Iran Asks Iraq to Return Flights Between the Two Countries to Normal Conditions
Iran asked Iraq to take steps to lift flight restrictions caused by US sanctions and return flights to normal conditions, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Flights between the two countries were suspended amid US sanctions restricting services to Iranian airlines, Reuters said.
Egypt Accuses 6 Arrested Journalists of Being Members of the Muslim Brotherhood
Egyptian authorities have accused six journalists arrested this week of being members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, saying they produced fabricated news for an online outlet in exchange for foreign funding.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry on Thursday described "Matsadaash" as an unlicensed page managed from abroad by a “fugitive Brotherhood member” it identified as Abdelrahman Mansour.
It said the six people detained were part of a Brotherhood “media committee” that prepared false and fabricated news for Mansour to publish.
Only one of the six is a member of the Journalists’ Syndicate - the national press union - the statement said. It said legal measures have been taken.
On Wednesday, the Journalists' Syndicate demanded the Interior Ministry and the General Prosecutor to release the six journalists and disclose the circumstances and reasons for their arrest, as well as their places of detention.
In the report submitted by the Head of the Journalists' Syndicate, Khaled El-Balshy, the Syndicate stated that it had received complaints from lawyers and colleagues regarding the arrest of six journalists from the platform, one of whom holds syndicate membership.
It confirmed that "the six colleagues Abdullah Qadri, Mohamed Sharaf, Mohamed Adel, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Omar Hidayah were arrested from their homes over the past two days."
The Syndicate affirmed that it is making "diligent efforts around the clock to secure the release of the six colleagues ... with a full commitment to their appearance for any investigations should any charges be brought against them."
IMF Says Lebanon Needs Key Reforms for Program
Lebanon must push through a number of key economic and banking sector reforms to secure a new International Monetary Fund program, the Fund said on Thursday.
"It will require continued progress on key reforms, including the entry into force of the bank resolution law, and appropriate financial gap laws consistent with international standards," IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack told reporters during a press conference.
She added a 2027 budget and medium-term fiscal framework that were "consistent with debt sustainability for the country" were also required.
Lebanon first signed a preliminary agreement with the IMF in April 2022, more than two years after its financial system imploded following decades of profligate spending and corruption in the ruling elite.
It recently passed a new banking restructuring law which was welcomed by the IMF, but this week Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun quietly referred that law to the country’s constitutional council, triggering a review.
The move has sparked concerns among reformists in Lebanon that the country is backtracking on the key piece of legislation and potentially putting its IMF support hopes at risk.
Lebanon Army Says Seized 245 Kg of TNT at Syria Border
The Lebanese army announced on Thursday that it had seized nearly 250 kilograms (around 550 pounds) of explosives being transported from neighboring Syria into Lebanon, though it was unable to apprehend the smugglers.
"An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT, four explosive devices, eight detonators and electrical wiring for the detonators", which were being "smuggled from Syrian territory into Lebanese territory", the army said in a statement.
"The smugglers fled back toward Syria as soon as an army patrol arrived at the scene," it added.
Lebanon and Syria share a 330-kilometer (205-mile) border known for being porous.
Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, both Lebanon and Syria have been working to stamp out overland smuggling along their shared border -- including the trafficking of weapons and captagon.
Damascus regularly announces the interception of arms shipments destined for Lebanon on behalf of Hezbollah, an organization that denies any presence or activity in Syrian territory.
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