June, 2021

• 16 June

  Lebanese Army Foils Attempt to Smuggle Migrants to Cyprus

  

  The Lebanese Army Command said on Sunday it has foiled an attempt to smuggle Syrians by sea from northern Lebanon. “A navy patrol unit intercepted a boat that was spotted at a distance of 5.5 nautical miles off the coast of Tripoli, while attempting to smuggle 10 Syrians and one …

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• 16 June

  G7 is divided over China

  

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• 16 June

  Iran’s Reformists asked to put forward presidential candidate

  

  Former presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi has called on Reformists to pick a candidate. Mehdi Karroubi, the 2009 presidential candidate who was put under house arrest for challenging the result of those elections, has urged Iranians to vote despite the shortcomings of the election process. According to his son Hossein, Karroubi …

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• 16 June

  Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi airport

  

  Saudi authorities also said the kingdom’s air defenses intercepted an explosive-rigged drone targeting the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait. The Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport on Monday that the Saudi-led military coalition battling the Iran-aligned rebels has not confirmed. “The Air Force …

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• 16 June

  Massive Turkey-led logging in Iraqi Kurdistan causes outcry

  

  Extensive logging led by Turkey in Iraqi Kurdistan has set off an outcry, fueling the already strong anger toward the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq. Turkey’s cross-border military operations against the outlawed Kurdish militants based in northern Iraq are under fire for their environmental damage, a fresh addition to …

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• 16 June

  Will Washington buy Ankara’s ‘drone crescent’ against Russia?

  

  Scrambling for a thaw with Washington, Ankara hopes to draw on the success of its military drones — battle-proven against Russian weaponry — to cast itself as a key partner in US efforts to contain Russia in eastern Europe and beyond. Having lost much leverage in its fraught ties with …

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• 16 June

  Egypt’s Al-Azhar clerics speak out against Ethiopia on Nile dam crisis

  

  Al-Azhar weighs in on Egypt’s dispute with Ethiopia over the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. On June 4, Egypt’s Al-Azhar stepped into the controversy of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. During a speech, to mark the United Nations’ celebration of the World Environment Day, Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb said that …

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• 16 June

  Egypt expands role in Iraqi reconstruction by building bridges in Mosul

  

  Egypt is seeking to expand its participation in the reconstruction of Iraq amid a growing alliance between Baghdad, Amman and Cairo. An Egyptian state company announced May 28 the restoration of four bridges in the Iraqi city of Mosul. The rehabilitation of the bridges was put up for international bidding, …

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• 16 June

  The slow, uncertain pace of Saudi-Syrian rapprochement

  

  Even if the two sides eventually normalize ties, Damascus faces an uphill struggle to return to the Arab League. On May 26, Syrian Tourism Minister Mohammed Rami Martini became the first Syrian government official to visit Saudi Arabia since the civil war began in 2011. Martini’s trip fueled speculation about …

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• 16 June

  Participation in Israeli coalition government opens new chapter for Arab parties

  

  Muslim Ra’am under Mansour Abbas made history June 13, becoming the first Arab party ever to be part of the coalition and government. By one vote, with a majority of 60 to 59, Israel’s new government was approved and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett sworn in as the 13th prime minister …

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