Middle East Experience

Israel’s foreign minister will fly to Morocco on Wednesday for a visit that will help cement ties between the two countries less than a year after they signed a deal to normalize relations.Yair Lapid will head of a delegation of lawmakers and officials who will meet with Moroccan officials and inaugurate the Israeli Liaison Office in the capital, Rabat, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The visit will be the first by an Israeli minister since the signing of the “Abraham Accords,” the US-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab states: Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.It’s the first visit to Morocco by an Israeli minister since 2003 and Lapid is scheduled to meet with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.“This historic visit is a continuation of the long-standing friendship and deep roots and traditions that the Jewish community in Morocco, and the large community of Israelis with origins in Morocco, have,” Lapid said in a statement ahead of the trip.Israel and Morocco had low-level diplomatic relations in the 1990s, but Morocco cut them off after the second Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000. The two countries maintained informal ties, with thousands of Israelis traveling to Morocco each year.Many Israeli Jews have lineage that traces back to Morocco, which is still home to a small community of several thousand Jews.As part of the deal to establish formal ties with Israel, the US agreed to recognize Morocco’s claim over the long-disputed Western Sahara region, though the Biden administration has said it will review that decision. Morocco’s 1975 annexation of Western Sahara is not recognized by the United Nations.Read more:CIA chief heading to Israel, Palestine as Iran tensions simmer: ReportsLebanon’s govt is responsible for recent Hezbollah rocket attacks: Israeli PMIsraeli survey finds 3rd Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose has similar side effects to 2nd
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Israeli FM will fly to Morocco to cement ties following Abraham Accords

Lawmakers and US officials Tuesday cautioned against allowing the Lebanese Army to collapse, warning that the result would only benefit the Iran-backed Hezbollah.During a Senate hearing on US security assistance in the Middle East, two senior administration officials were asked about the Lebanese Army.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The [Army] is one of our most capable partners in the Middle East,” Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs at the State Department Mira Resnick said.“Without the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces], Hezbollah fills the void. And that is exactly the opposite of what we would like to see in Lebanon,” she added.Resnick noted the “particularly acute” situation in Lebanon, exacerbated over the last year between the COVID-19 pandemic, political paralysis, economic collapse, societal distress and the Beirut Port explosion.“The LAF is really the sole legitimate defender of Lebanese sovereignty, the sole legitimate defender of the Lebanese people. And they serve as an institutional counterweight to Hezbollah, which continues to put Israelis and Lebanese at risk with their irresponsible rocket attacks,” the State Department officials said.With the US being the largest provider of aid to the Lebanese Army, Washington has often come under fire for its support due to what some have criticized as the army not doing enough to push back against Hezbollah.Nevertheless, the Lebanese Army is often cited as the first military to defeat ISIS and push out militants from its borders.Read more: Three Lebanese killed in fights related to fuel shortages
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Allowing Lebanon’s army to collapse will only benefit Hezbollah: US official

At least five people have died in raging wildfires in Algeria as firefighters battle more than 31 blazes amid blistering temperatures and tinder-dry conditions, officials said Tuesday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Algeria hit by wildfires, five dead

An unknown explosion has damaged one of the merchant ships anchored in Syria’s port of Latakia, which led to human and material losses, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Tuesday evening.Last week, two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian, were killed when a petroleum products tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime came under attack on Thursday off Oman’s coast, the company said on Friday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.An unnamed senior Israeli official blamed Iran for the attack and said that the ship was hit with a drone, according to Israel’s Channel 13 TV.In April, at least three people had been killed in an attack on an Iranian fuel tanker off the Syrian coast, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.“At least three people died, including two members of the crew,” in the attack, which sparked a fire, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based war monitor.At the time, the state news agency SANA quoted the oil ministry as saying the fire erupted after “what was believed to be an attack by a drone from the direction of Lebanese waters.”Read more:Drones used in attack on Israeli-managed ship were produced in Iran: US CENTCOMSenior Pentagon official says Iran-backed Mercer Street attack came from Yemen
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Syrian Observatory reports explosion on merchant ship anchored in Latakia’s port

Russia resumed flights to Egyptian Red Sea resorts on Monday, ending a ban that had lasted almost six years following the bombing of a Russian airliner that killed all 224 people onboard..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Russia resumes flights to Red Sea resorts in boost to Egypt’s tourism

ATUGE UK, the Association des Tunisiens des Grandes Ecoles in the UK (Tunisian graduates of French major universities) is introducing the first ever Tunisia Film Festival in London: Alyssa Film Festival, which will be from the 18th to the 19th of September at Cine Lumiere at the French Institute in London..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Tunisia Film Festival in London to spotlight independent cinema

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention placed Israel at Level 4, the highest for COVID risk.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel given highest COVID travel warning by CDC

NRx chairman: ‘We believe the BriLife vaccine may have better ability to deal with variants’ than others already on the market.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel’s COVID vaccine kicks off Phase IIb trial in Georgia

Some 2,196 students were tested across Israel in the new serological testing program.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: 18% of Israel’s haredi children had COVID - first serological test results

The ruling sets a precedent for other Israeli companies being able to force their staff to vaccinate against the coronavirus or test against their will.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israeli court: Employer can force staff to vaccinate, be tested for COVID