters)

Investigations into the two drones that fell in Nuweiba and Taba showed that they were heading from the south of the Red Sea to the north, announced an army spokesperson in a statement on Friday.

The spokesman said that within the framework of following up on the results of the ongoing investigations into the two accidents and by analyzing and gathering information, the inquiry revealed that two drones were heading from the south of the Red Sea.

One of the drones was targeted outside Egypt's airspace in the Gulf of Aqaba, resulting in some debris falling in an uninhabited area in Nuweiba, while the second one fell in Taba, he noted.

The statement also mentioned that the Egyptian Air Force and Air Defense forces are intensifying their efforts to secure the Egyptian airspace in all strategic directions for the state's safety.

Earlier, the military spokesman said that an unidentified drone crashed in Taba, wounding six people.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said that the army detected an air threat in the Red Sea region, and warplanes had been called in to deal with it.

"The matter is still under investigation, and according to our assessment, the injury suffered by Egypt resulted from this threat," he said, without disclosing further details.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat accused the Houthi group in Yemen of the two incidents, according to the Times of Israel.

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Arab World

A Top Paramilitary Commander Defects to Sudan’s Military as War Enters 4th Year

A boy is seen through the wreckage of a car in Omdurman, Sudan, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP)
A boy is seen through the wreckage of a car in Omdurman, Sudan, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP)
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A Top Paramilitary Commander Defects to Sudan’s Military as War Enters 4th Year

A boy is seen through the wreckage of a car in Omdurman, Sudan, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP)
A boy is seen through the wreckage of a car in Omdurman, Sudan, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP)

A high-profile paramilitary commander in Sudan has changed sides and joined the country’s army in a move welcomed by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan shortly after the war entered its fourth year.

Burhan on Sunday welcomed Maj. Gen. al-Nour Ahmed Adam, who defected earlier this month from the Rapid Support Forces. The ruling sovereign council posted a video on social media showing Burhan’s meeting with Adam, who is known as al-Qubba, in Sudan’s Northern province on the border with Egypt.

“Doors are open to all those who lay down arms and join the path of national reconstruction,” Burhan, who chairs the sovereign council, said in a statement.

The RSF didn’t comment on the defection.

Adam fled the RSF-controlled Darfur region earlier this month and joined the military along with dozens of fighters and equipment, according to local media.

The Sudan Tribune news outlet reported that Adam left after “disputes” with the RSF leadership, mainly over not appointing him as a military commander of North Darfur province after the RSF seized control of el-Fashir city in October – the military’s last stronghold in the Darfur region.

Adam is one of the most senior officers to defect from the paramilitaries during the war. In 2024, Abu Aqla Kaikel, who led the Sudan Shield Forces, left the RSF when the military retook the crucial central province of Gezira.

The war broke out in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the sprawling country.

The war has killed at least 59,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, known as ACLED. The US-based war tracking group said its toll was almost certainly low given difficulties in reporting.

Arab World

EU Proposes Full Resumption of Syria Cooperation Accord

Members of the Syrian security forces (AFP – file photo)
Members of the Syrian security forces (AFP – file photo)
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EU Proposes Full Resumption of Syria Cooperation Accord

Members of the Syrian security forces (AFP – file photo)
Members of the Syrian security forces (AFP – file photo)

Brussels on Monday proposed EU states fully restart the bloc's cooperation agreement with Syria, in the latest step to help bolster the country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

The deal -- which abolishes customs duties on imports of most industrial products from Syria -- was partially suspended in 2011 when Assad's regime ruthlessly cracked down on protests at the start of the civil war.

The 27-nation EU has launched a new chapter with Syria since Assad's ouster from power in December 2024 after over a decade of fighting that devastated the country and sent millions of refugees abroad.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a 620-million-euro ($730 million) two-year financial support package during a visit to Damascus in January.

The bloc has also dropped economic sanctions as it looks to help the authorities under President Ahmed al-Sharaa to rebuild the country and reintegrate internationally.

EU diplomats said that the push to resume the cooperation deal -- which needs approval from member states -- comes ahead of the launch of a new "high-level political dialogue" with Syria next month.

The EU could also look to strike a more ambitious deal to deepen ties with Damascus, the diplomats said.

Some European countries have expressed interest in seeing refugees who came from Syria during the civil war return to their homeland.

Arab World

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: US Working to Extend Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire

Parliament speaker meets with US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (Lebanese Presidency)
Parliament speaker meets with US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (Lebanese Presidency)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: US Working to Extend Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire

Parliament speaker meets with US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (Lebanese Presidency)
Parliament speaker meets with US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (Lebanese Presidency)

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the US is working to extend the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, while President Joseph Aoun confirmed that “bilateral negotiations will be handled by Lebanon through a delegation headed by Ambassador Simon Karam, and no one will take part on Lebanon’s behalf or replace it in this mission.”

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa visited Aoun and Berri after returning to Beirut for the first time since the announcement of a 10-day temporary truce, without making any media statements.

Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington is pursuing efforts to extend the ceasefire, declining to disclose his position on the direct negotiations with Israel that the president is planning.

In remarks distributed by the Lebanese presidency’s media office, Aoun said negotiations aim to halt hostilities, end the Israeli occupation of areas in the south, and deploy the army along the internationally recognized southern border.

Aoun added: “US President Donald Trump showed full understanding and responsiveness during our call regarding Lebanon’s demands, and intervened with Israel to halt hostilities and prepare to launch a negotiating track that would end the abnormal situation and restore the authority of the Lebanese state and its sovereignty over all its territory, foremost the south.”

He said contacts would continue to preserve the ceasefire and begin negotiations, which should be backed by the broadest national support so the negotiating team can achieve its objectives.

He continued: “The upcoming negotiations are separate from any other talks, because Lebanon faces two options: either the continuation of war with its humanitarian, social, economic and sovereignty-related consequences, or negotiations to put an end to this war and achieve sustainable stability. I have chosen negotiations, and I remain hopeful that we can save Lebanon.”