Jordan arrests 19 for drug dealing

Jordan arrests 19 for drug dealing
Bags of confiscated pills are displayed at the police anti-narcotics unit headquarters in Amman on January 7, 2019. (FIle/AFP)
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Updated 35 sec ago
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Jordan arrests 19 for drug dealing

Jordan arrests 19 for drug dealing
  • One of the most significant operations took place in the central Mafraq governorate

AMMAN: Jordanian authorities arrested 19 individuals on charges of drug dealing and promotion across various regions of the kingdom, according to a statement released by the Public Security Directorate on Sunday.

The Anti-Narcotics Department confirmed that it conducted operations targeting drug-related activities in several governorates over the past few days, Jordan News Agency reported.

One of the most significant operations took place in the central Mafraq governorate, where four individuals were apprehended following intelligence-led efforts. The authorities seized 20,000 narcotic pills in their possession.

In a separate raid in the same area, two other suspects were arrested after being found with what officials described as “large quantities” of narcotics. Officers seized 21 palm-sized sheets and 5,000 additional narcotic pills during the operation.

The PSD spokesperson also revealed that a broader security campaign in Mafraq led to the arrest of five more suspects involved in drug trafficking and promotion.

Further arrests were made in a targeted security operation east of Amman, where five people were detained and various amounts of illegal drugs were confiscated.

In Amman, a raid resulted in the arrest of a suspect found with 700 grams of crystal meth. Meanwhile, in Zarqa governorate, a person classified as “dangerous” and wanted in connection with drug-related offenses was taken into custody.

In the northern city of Irbid, AND officers arrested another dealer in possession of half a kilogram of crystal meth.

All cases have been referred to the public prosecutor at the State Security Court for further legal action.
 


Egypt expresses concern at developments in southern Lebanon

Egypt expresses concern at developments in southern Lebanon
Updated 4 sec ago
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Egypt expresses concern at developments in southern Lebanon

Egypt expresses concern at developments in southern Lebanon
  • Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty holds talks with US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein in Washington

CAIRO: Egypt reiterated its full solidarity with Lebanon at what it called “this critical time” as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire on Sunday.

A statement by the Foreign Ministry in Cairo said it was following “with great concern the grave escalation in southern Lebanon, which has witnessed intensive Israeli airstrikes on the region that undermine the unity and sovereignty of Lebanese territory.”

Egypt said it “reiterates its warning that this unjustified Israeli escalation places the region at a dangerous crossroads, which may lead to catastrophic consequences for regional stability and potentially plunge it into a comprehensive regional war from which no country in the region would be immune to its repercussions.”

Cairo “condemns all unilateral actions, targeting of civilians, and violations of international humanitarian law,” the statement added.

It said Egypt “reaffirms the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, considering it the primary reason for the tension and escalation in the region.”

The Egyptian statement came as Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met on Friday with US Special Envoy for Lebanon Amos Hochstein in Washington.

Abdelatty emphasized the critical importance of continuing efforts to contain the escalation in southern Lebanon and to avoid slipping into a scenario of widespread regional war.

He highlighted Egypt’s persistent efforts to calm the region, particularly in southern Lebanon, and stressed the priority of achieving a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza as key to regional de-escalation.

Abdelatty reviewed the extensive communications the Egyptian side undertook with various regional and international parties to halt the escalation.

The minister noted the importance of continuing joint efforts to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to maintain the security and stability of the Lebanese-Israeli border and to ensure respect for Lebanese sovereignty.

Abdelatty reiterated the warning regarding the grave and rapidly evolving developments occurring in Lebanon over the past few days, indicating that the region was facing a dangerous turning point due to irresponsible unilateral actions.

He cautioned that these actions could lead to consequences that would overshadow the stability of the entire region, and emphasized the importance of international support for the Lebanese government and various state institutions to help Beirut overcome its political and economic crises.


Egypt’s foreign minister and UN Gaza aid chief discuss relief measures

Egypt’s foreign minister and UN Gaza aid chief discuss relief measures
Updated 22 September 2024
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Egypt’s foreign minister and UN Gaza aid chief discuss relief measures

Egypt’s foreign minister and UN Gaza aid chief discuss relief measures
  • Abdelatty and Sigrid Kaag, UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, discussed ways to ease the crisis

NEW YORK CITY: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty emphasized the importance of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and removing all Israeli obstacles that impede aid access into the besieged Palestinian territory.

Abdelatty and Sigrid Kaag, UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, discussed ways to ease the crisis during a meeting in New York.

The talks took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.

Abdelatty praised the close cooperation between the UN and the Egyptian Red Crescent.

The cooperation aims to facilitate and expedite aid access into the Gaza Strip in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2720.

Welcoming the UN official, the minister declared Egypt’s continued provision of support to enable her to carry out the tasks of her mandate under the UN resolution.

Abdelatty emphasized the importance of all countries cooperating with the UN senior coordinator to complete the necessary procedures for the UN mechanism to operate as soon as possible.

He stressed the need to update the Security Council transparently and clearly on the developments related to setting up the mechanism and the extent of countries’ cooperation with Kaag in carrying out the mandate entrusted to her by the council.


Gaza rescuers say Israeli strike on school shelter kills 7

Gaza rescuers say Israeli strike on school shelter kills 7
Updated 22 September 2024
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Gaza rescuers say Israeli strike on school shelter kills 7

Gaza rescuers say Israeli strike on school shelter kills 7

GAZA STRIP: Civil defense rescuers in Gaza City said an Israeli strike Sunday on a school-turned-shelter killed at least 7 people, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted Hamas militants.
The vast majority of the besieged Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once by the war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, with many seeking shelter in school buildings.
Civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal reported “seven martyrs and a number of wounded, including serious cases, as a result of Israeli shelling of Kafr Qasim School” in the Al-Shati refugee camp.
He said hundreds of displaced Gazans were sheltering there.
The Israeli military said it was targeting Palestinian militants operating from the school grounds, and that its forces had taken steps “to mitigate the risk of harm to uninvolved civilians” including by using “precise munitions” and surveillance.
It said the air force had “conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip” who were “operating from a compound” at the school complex.
The military statement did not provide information on casualties.
Sunday’s attack was the latest in a series of Israeli strikes on school buildings housing displaced people in Gaza, where fighting has raged for nearly a year.
On Saturday the civil defense agency said an Israeli strike on another school-turned-shelter, also in Gaza City, had killed 21 people. The military said it was targeting militants.
A strike on the United Nations-run Al-Jawni School in central Gaza on September 11 drew international outcry after the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said six of its staffers were among the 18 reported fatalities.
The Israeli military accuses Hamas of hiding in school buildings where thousands of Gazans have sought shelter — a charge denied by the Palestinian militant group.
At least 41,391 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry. The United Nations has acknowledged these figures as reliable.
The October 7 attack that triggered it resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.
Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 97 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 33 who the Israeli military says are dead.


Bahrain, Kuwait in talks with Iran on restoring relations at UN assembly

Bahrain, Kuwait in talks with Iran on restoring relations at UN assembly
Updated 22 September 2024
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Bahrain, Kuwait in talks with Iran on restoring relations at UN assembly

Bahrain, Kuwait in talks with Iran on restoring relations at UN assembly
  • Discussions focused on regional and international developments

NEW YORK: Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Bahrain’s minister of foreign affairs, and Abdullah Al-Yahya, Kuwait’s foreign minister, held separate meetings with Abbas Araghchi, foreign minister of Iran, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

In his meeting, Al Zayani discussed the initiation of talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Iran, emphasizing the principles of good neighborliness and mutual cooperation for the benefit of both nations.

The meeting was attended by Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, and Jamal Fares Al Rowaiei, Bahrain’s permanent representative to the UN in New York.

Meanwhile, during his discussions with Araghchi, Al-Yahya explored bilateral relations between Kuwait and Iran in various sectors. They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, touching on issues of joint concern to both countries.


Pro-Iran groups in Iraq claim drone attack against Israel: statement

Pro-Iran groups in Iraq claim drone attack against Israel: statement
Updated 22 September 2024
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Pro-Iran groups in Iraq claim drone attack against Israel: statement

Pro-Iran groups in Iraq claim drone attack against Israel: statement
  • Islamic Resistance in Iraq targets Israel with missiles and drones, source say
  • The attack caused no injuries, according to the Israeli military

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi coalition of pro-Iran armed groups claimed on Sunday a drone attack against Israel, where the military said it had intercepted “multiple suspicious aerial targets” coming from Iraq overnight.
“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq targeted on Sunday morning a strategic location in the occupied territories using drones,” the Iraqi coalition said in a statement on Telegram, referring to Israel, and adding it was carried out “in support of our people in Gaza.”

Israel's military said on Sunday that it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” launched from the east, and that no damage or injuries were reported.

It came as regional tensions again soared nearly a year into the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which has drawn in Iran-backed armed groups across the Middle East.
The Tehran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon announced Sunday it had launched rockets at Israeli military industry sites “in an initial response” to attacks blamed on Israel that saw pagers and two-way radios used by the group explode across Lebanon earlier this week.
The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups, has claimed several drone attacks targeting Israel in recent months, which have all been intercepted according to the Israeli military.
Last winter, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq had also claimed more than 175 rocket and drone attacks against United States troops in Iraq and Syria.
US forces carried out multiple retaliatory strikes against these militant factions in both countries.
The attacks on American troops have largely subsided in the past few months.