Middle East Experience

Shin Bet surveillance delayed again.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Knesset Committee Chair fights to limit targeted lockdowns

Lebanon's foreign ministry has summoned its US ambassador over Hezbollah remarks..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon summons US ambassador over Hezbollah remarks

Established actor Dov Navon pretends to be Jokey smurf in a video critical of the planned Israeli annexation.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Actor slammed online for video poking fun of Trump’s ‘present’

Fagin insisted that if the Jewish state views the Diaspora as a strategic asset then it needs to invest far larger resources into Jewish education in the US.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel must deepen commitment of Diaspora to Jewish identity’ says OU head

Saudi state media said it forced Iranian ships to retreat from its waters..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Saudi 'forced' 3 Iranian boats to leave waters: state media

The call was issued after a meeting of several Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Palestinian factions call for 'day of rage' to foil annexation

"It was so profanity laced, the entire thing was offensive. Certainly, the comment about the white power was offensive. It's indefensible. We should take it down." Republican Senator Tim Scott said.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Trump deletes retweet of supporter shouting 'white power' after backlash

Saudi Arabia’s Agency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque in Mecca is currently developing a crowd control plan as it prepares for the partial opening of the mosque and the holy Kaaba soon, local media reported.The plan is part of the Kingdom’s efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The Grand Mosque and its courtyards will operate at 40 percent capacity, local media cited well-informed sources as saying.Visitors may be asked to obtain a permit before arriving at the Grand Mosque through the Tawakkalna app so authorities can limit the number of people entering the mosque, according to the sources.Thermal cameras will be set up at all entrances of the mosque and separate entry and exit points will be designated for visitors.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia announces Hajj protocols, measures for pilgrims Coronavirus: New COVID-19 drug developed by Saudi Arabian company, US partnersAny individual who records a high temperature will be prevented from entering the mosque and will be referred to specialists from the health ministry.Social distancing measures will be enforced at all times to prevent crowding, while face masks will be mandatory for all visitors.The ground, first, and second floor of the holy mosque will be allocated for those performing tawaf. Elderly people and people with special needs shall be allowed to use the second floor.Tawaf is the ritual of circumambulating the Kaaba seven times as part of Umrah or Hajj in Mecca.The central Haram area, closest to the Kaaba, may be closed for visitors, especially on Friday to limit crowding, the sources said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia mulls crowd control to partially resume Umrah in Mecca

Saudi Arabia has welcomed the new UN report that found weapons “of Iranian origin” were used in several attacks against the Kingdom last year, saying it was glad that international partners are now acknowledging long-standing concerns over Iran’s “reprehensible” regional expansion.“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has consistently warned of the security consequences of arms agreements that overlook Iran’s regional expansion and ignore the legitimate security concerns of regional states. Today, we are glad that international partners are acknowledging these issues. It might have taken some time, but better late than never,” Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UN Ambassador Abdallah Y. al-Mouallimi told Al Arabiya English.Read more:Exclusive: Shipment of Iranian weapons, Farsi material intercepted en route to YemenUN report on Iranian missiles in Yemen: Key takeaways explainedExclusive: Saudi Arabia to reveal new Iranian missile cargo today, 3:30 p.m. RiyadhAnother Saudi Arabian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the confirmed existing information about Iran’s “reprehensible activities in the region.”“Iran is a force for destruction, destabilization, and ruin in the region. The UN, and all responsible members of the international community are working to achieve the opposite of Iran’s goals in the region. This report is an important reminder that cooperation is key in the face of Iranian aggression,” the official told Al Arabiya English.The report, authored by UN chief Secretary-General António Guterres, examined the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 – the resolution by which the UN endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015.It concluded that weapons “of Iranian origin” were used in attacks against Saudi Arabian oil facilities in Afif in May, on the Abha international airport in June and August and on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Khurais and Abqaiq in September.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appIt found that Iranian arms seized upon two dhows bound for Yemen “may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent” with resolution 2231, raising concerns over Iran’s commitment as a diplomatic partner at a time when the UN Security Council is discussing whether to extend the arms embargo on Iran past its October expiry date.“[The report] will add to the US case for extension of the arms embargo, which is set to expire on October 18, 2020. In fact, there is evidence Tehran is expanding its weapons shipments, with Iranian anti-tank guided missiles being found in Libya,” said Jason Brodsky, the Policy Director of United Against Nuclear Iran.Iranian missiles transfers not newThe UN’s findings are only the latest case of Iranian weapons transfers to Yemen, said the Saudi Arabian official.“Since the beginning of the Arab Coalition’s involvement in Yemen under UNSCR 2231, member states of the Arab Coalition in addition to other friendly states have intercepted Iranian weapon shipments to the Houthi militias in Yemen. This is hardly a new phenomenon. In fact, there are similarities between weapons that Iran transferred to its terrorist militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon and those transferred to the Houthi militia in Yemen,” the official said.“This report is not introducing any new debate about Iran’s reprehensible activities in the region. It is restating what is known to everyone who has been observing the region,” they added.The official also pointed to the weapon transfers being only one part of Iran’s wider regional proxy network.“Iran’s ability to destabilize the region as a whole is a result of its large network of proxy groups that it has built over many years. Pushing back against this regional expansion is not possible without cooperation. The first step to facing the Iranian problem in the region is acknowledging it,” they said.Iranian denials ‘laughable’Iran denied the conclusions of the UN report, suggesting the UN had unfairly criticized Iran due to political pressure.The Saudi official dismissed Iran’s denial as “laughable,” pointing to the lack of effort made to conceal the Iranian origins of the weapons, many of which had Farsi markings on.“It is laughable that the Iranian government would try to undermine the credibility of this report, especially since there seem to have been no efforts on Iran’s part to conceal the origin of these weapons,” they said.“In one case, an engine recovered from an UAV downed over Saudi Arabia turned out to be identical to an engine exhibited by Iran in a military parade,” they added.Experts have also said that they were not surprised with the report’s conclusions.“There was always a very strong suspicion that the cruise missiles used were Iranian. Initially the UN said that it acknowledged the US and the Saudi findings, but couldn’t endorse their findings until they’d examined the evidence. Now it looks like they’ve come to the same conclusion,” said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.The report comes as Al Arabiya English obtained exclusive information of an additional, previously undisclosed arms shipment bound for Yemen.Images from the dhow, which was intercepted on April 17, 2020, show a range of weapons, munitions and Farsi-language documents apparently bound for Yemen.Here is an examination of the full contents of the dhow.Read more:EU condemns recent Houthi drone and ballistic missile attacks on Saudi ArabiaMissiles used in attacks on Saudi Arabia are of ‘Iranian origin’: UNIran boosts range of naval missiles to 700 km: IRGC commander
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Exclusive: Saudi Arabia reacts to UN report’s ‘reprehensible’ Iran missile findings

A dhow carrying hundreds of reportedly Iranian weapons and other Farsi language material was intercepted on April 17, said an official from the Arab Coalition, who shared images from the material exclusively with Al Arabiya English.The wooden dhow was found off the coast of Mocha, Yemen, according to an Arab Coalition source. Small wooden dhows are reportedly used by Iranians because they cannot be detected by radars.The finding is the latest shipment of Iranian-made weapons and missiles to be intercepted en route to Yemen, where Iran supports the Houthi militia in its conflict with the UN-recognized government and Arab Coalition despite the arms embargo on the country.Read more:Exclusive: Saudi Arabia reacts to new ‘reprehensible’ Iran missile revelationsExclusive: Saudi Arabia to reveal new Iranian missile cargo today, 3:30 p.m. RiyadhUN report on Iranian missiles in Yemen: Key takeaways explainedTwo other shipments from November, 2019, and February, 2020, were cited as evidence by a recent UN report that concluded Iranian arms “may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent” with UN resolution 2231 – the resolution that endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.This latest shipment seems to add to the existing evidence that Iran has been exporting arms to Yemen despite another UN resolution, 2216, which forbids the transfer of arms to the Houthis.“Since the beginning of the Arab Coalition’s involvement in Yemen under UNSCR 2231, member states of the Arab Coalition in addition to other friendly states have intercepted Iranian weapon shipments to the Houthi militias in Yemen. This is hardly a new phenomenon. In fact, there are similarities between weapons that Iran transferred to its terrorist militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon and those transferred to the Houthi militia in Yemen,” a Saudi Arabian official told Al Arabiya English.Here is an image gallery showing the new material intercepted on the dhow. Read more:Two Houthi militia leaders killed in northern al-Jawf province: SourcesArab Coalition observers in Yemen, part of STC and government ceasefire deal: Report
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Watch: Shipment of Iranian weapons, Farsi material intercepted en route to Yemen