President Barack Obama authorized the release of as much as $10 million in additional aid to rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday, as calls continued for the U.S. to arm the rebels. The president, in a directive to the secretaries of state and defense, said the U.S. would draw on
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will visit Russia next week, a state-run newspaper reported on Friday, in a visit market sources expect to focus on the cash-strapped Arab state’s energy, wheat import and financing needs. Mursi will meet President Vladimir Putin for talks that would explore “ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in
Six children were among at least 57 people killed in southern Syria as the army launched an all-out assault on two towns in Daraa province, a watchdog said on Thursday. "At least six children, seven women, 16 rebel fighters, 16 other unidentified men and 12 army troops were killed on Wednesday, in fighting, shelling
A United Nations panel says weaponry from Libya is spreading across North Africa to Gaza and Syria “at an alarming rate.” The five-expert committee said in a 94-page report sent Tuesday to the U.N. Security Council that illegal transfers of arms from Libya to armed groups and terrorists have been proven. The arms
Libya will give Egypt a $2billion five-year, interest-free loan under an agreement signed on Wednesday, the Egyptian state news agency MENA reported. It quoted a finance ministry official as saying the loan would have a three-year grace period and was intended “to support the Egyptian economy and the state budget and foreign currency reserves”.
An Israeli Arab man from Taibe has been arrested for illegally entering Syria and fighting with the Global Jihad rebel group. The man, 28-year-old Hakhmat Othman Hassin Matsarwa, entered Syria with two goals: to join Global Jihad and fight the Syrian army, and to find his brother Hassin, who had left for Syria to
There is a clear trend of Arab men sexually assaulting Jewish girls and women as a form of anti-Israel terrorism, attorney Roni Sadovnik said Wednesday, speaking to Arutz Sheva. Israel’s courts prefer to treat such crimes as solely criminal in nature rather than as crimes motivated by nationalist hate, she said. Changing the status
A Muslim cleric who became known as “the preacher of the revolution” for his sermons in Tahrir Square during the uprising against ousted President Hosni Mubarak and subsequent anti-government protests said he was suspended Tuesday by a ministerial decree following a citizen's complaint about his criticism of the current Islamist president. Sheik Mazhar Shahin
Bahrain on Tuesday became the first Arab country to blacklist Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, the Al Arabiya network reports. The move came a week after the Bahraini parliament voted to label the group a terrorist organization. Its alleged backing and training of radical Shiite groups against Bahrain was the main reason given for
Iran insisted on Tuesday it will not suspend its enrichment of uranium to 20 percent nor will it ship out its existing stockpile -- two keys demands of world powers in failed nuclear talks with Tehran. “We will continue to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity as long as it is needed to fuel
