JEDDAH: Militants attacked a security convoy in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 18 policemen in a blast and a gunbattle on Monday, sources quoted by Reuters said.
The attackers detonated an improvised explosive device, managing to destroy three armored vehicles and a signal-jamming vehicle near Arish, the capital of North Sinai province.
The attack turned into a gunfight with the militants also opening fire on ambulance workers, injuring four.
At least 18 policemen, two of them officers, died, and a brigadier general lost a leg in the blast, several sources at Arish hospital said.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted by its news agency Amaq.
The prime minister’s office called the attack a “traitorous incident.”
“Prime Minister Sherif Ismail affirmed the state’s determination to fight these criminal actions that target the safety and will of citizens with its full force,” a government statement said.
The violence comes on the back of recent attacks, the bloodiest of which saw 23 Egyptian soldiers killed when car bombs tore through two military checkpoints in North Sinai in July. It was one of the deadliest assaults on security forces in years
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack in strongest possible terms.
An official source at the Saudi Foreign Ministry offered condolences to the relatives of the victims and expressed hope for the quick recovery of the injured.
The source underlined the Kingdom’s stand with Egypt against terrorism and extremism.
According to Egyptian author and journalist Abdel Latif El-Menawy, the government and public should expect more terror attacks.
“There is a constant need to develop security measures and methods of combating terrorism, and this is in line with an effort to convince the community members to be participants with the government in its effort to fight terrorism,” he told Arab News from Cairo.
“After the Muslim Brotherhood caused the displacement of thousands of terrorists to Egypt, and the entry of large (number of) arms to Egypt with knowledge and supervision at the time they were governing Egypt, Sinai became the center (for) these terrorists,” he said.
“What happened today confirms that terrorism in all its forms (is) one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
“Therefore, there is a need to help Egypt in its war against terrorism and to (go after) the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of (these) acts of terrorism, whether they are states or organizations.”
Malek Awny, managing editor of Al-Ahram Foundation’s Al-Siyassa Al-Dawliya (International Politics Journal), said the attack should be looked at in the context of top Hamas leaders’ visit to Cairo.
According to Awny, the message that Sinai is not secure suits Israel as it scares Egypt into not opening up to Hamas.
“We have to investigate Israeli role in this attack,” he told Arab News. “The attack is an attempt to sabotage the ongoing rapprochement between Hamas government in Gaza and Egypt.”
He added that Egypt will have to continue its work against terror groups.
“We have to enhance our regional efforts with our Arab allies to confront the regional network that provides finance and media support to such terror groups,” said Awny.
“Because this threat is not limited to Egypt but all Arab countries, the region and the world.”
Sinai terrorists kill 18 cops
Sinai terrorists kill 18 cops
Macron to head to Lebanon after election of new president
Macron spoke with the general hours after Aoun was announced as the leader to end a two-year vacuum in the country’s top post.
France “will continue to be at the side of Lebanon and its people,” Macron told Aoun in a telephone call, the French presidency said in a statement. Macron said he would go to Lebanon “very soon.”
“Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial election,” Macron wrote on X earlier.
“It paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and prosperity,” he added.
Aoun must oversee a ceasefire in south Lebanon and name a prime minister able to lead reforms demanded by international creditors to save the country from a severe economic crisis.
“The head of state indicated to President Aoun that France would support his efforts to quickly complete the formation of a government capable of uniting the Lebanese, answering their aspirations and their needs, and carrying out the reforms necessary for the economic recovery, reconstruction, security and sovereignty of Lebanon,” said the statement released after the telephone talks.
Macron also vowed support for the “national dialogue” that Aoun said he will launch and called on all groups to “contribute to the success of his mission,” the statement said.
France administered Lebanon for two decades after World War I and has maintained close ties even since its independence in 1944.
Israel rallies global support to win release of a woman believed kidnapped in Iraq
- The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week
- Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations
JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official says the government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of an Israeli-Russian researcher who is believed to have been kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago.
The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week.
He said the envoys met the family of Elizabeth Tsurkov and that Israel asked the representatives – from the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Canada – to have their embassies in Baghdad lobby the Iraqi government and search for a way to start negotiations. Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations. He said he hopes other countries will help.
“We are counting on our allies,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing closed-door discussions. “And I hope that other nations will suggest assistance in helping us release Elizabeth. Many nations have embassies and contacts with the Iraqi government.”
Tsurkov, a 38-year-old student at Princeton University, disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate. She had entered the country on her Russian passport. The only sign she was alive has been a video broadcast in November 2023 on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media purporting to show her.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. But Israel believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia that it says also has ties to the Iraqi government.
The Israeli official said that after months of covert efforts, Israel believes the “changes in the region” have created an opportunity to work publicly for her release.
During 15 months of war, Israel has struck Iran and its allies, and Iran’s regional influence has diminished. Iraq also appears to have pressured militia groups into halting their aerial attacks against Israel.
Gaza war deaths pass 46,000
- The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded
- The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants
GAZA: Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for their deaths because it says the militants operate in residential areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.
All Jordanians living in Los Angeles are fine, Foreign Ministry says
- At least 5 people have been killed by wildfires raging in and around the US city; more than 100,000 forced to flee homes
LONDON: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Thursday that all Jordanian nationals living in Los Angeles, California, are “fine” as deadly wildfires continue to rage through neighborhoods in several areas in and around the US city.
The fires have claimed at least five lives, more than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and hundreds of buildings have burned down.
The ministry sent its sincere condolences to the victims, the American people and the US government, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Japan grants Sudan about $1 million in food aid
- The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan
- The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded
TOKYO: Japan, in cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP), decided to grant Sudan 150 million yen (nearly $1 million) as ‘food aid’ to improve the situation in that country, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo stated.
Suzuki Satoshi, Japan’s Ambassador to International Organizations in Rome, and Ms. Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director of the Partnerships and Innovation Department, World Food Programme, signed and exchanged notes regarding the grant aid in Rome on January 8th.
The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan, where armed conflict between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023.
The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded and become protracted.
According to the WFP, several regions in Sudan are at risk of famine, approximately half of the population is facing acute food insecurity, and hunger-related deaths have been recorded.
At the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) held in August 2022, Japan announced its commitment to “responding to the food crisis and supporting sustainable agricultural production.” This cooperation is a concrete step in realizing this commitment.
The Republic of Sudan has an area of approximately 1.88 million square kilometers (about five times the size of Japan), a population of approximately 50.04 million, and a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $880, according to the 2023 World Bank data.
