Day: August 3, 2024

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced today, Saturday, that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay an official visit to Egypt tomorrow, Sunday, for two days. The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated in a statement that Fidan will pay an official visit to Egypt from August 4 to 5, during which he will meet with Egyptian officials. During these meetings, bilateral relations between the two countries, in addition to current international and regional developments, will be discussed. For their part, Turkish diplomatic sources reported today, Saturday, that Minister Fidan and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Aati will discuss preparations for the first high-level meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council scheduled to be held during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's upcoming visit to Turkey. The two sides will also discuss the current status of about 20 agreements scheduled to be signed during El-Sisi's visit to Ankara. The two ministers will exchange views on bilateral political, economic and cultural relations and developments in the region, and will discuss opportunities for long-term cooperation in the fields of energy, health, tourism and defense industries. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham considered that the best way to prevent escalation against Israel is to show readiness to attack Iran, and that endangering Iranian oil sites may change Tehran's behavior. Graham wrote on his account on the "X" platform: "If their oil refineries are at risk, their behavior will change, now is the right time." Graham considered that "it is always good for any US administration to reassure Israel that we support it against Iran and its proxies and will provide it with the necessary defensive capability." He added, "However, it is long past time to start talking about the attack when it comes to Iranian threats against Israel, the United States and the world. Iran is acting crazy all over the region," according to Graham. The Republican senator pointed to recent legislation he worked on, which considers 'an attack on Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah or the Houthis should be considered an attack by Iran.' 'All of these proxies are provided with weapons and money by the Iranian regime to spread their terror,' he said. He concluded by saying that 'Israel should have every right not only to defend its territory from Iranian attacks, but also to hit the regime hard,' he said. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Israeli delegation returned from Cairo today, Saturday, due to disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli negotiating delegation, headed by Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, returning to Tel Aviv a few hours after its arrival, with the aim of completing the prisoner exchange deal talks with the Palestinian factions, but disagreements with Netanyahu prevented that. The delegation was scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel on the prisoner exchange and the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Earlier, in response to what was published by Hebrew websites about Netanyahu abandoning the Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that "Netanyahu ordered the delegation to leave for Cairo on Saturday or Sunday night. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The US Embassy in Beirut issued a statement today, Saturday, recommending its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, following the development of recent events in the region. The statement stated that "our citizens should leave Lebanon as soon as possible, by booking any available ticket, even if the chosen destination is not the final desired destination." The embassy called on "citizens facing financial difficulties to contact it to obtain financial assistance to facilitate the departure process, and advised citizens who choose to remain in Lebanon to be prepared to face emergencies, and to take the necessary measures to shelter in place for an extended period of time. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sacco expressed his thanks to the head of the National Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, for standing by the church as a Christian Authority and supporting the Christian component. This came during Sacco's visit to al-Hakim at his residence in Baghdad. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Prime Minister, Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani stressed that Yarmouk Hospital is the hub for providing health services in the Karkh side of Baghdad, and is witnessing great pressure. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Kurdistan Democratic Party parliamentary bloc urged the implementation of the Sinjar agreement concluded between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, especially the security normalization of the situation, comprehensive reconstruction, ensuring the safe return of the displaced to their areas, taking steps appropriate to their return, and compensating the families of the victims and those affected. The bloc called, in a press conference today, Saturday, to make every effort to find out the fate of the kidnapped men and women, open the mass graves, take all measures to reveal the identity of the remains buried in these graves, and recognize this crime as a crime of genocide and work with the international community so that the perpetrators of this crime receive the maximum penalties. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

All Iraqis in departments affiliated with ministries, governorates and entities not affiliated with a ministry stood, and vehicles stopped for a minute of silence in implementation of the directives of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to commemorate the martyrs of Iraq and victims of genocide. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had directed yesterday, Friday, to stand for a minute of silence today, Saturday, in memory of the martyrs of Iraq and victims of genocide. Source: National Iraqi News Agency