Region

Gulf and Red Sea Regions

Stories under this heading cover the Gulf and the Red Sea regions, including the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and the countries bordering the Red Sea.

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Fragile Israel – Iran truce brokered by Trump comes into effect but Israel claims Iran violated ceasefire

Fragile Israel – Iran truce brokered by Trump comes into effect but Israel claims Iran violated ceasefire

Hours after US President Donald Trump said his ceasefire had taken effect, Israel said it intercepted two Iranian missiles, with Defence Minister Israel Katz vowing that the military would "respond forcefully". Israel had stated on Tuesday it agreed to Trump's declaration of a ceasefire with Iran, adding that it had achieved all its objectives in the 12-day war with its arch-enemy. According to AFP, Iran denied launching missiles at Israel after the ceasefire announcement, and said it had "compelled" Israel to "unilaterally halt its aggression", while stopping short of officially accepting the ceasefire plan.

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Yemeni army launches offensive in Al-Bayda province

Yemeni army launches offensive in Al-Bayda province

On Saturday (3 July), the Yemeni army and allied tribesmen launched a new offensive in Al-Bayda governorate to recapture the area from the Houthis. Several state and local media shows footage of armed vehicles rolling into the governorate for the first time since the war started. Reports suggest the Yemeni government succeeded in capturing some villages. 
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Israel signs co-operation agreement with UAE, inaugurates embassy in Abu Dhabi

Israel signs co-operation agreement with UAE, inaugurates embassy in Abu Dhabi

The UAE foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, on Tuesday (29 June) signed the 12th agreement between the two countries, covering economic and trade co-operation. Lapid is on his first official visit to Abu Dhabi to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations in light of the agreement between the two sides, as well as the situation in the Middle East region.
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Egypt, Jordan and Iraq hold summit in Baghdad

Egypt, Jordan and Iraq hold summit in Baghdad

The Egypt-Jordan-Iraq summit comes within the framework of the tripartite co-operation mechanism between the three countries, which held its first round in Cairo in March 2019. Whilst not mentioned in official statements, the trilateral relationship established between Egypt, Iraq and Jordan is seen partly as an attempt to neutralise Iran’s influence across the region.
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Washington comment on Houthis' legitimacy creates a diplomatic stir

Washington comment on Houthis' legitimacy creates a diplomatic stir

US Special Envoy to Yemen Timothy Lenderking has said the United States recognises the Houthi movement as a legitimate party in Yemen. The Houthi group responded that the recognition meant nothing serious to them and the Yemeni government commented that Lenderking's comments were understood out of context.
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Egypt plans to upgrade its seaports

Egypt plans to upgrade its seaports

Egypt will implement a comprehensive plan in which its ports will be upgraded. The country plans to become a logistics hub in the MENA region with the aim of promoting its position in international trade. The new plan, expected to be completed by 2024, involves 58 projects for upgrading Egyptian ports at an estimated cost of  63 billion Egyptian pounds (around 4 billion US dollars).
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Ethiopians have voted in elections they hope will increase democratic governance

Ethiopians have voted in elections they hope will increase democratic governance

Many eligible Ethiopian voters headed to polls yesterday (21 June) to participate in the country’s first multi-party elections in 16 years. The elections are the incumbent prime minister Abiy Ahmed first democratic test. Elections in several constituencies, many of them in the Amhara and Oromia regions, are postponed until 6 September due to electoral irregularities. The dates for elections in the Tigray region are not yet scheduled.