Daily News Brief - 03/10/2022
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Please find below today’s daily news brief.
Algeria | Russia | US: Congress members ask Algeria to be sanctioned over an arms deal with Russia
A bipartisan group of 27 US Congress members, led by Representative Lisa McClain, sent a letter to the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, calling for sanctions to be imposed on Algeria under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act for a multi-billion dollar arms deal the North African country reportedly signed with Russia last year.
Iran: At least 92 people killed as anti-government protests enter their third week
At least 92 people were killed by Iranian authorities, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group, as the anti-government protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police enter their third week. In his first comments since the beginning of the protests, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that the demonstrations were planned and not organized by “ordinary Iranians,” adding that “some people had caused insecurity in the streets.” President Ebrahim Raisi stated that the “enemies” of Iran had “failed in their conspiracy.” Clashes took place on Sunday between regime forces and students at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology after the Iranian police arrested several individuals protesting on the campus. Following the incidents, the university suspended its in-person classes.
Iran: At least 20 people were killed in a separatist attack in southeastern Iran
At least 20 people, including four members of the Iranian security forces, were killed in clashes between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and armed separatists in the country’s city of Zahedan. The attack targeted a police station and it was not immediately clear whether it was related to the nationwide anti-government demonstrations or not.
Iran | Iraq: Iran continues to target areas in northern Iraq
According to representatives of the Komala Iranian-Kurdish opposition, Iran’s forces launched artillery fire and drone attacks on bases near the Iranian border after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced they will continue their strikes. At least 14 people were killed and 50 others were injured during the attacks that lasted for more than a week now. Tehran has previously accused the Kurdish opposition in northern Iraq of supporting the current demonstrations in Iran.
Iran | US: American citizen allowed to leave an Iranian prison for one week
Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges has been allowed out of Tehran’s Evin prison for one week, according to his lawyer. Separately, his father and former UN official Baquer Namazi, also convicted for “collaboration with a hostile government,” has been allowed to leave Iran for medical treatment. Siamak Namazi has been held in Evin prison since 2015, while his father was sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in prison, but the Iranian authorities released him on medical grounds in 2018 and closed his case in 2020, effectively banning him from leaving the country.
Iraq: Thousands of protesters marked the third anniversary of the 2019 unrest
Thousands of Iraqis gathered on Saturday in the capital Baghdad to mark the third anniversary of the 2019 “Tashreen” (October) anti-government protests. At least 64 people, including 26 members of the security forces, were injured after the police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. According to a statement by the military, the protests were infiltrated by elements who attacked the security forces using Molotov cocktails and hunting rifles. The protests in 2019 erupted against then Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government with demonstrators demanding an overhaul of the political system. More than 550 people were killed.
Israel | Lebanon: Israeli prime minister receives maritime border demarcation proposal and says it respects his country’s interests
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid confirmed on Sunday that he received a negotiated US proposal to solve the maritime dispute with Lebanon and said that it would preserve Israel’s regional interests. The plan was also handed over to Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun on Saturday. Lapid stated on Monday that “discussions on the final details” are being conducted and that it is still too early to see the agreement as completed. On the Lebanese side, the Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berry said that the draft is positive and it “meets in principle the Lebanese demands.” The US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea met on Saturday with the Lebanese president, prime minister, and speaker of the parliament to provide Washington’s proposal for a final agreement. In a speech on Saturday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah appeared to tone down his anti-Israel rhetoric and called the draft a “positive outcome.”
Israel | Palestine: Two Palestinians were shot dead by the Israeli forces during a military raid
Two Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army during a raid on the Jalazone refugee camp near the city of Ramallah. According to the Palestinian health ministry, the two individuals were identified as 19-year-old Basel Basbous and 20-year-old Khaled Anbar. The Israeli army stated that it had “neutralized” two people who had “attempted to carry out a ramming attack against Israeli soldiers.”
Israel | Palestine: ISIS-affiliated cell dismantled by Israel’s security forces
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency dismantled last month an ISIS cell in the northern city of Nazareth and arrested six suspects who were planning to carry out attacks throughout Israel. Among the planned targets are a high school, a police station, and a hitchhiking station.
Kuwait: Newly elected parliament to convene on October 11, the government submits resignation
Kuwait’s newly formed parliament following the September 29 elections will convene on October 11. Out of the 50 seats, 28 were won by opposition candidates after the previous legislature was dissolved in a bid to end a political standoff between the government and the parliament. On Sunday, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah accepted the government’s resignation. Conflicts between the executive and the legislative bodies often led to cabinet reshuffles and the dissolution of the parliament.
Libya | Turkey: Top Turkish officials to visit Libya on Monday
A Turkish delegation consisting, among others, of the country’s foreign minister, and the defense minister is expected to arrive in Libya on Monday for a high-level visit at the behest of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the officials will discuss the political transition process in Libya, the issue of elections, bilateral cooperation, and regional matters.
Saudi Arabia | US | Yemen: US secretary of state and his Saudi counterpart discuss Yemen’s truce on the phone
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke on Saturday with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss the expiration of the UN-mediated truce in Yemen on October 2. Blinken pointed out the benefits of expanding the agreement and noted its benefits for millions of Yemenis. Further, he underscored the importance of international support for the Presidential Leadership Council and expressed concern with recent actions committed by the Houthi rebels.
Turkey | Iraq | Syria: Turkish defense ministry claims it killed 30 PKK members in Iraq and Syria
According to Turkey’s Ministry of Defense, 23 members of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed in airstrikes conducted in the Asos region of northern Iraq, and another seven in northern Syria on Sunday. The attacks are part of Turkey’s cross-border military operations that characterized its fight against PKK militants based in Iraq and Syria, a group Turkey, the US, and the EU regard as terrorist.
Yemen | UN: Yemen’s truce expires as parties are unable to agree on its extension
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg announced on Sunday that the truce has expired without being extended, adding that negotiations are continuing. The Swedish diplomat urged the parties “to fulfill their obligations to the Yemeni people to pursue every avenue for peace.” The UN envoy met on Sunday with Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi to discuss peace efforts, talks during which the latter described the Houthi rebels as “hostile to peace.” On Sunday night, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a phone conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, during which the former emphasized the great importance of ending the siege on Yemen and continuing to maintain the ceasefire.