This week's update around the Middle East

Posted: 08/02/2016

8 February 2016 - RPS Partnership

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Today we are bringing you reports from around the Middle East produced by www.middleeast-sitrep.com (adapted)

Update on Lebanon

On Sunday, Lebanese war reporter Ali Youssef Dasho was killed while covering military operations against Takfiri terrorists in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

Activists from civil societies gathered in Beirut’s downtown on Saturday to protest the state’s decision to dispatch accumulation tons of uncollected garbage abroad.

In other news, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) dismantled two explosive devices on Sunday at Nijmeh Square in the northern city of Tripoli. The LAF suspected the presence of two bombs at the location. The army has directly cordoned the area off as a military expert examined and dismantled the bombs after lifting them away from the square.

The Lebanese Army units have searched the streets between Nejmeh and Koura squares for additional explosives after having dismantled the two devices.

Additionally on Saturday, two Israeli war planes have violated the Lebanese airspace from above the sea, and have executed circular flights over various Lebanese regions.

Update on Jordan

The influx of around 1.3 million Syrian refugees into Jordan has cost the Kingdom over $2.5 billion a year. The estimated cost amounts to 6% of Jordan's gross domestic product (GDP) and one-fourth of the government’s annual revenues.

Due to the crisis mentioned above, the World Bank has planned to offer $200 million in concessional financing (loans on favourable terms) to Jordan and Lebanon in response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Since helping Jordan with its refugee crisis is an international duty, Jordan has secured 2.1 billion U.S. dollars in grants from international donors, which will help reduce its pressure from an increasing influx of refugees.

Jordan stressed the importance of reopening Iraq’s Turaibil crossing into the Kingdom. At a meeting with Iraqi Ambassador to Jordan Safia Al Suhail, Trade Minister Maha Ali also discussed means to enhance cooperation in commerce and investments.

In other news, Akram Abu Zahrah, a Jordanian who recently finished a 14-year prison sentence in Israel, arrived in the Kingdom after Israeli authorities had finally released him. Abu Zahrah had pledged a hunger strike due to authorities’ extending his stay after he had paid his debts to society. Israeli authorities had extended his prison term because they could not allow him to stay there without a residence permit, so they decided to keep him in prison until Jordanian authorities approve his return.

Update on Egypt

On Saturday, ten militants were killed and 13 others injured during army raids in multiple cities in Egypt's restive north and central Sinai.

On Sunday, four terrorists were killed in a gunfight after security forces raided a house south of Cairo, where they were collecting explosives.

Economically, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Saturday that the Tahya Masr (Long Live Egypt) Fund would secure one billion Egyptian pounds (US$ 127.7 million) for the social housing scheme tailored for the youth.

Egypt’s state bank, National Bank of Egypt announced Sunday that it has provided 19 billion Egyptian pounds (US$2.4 billion) for around 45,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in 2015. The bank also provided around 1,000 marketers to assist companies with their projects.

Update on Yemen

On Sunday, ISIS militants have taken control of a police headquarters in southern Yemen, amid the chaos that has gripped the country following the onset of Saudi Arabia's military aggression.

Yemeni army forces have defeated on Saturday the last forces of Houthi armies in al-Jawf town, as they controlled the three main lines that provide the Houthis with supplies and weapons. Additionally, three men from Houthi militants were killed during clashes with the Yemeni army near the Republican Palace east of Taiz town.

The Yemeni Army and popular forces killed nearly a dozen Saudi troops on Saturday by pounding their military positions in Jizan province in southern Saudi Arabia.

On Sunday, at least two Saudi soldiers have been killed in separate retaliatory attacks by Yemeni forces against the kingdom’s southwestern border regions of Najran and Asir.

Update on Syria

On Saturday, Syria's foreign minister said that a ceasefire would be difficult or impossible before the borders with Turkey and Jordan were sealed, and before a list of terrorist groups operating in Syria is agreed upon.

On Sunday, the Syrian Army troops along with Hezbollah fighters drove the militant groups back from their main supply line near the border with Turkey and imposed full control over the highway.

In Aleppo, the Syrian Army troops and their popular allies continued on Saturday to target the militant groups' positions along one of the supply routes of the terrorists in the northern part of Aleppo and pushed them back from the battlefield following hours of intense battle.

Also in Aleppo, the Syrian Army tanks, taking over Takfiri terrorists' lines in Aleppo province, has managed on Sunday to push back the militants further to a strategic town in the Northern Province and cut off ISIS' transfer and supply routes in the region.

In Hama, the Syrian Army troops engaged in heavy fighting with two militant groups in the western and eastern parts of the province, and pinned them down behind their defence lines. Additionally, the Syrian Air Force fighter jets have heavily bombarded a number of militant centres across the central province, inflicting heavy losses and damages. 

In Latakia, the Syrian air force planes carried out several intensive raids on Takfiri militants' positions in mountainous areas, northwest of the city. Furthermore, the Syrian Army troops and their popular allies drove the militant groups back from more territories in the southern province of Daraa near the border with Jordan, and restored security to one more key village.

In Damascus, Syrian regime forces have intensified the ongoing three-year siege on two rebel-held areas southwest of the city by capturing the land between the two, and cutting off their supply route. Also in Damascus, the narcotics department at the Interior Ministry has arrested two drug dealers in the city’s countryside, confiscating 37 kg of hash found in their car.

Contact us on [email protected] for advice, training and travel to the Middle East, North Africa or the rest of the world.

Source: www.middleeast-sitrep.com

Photo: RPS Partnership Egypt

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