In his zeal to attack Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu and associates are even ready to tarnish the IDF and its commanders.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Netanyahu goes after Bennett, with IDF paying the price
Destruction of 120-year-old palace sparks anger in Egypt
The continuous demolition of heritage and ancient buildings in Egypt raises the ire of archaeology experts who call on authorities to deploy more efforts to renovate and preserve the country’s heritage.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Destruction of 120-year-old palace sparks anger in Egypt
‘Taliban hunting Americans’: Pregnant US woman, Afghan husband stuck in Kabul
A pregnant American woman who traveled to Afghanistan to visit family and marry her longtime Afghan boyfriend has been stuck in Kabul since the Taliban’s takeover last month, online news media Voice of America reported on Friday. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.By August 30, the US managed to evacuate 124,000 civilians from Afghanistan, of which 6,000 were Americans. However, 25-year-old Nasria from California was one of the many Americans who were unable to evacuate and are now trapped there. Despite having an American passport, she was unable to leave as the Taliban kept blocking her, according to VOA News.“There’s been days where I think to myself am I going to make it home? Am I going to end up living here? Am I going to end up dying here?” said Nasria, adding that the Taliban were “hunting Americans.”“Apparently, they’re going door to door now trying to see if anyone has a blue passport.”“It was so hard to just get on a flight, there was a couple of days where we had to sleep on streets, people were literally stepping over other people. That’s how bad it was,” Nasria told VOA News.When she reached out to the US Department of State for help, she was told to go to a “certain location” to be “picked up.” “… It was in the middle of the road, across the airport. We [her and her husband] went there [and] waited an extra 12 to 13 hours with no food, no water, nothing,” she said. US troops were at the gate, waiting for them to continue walking so they could eventually board the evacuation flight, but Taliban fighters blocked them. She then managed to get past them but was met with gunshots aimed at her legs as the Taliban tried to force her to go back. “They started shooting right by my leg and told me to come back, or they will shoot me.”Her Afghan husband apparently pleaded with the Taliban to let her get through without him, but she refused. “My child is going to need a father and I’m going to need a husband by my side,” she said.Read more:UN says Taliban pledge safety for humanitarian workersIran ‘strongly’ condemns Taliban’s offensive in Panjshir: FMFight against Taliban in Panjshir Valley ‘will continue’: NRFA
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: ‘Taliban hunting Americans’: Pregnant US woman, Afghan husband stuck in Kabul
Saudi Arabia executes man for smuggling weapons in planned attack on security forces
A man who tried to smuggle weapons into Saudi Arabia to carry out plans of attacking security forces in the Kingdom has been executed, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday, citing the Ministry of Interior. Adnan bin Mustafa al-Sharfa, a Saudi national, smuggled weapons to and from the Kingdom and was part of a terrorist cell that aims to “destabilize security in the country,” the ministry said. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The terrorist cell he was a part of had plans to target Saudi Arabian security forces in their headquarters and kill them, according to the statement. Security officials had arrested al-Sharfa and referred his case to the Specialized Criminal Court where an investigation was launched, SPA reported. Due to the severity of his crime and his intention to commit a terrorist act, the man was sentenced to death, the ministry said. The ruling was upheld by the Specialized Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and a royal order was also issued to enforce the decision, according to SPA.Read more:Saudi Arabia executes three soldiers for committing high treason: MinistryFive ISIS suspects given death sentence in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia executes Yemeni man who carried out attack on performers in Riyadh
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia executes man for smuggling weapons in planned attack on security forces
Factbox: Afghanistan’s Panjshir, the last province to fall to the Taliban
The Taliban claimed victory on Monday over opposition forces in Panjshir province, completing their takeover of the country following the stunning capture of Kabul last month and the chaotic withdrawal of foreign troops.Here are some key facts about Panjshir, and the battle for the valley:For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Where is Panjshir?Located just north of the capital Kabul, Panjshir is one of the smallest of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.It is of strategic importance, providing the main route out of Kabul to the north where important cities like Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz are located.It is populated largely by ethnic Tajiks, a sizeable minority group in Afghanistan. The Taliban are mainly drawn from the largest ethnic Pashtun group.The region’s mountainous, rugged terrain and deep central valley give defenders a significant advantage, forcing attackers to traverse steep mountain passes or enter through the mouth of the valley, where they have to face off against foes commanding higher ground.What is the region’s recent history?Panjshir was a critical province in the resistance against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. The burned out shells of Soviet tanks and armored personnel carriers still litter the valley and river beds, testament to the fierce fighting during the occupation.It was also the center of resistance against the Taliban when it ruled Afghanistan from to 1996 to 2001.Key to those holdouts was Ahmad Shah Massoud, a militia leader known as the “Lion of Panjshir”. He was assassinated by al-Qaeda in a suicide bombing two days before the September 11 attacks in 2001.His Northern Alliance ousted the Taliban with heavy US air support two months after his death.What happened after Kabul fell?Following the withdrawal of almost all remaining US and other Western troops in July, the Taliban’s conquest of Afghanistan gathered pace, ending with the fall of Kabul on Aug. 15.After the capital’s collapse, thousands of former Afghan army and special forces soldiers massed in Panjshir, joining local militia groups under the leadership of Massoud’s son, Ahmad Massoud, and former Afghan vice president Amrullah Saleh.Armed with weapons including helicopters, they held out against the Taliban, refusing to surrender, although Massoud called for peace talks with the aim of winning autonomy for Panjshir.Those talks led to nothing, with each side blaming the other for their failure, and days of clashes led to heavy casualties on both sides.After the Taliban claimed it had captured Panjshir, Massoud tweeted to say he was safe, without revealing his location. Saleh’s whereabouts are also unknown.What happens next?The capture of Panjshir would be a significant achievement for the Taliban, who have never been able to hold the valley. But it is not yet clear how much of the province they control.While the group posted photos of its fighters standing in front of the provincial governor’s compound, much of the province is composed of smaller, remote mountain valleys that provide areas for opposition forces to regroup.However, Massoud’s father drew much of his power through access to Tajikistan via Takhar province, which he also controlled. That is now in the hands of the Taliban, making resupplying any remaining opposition fighters more difficult.Read more:Panjshir resistance in Afghanistan calls for ceasefire, Taliban withdrawalLeader of Afghanistan’s Panjshir resistance movement calls for ‘national uprising’Taliban kill 6-months pregnant ex-policewoman in front of her family: Reports
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Factbox: Afghanistan’s Panjshir, the last province to fall to the Taliban
US will be ‘going back into Afghanistan’ in the future: Republican Senator
Top US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said that Washington may be “going back into Afghanistan” in the future, according to the BBC. “We’ll have to [go back to Afghanistan] because the [terror] threat will be so large,” he said in an interview with the BBC on HARDtalk. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Taliban “have a view of the world that is not in sync with modern times” and will impose their harsh laws on Afghans, Graham said. When they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law – including banning women from public spaces and preventing girls from attending schools – and brutalized minorities, such as Hazaras. During that time, Afghanistan became a sanctuary for al-Qaeda militants who were behind the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. The Republican senator said history would likely repeat itself since the extremist group will probably provide a “safe haven to al-Qaeda who has ambitions to drive us out of the Mideast at large and attack us because of our way of life.”“We will be going back into Afghanistan as we went back into Iraq and Syria.” “What’s going to happen over time is you’re going to see the resistance [against the Taliban in Afghanistan] rise, ISIS will come after the Taliban large and the entire country is going to fracture in the next year, creating a perfect storm for western interest to be attacked,” he said. After almost 20 years, the US pulled its troops out of Afghanistan and the entire nation fell into the hands of the Taliban just a few days later.The last batch of US troops left Afghanistan on August 30, leaving many behind. Efforts to evacuate thousands were underway before that, however many did not make the cut and were consequently left behind.Read more:Factbox: Afghanistan’s Panjshir, the last province to fall to the Taliban‘Taliban hunting Americans’: Pregnant US woman, Afghan husband stuck in KabulUN says Taliban pledge safety for humanitarian workers
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US will be ‘going back into Afghanistan’ in the future: Republican Senator
Dubai: Free Covid-19 PCR tests for public school students announced
The initiative was announced by the authority on Monday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Dubai: Free Covid-19 PCR tests for public school students announced
Israeli suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms to be evacuated from Uman
A man arrived in Uman last week and was COVID-19 symptom free, it is suspected he was infected in Ukraine, and he is now in serious condition. He will be brought to Israel on a rescue flight.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israeli suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms to be evacuated from Uman
Taliban ask former Afghan forces to integrate with group, won’t tolerate ‘insurgency’
The Taliban on Monday called on former members of the Afghan forces to integrate with the new hardline rulers.“The Afghan forces who were trained in the past 20 years will be asked to rejoin the security departments alongside Taliban members,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in the capital Kabul.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The spokesman added that any insurgency against their rule would be “hit hard”, after earlier saying they had captured the Panjshir Valley -- the last pocket of resistance.“The [Taliban] is very sensitive about insurgencies. Anyone who tries to start an insurgency will be hit hard. We will not allow another,” Mujahid said.“Anyone who picks up arms and start another resistance, without any doubts, will be our enemy.”“The war has ended, the country is getting out of the crisis. It is now time for peace and reconstruction. We need the people to support us.”Three weeks after seizing power but with no government so far announced, the spokesman said an “interim” system would first be announced to allow for changes.“Final decisions have been taken, we are now working on the technical issues,” he said.“We will announce the new government as soon as the technical issues are resolved.”A key issue for the Taliban is the reopening of the airport in Kabul, which was the scene of a massive US-led evacuation plan that ended last week.Qatar has been working with the Taliban on getting the airport back up and running, and Mujahid said “serious efforts” were under way to restore operations.“Technical teams from Qatar, Turkey and UAE are working hard to repair the equipment,” he said, adding international flights would resume “soon”.Since their sweep to power last month, the Taliban have been met with widespread condemnation from the international community, with many fearing the government will be similar to the brutal regime of 1996 to 2001 when they were first in power.Mujahid told the journalists at the press conference that “Afghanistan has the right to be recognized”.“The international community should open their embassies in Kabul,” he said.Read more:Leader of Afghanistan’s Panjshir resistance movement calls for ‘national uprising’Factbox: Afghanistan’s Panjshir, the last province to fall to the TalibanPanjshir resistance in Afghanistan calls for ceasefire, Taliban withdrawalSpokesman of Afghanistan resistance killed in fighting with Taliban
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Taliban ask former Afghan forces to integrate with group, won’t tolerate ‘insurgency’
The security failings that led to the Gilboa Prison break
An investigation into the escape of six terrorists from Gilboa Prison exposes multiple security failings that made the escape possible.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: The security failings that led to the Gilboa Prison break