Middle East Experience

Both Iron Domes are expected to arrive at Fort Bliss by January
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Intel: US to activate air defense batteries to test Israel's Iron Dome

The incident took place at the rallying point for Egypt's 2011 revolution.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egyptian man in Cairo's Tahrir Square sets himself on fire

Lebanese Security Chief Abbas Ibrahim visited Damascus after a trip to Washington as part of efforts to free US citizen Austin Tice, who is thought to be held in Syria, Lebanese broadcaster al-Jadeed reported on Saturday.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Ibrahim told al-Jadeed he went on a two day visit to Damascus and was in regular contact with Tice's mother to tell her that he would continue to work on her son's “file.”“I won't stop working on this subject and I promised Tice's mother whom I met in Washington and am in daily touch with on the phone,” he told the broadcaster.US President Donald Trump has adopted the case of the freelance journalist and former U.S. Marine officer who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012.Abbas said the trip to Damascus came after he visited Washington last month where he met with national security adviser Robert O’Brien.A Trump administration official on October 18 confirmed a newspaper report that a White House official traveled to Damascus earlier this year for secret meetings with the Syrian government seeking the release of Tice and another US citizen.The trip was the first time such a high-level US official had met in Syria with the isolated government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in more than a decade.Syria erupted into civil war nearly a decade ago after Assad in 2011 began a brutal crackdown on protesters calling for an end to his family’s rule.Read more:Lebanon’s General Security chief in US for talks on American hostages in SyriaLebanese security chief tests positive after meeting senior US officialsUS meets with Lebanon security head to resolve Israel dispute
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lebanon’s Abbas Ibrahim visited Syria in effort to free US detainee

Villagers in Nagorno-Karabakh set their houses on fire Saturday before fleeing to Armenia ahead of a weekend deadline that will see parts of the territory handed over to Azerbaijan as part of a peace agreement.Residents of the Kalbajar district in Azerbaijan that was controlled by Armenian separatists for decades began a mass exodus this week after it was announced Azerbaijan would regain control on Sunday.Fighting between the separatists backed by Armenian troops and the Azerbaijan army erupted in late September and raged for six weeks, leaving more than 1,400 dead and forcing thousands to flee their homes.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.In the village of Charektar, on the border with the neighboring district of Martakert which is to remain under Armenian control, at least six houses were on fire Saturday morning with thick plumes of gray smoke rising over the valley, an AFP journalist saw.“This is my house, I can’t leave it to the Turks,” as Azerbaijanis are often called by Armenians, said one resident as he threw burning wooden planks and rags soaked in gasoline into a completely empty house.“Everybody is going to burn down their house today... We were given until midnight to leave,” he said.On Friday at least 10 houses were burned in and around Charektar.Read more:Russia deploys peacekeeping troops to Nagorno-Karabakh, ceasefire halts fightingAzerbaijan apologizes for shooting down Russia’s helicopter, offers compensationThe ex-Soviet rivals agreed to end hostilities earlier this week after previous efforts by Russia, France and the United States to get a ceasefire fell through.A key part of the peace deal includes Armenia’s return of Kalbajar, as well as the Aghdam district by November 20 and the Lachin district by December 1, which have been held by Armenians since a devastating war in the 1990s.Russian peacekeepers began deploying to Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday as part of the terms of the accord and took control of a key transport artery connecting Armenia to the disputed province.Russian military officials said the mission consisting of nearly 2,000 troops would put in place 16 observation posts in mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Villagers burn their houses in Nagorno-Karabakh ahead of Azerbaijan takeover

The United Arab Emirates has confirmed 1,174 new coronavirus cases after conducting 125,915 tests over the past 24 hours, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) announced on Saturday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The authority also announced 678 additional recoveries and zero deaths.The newly detected cases show a slight decrease than the day before when 1,226 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in a 24-hour period.The total number of COVID-19 cases in the UAE has reached 149,135 as of November 14 while the death toll remained at 528, according to the official WAM news agency. A total of 142,561 people have recovered so far.Read more:50 mln vaccines could be ready in 2020, immunity up to one yearUK removes UAE, Bahrain from COVID-19 travel quarantine listDozens of US Secret Service officers test positive for COVID-19, others quarantined
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE reports 1,174 new COVID-19 cases after 125,915 tests

Lebanon started a new two-week lockdown Saturday after coronavirus infections crossed the 100,000 mark in a country where hospital capacity has become saturated.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The capital's roads were largely empty and police checkpoints had been set up at several locations, while the seaside promenade often thronging on weekends was deserted, an AFP photographer said.The airport however remained open, as did essential businesses.Under the measures announced, during the day people were to stay home unless they were granted an exception, and only cars with certain number plates were allowed on the roads.A nightime curfew was to come into force from 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) to 5:00 am (0300 GMT).Lebanon, with a population of around six million, has been recording some 11,000 coronavirus infections on average each week, the health ministry said Thursday.Since February, the country has recorded 102,607 Covid-19 cases, including 796 deaths, it says.A first country-wide lockdown imposed in March was effective in stemming the spread of the virus, and restrictions were gradually lifted as summer beckoned people outdoors.But the number of coronavirus cases surged following a monstrous blast at Beirut's port on August 4 which killed more than 200 people, wounded at least 6,500, and overwhelmed hospitals.The new restrictions are set to last until November 30, but the authorities have said they could be extended, as they fear the health system would not be able to cope with many more cases needing intensive care.“The situation is critical and getting worse,” Said al-Asmar, a pulmonologist at the main public hospital in Beirut dealing with Covid-19 cases, warned on Friday.Sometimes, “patients need intensive care, but we have to leave them in accident and emergency,” the doctor at the Rafik Hariri Hospital told AFP.The World Health Organization said at the end of October that 88 percent of Lebanon's 306 intensive care beds were occupied.On Thursday, Qatar sent two planes carrying medical equipment to Lebanon to equip field hospitals in the southern city of Tyre and northern city of Tripoli, each with 500 beds, the Qatari embassy in Beirut said.Read more:Dozens of US Secret Service officers test positive for COVID-19, others quarantinedLebanon to enter full lockdown as COVID-19 cases spike50 mln vaccines could be ready in 2020, immunity up to one year
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Lebanon starts new COVID-19 lockdown after cases crossed 100,000

Saudi Arabia has reported 349 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections in the Kingdom to 352,950, the health ministry announced on Saturday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Of the new cases, 62 were detected in the city of Riyadh, 29 in Mecca and 28 in Jeddah, according to the health ministry.Meanwhile, an additional 379 recoveries were confirmed, raising the total number of recoveries to 339,947 as of November 14.Sixteen individuals who had previously tested positive for the virus died within the last day, raising the death toll to 5,641, the health ministry added.Read more:UK removes UAE, Bahrain from COVID-19 travel quarantine list50 mln vaccines could be ready in 2020, immunity up to one yearLebanon starts new COVID-19 lockdown after cases crossed 100,000
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia reports 349 new COVID-19 cases, 16 deaths

During a recent meeting, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan, discussed the handover of members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood to Cairo.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Will Sudan hand over Islamists to Egypt?

The official IRNA news agency said the three were killed in a clash when..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Gunmen kill 3 Iranian guards near Turkish border: report

With President Donald Trump refusing to concede and making unsubstantiated claims of fraud, Mike Pompeo, one of his most loyal aides, has dug in with him..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Pompeo heads to see allies who are turning page on Trump