Middle East & North Africa

14 July 2022; MEMO: Emirates Airline said, on Thursday, it had rejected demands by London's Heathrow Airport to cut capacity despite being threatened with legal action, and that it would continue to operate to schedule, Reuters reports.

Britain's busiest airport this week asked airlines to stop selling tickets for summer flights, capping the number of daily passengers flying from the hub to 100,000 to ease pressure on operations that have resulted in delayed and cancelled flights.

14 July 2022; MEMO: Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic will have a "harsh and regrettable response" to any "mistake" committed by Washington or its allies, Reuters reports.

US President, Joe Biden, and Israeli Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms, a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran.

15 July 2022; MEMO: Palestinian factions have categorically rejected the Jerusalem Declaration signed by US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, saying it represents "an aggression" against Palestinian people and their rights.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Without a clear path for jumpstarting peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, President Joe Biden offered American money as a balm while visiting a local hospital on Friday.

“Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and dignity,” he said at the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, which serves Palestinians. “And access to healthcare, when you need it, is essential to living a life of dignity for all of us.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reputation as a brazen leader who has ruthlessly silenced critics and dissent will cast a shadow over his meeting on Friday with U.S. President Joe Biden.

14 July 2022; MEMO: The president of the BRICS International Forum expects Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to join the group "very soon". In an interview with Russia's Izvestia, Purnima Anand said that China, Russia and India discussed this issue during the 14th BRICS Summit, which was held online last month.

BEIRUT, Jul 14 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, yesterday said, he hoped the UN Security Council would extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is expected to end on Aug 31, 2022.

“Lebanon appreciates the important role of the UNIFIL in maintaining security and stability in the southern county,” Aoun said in a statement, released by Lebanon’s Presidency.

JERUSALEM, July 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms, a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran.

The undertaking, part of a "Jerusalem Declaration" crowning Biden's first visit to Israel as president, came a day after he told a local TV station that he was open to "last resort" use of force against Iran - an apparent move toward accommodating Israel's calls for a "credible military threat" by world powers.

DUBAI, July 14 (Reuters) - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic will have a "harsh and regrettable response" to any "mistake" committed by Washington or its allies.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms, a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran.

CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Libya voiced concern on Thursday over the struggle for control of Libya’s oil corporation after its chairman was sacked by one of Libya’s two rival governments.

The embassy tweeted that U.S. officials are following the developments with “deep concern.” It added that The National Oil Corporation has preserved its political independence and worked effectively under Chairman Mustafa Sanalla, in a sign of U.S. support for him.