Middle East & North Africa

DAMASCUS, Aug 14 (NNN-SANA) – Syria is beefing up its forces in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where its troops were recently ambushed by the Daesh militants, a war monitor reported, yesterday.

The Syrian army brought in reinforcements for its 17th and 18th divisions, stationed in al-Mayadeen City, in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, after the Daesh militants attacked its bus there and killed 35 Syrian soldiers early on Friday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

RAMALLAH, Aug 15 (NNN-WAFA) – Two more Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed today, during clashes with Israeli soldiers in Aqabat Jabar refugee camp, close to the West Bank city of Jericho.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that, Qusai Al-Walaji, 16, and Mohammad Najoum, 25, died after Israeli soldiers shot them during clashes in the refugee camp.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that, two other Palestinians were injured during the clashes and were sent to a local hospital.

14 August 2023; MEMO: Iran and the de-facto government of Yemen, the Houthi-led National Salvation Government (NSG), held their first joint economic cooperation commission on Saturday.

15 August 2023; MEMO: Iran has detained eight suspects related to Sunday’s attack on Shia Muslim shrine in the southern city of Shiraz, the judiciary said on Monday, adding that all were foreigners, Reuters reports.

15 August 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled his vacation in the Golan Heights yesterday and met with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu summoned Halevi to the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv for issues described as urgent, and postponed his vacation until today. They discussed the army’s readiness for any emergency and how it was affected by the wave of discontent over the judicial overhaul.

15 August 2023; MEMO: Qatar Postal has secured a 40 per cent stake in prominent Turkish e-commerce platform, Turkish Souq, Hurriyet daily reports.

According to the report, serving as an international e-commerce hub, Turkish Souq offers consumers high-quality products from leading brands, combining an international shopping experience with competitive pricing.

15 August 2023; MEMO: Rabbi Yaakov Israel Herzog lives in the capital of Saudi Arabia and has granted himself the title of the “First Rabbi of Riyadh” after opening the first Chabad Movement house in Saudi Arabia to serve the thousands of Jewish expatriates living there. “One man isn’t waiting for peace to become official,” reported Israeli channel I24.

15 August 2023; MEMO: Data from an international statistics website shows a “terrifying” expectation of the size of Egypt’s national debt over the next five years. Statista has predicted that the debt will be $510.32 billion in 2028, compared with $132.86bn in 2018, an increase of more than 284 per cent over the ten-year period.

15 August 2023; MEMO: Former Israeli army general and ex-senior Mossad agent, Amiram Levin, yesterday said that the Israeli occupation army is a “partner in war crimes”, adding that the situation in the occupied West Bank is “total apartheid”, Kan radio reported.

CAIRO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine stressed on Monday the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands in order to revive peace and the Palestinian cause, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Presidency.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a tripartite conference in Egypt's coastal city of New Alamein, where the three leaders touched on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.