Dubai, Oct 10: Lebanon welcomed a move by US President Donald Trump to revoke a decades-long flight ban between the countries.
Meanwhile, attacks on the Riyadh international airport in Saudi Arabia earlier this week damaged three aircraft, officials said Saturday. Also, a drone strike in Sudan killed dozens of people, including children.
Here is the latest news from West Asia on Saturday:
Lebanon’s president praises Trump’s decision to remove flight restrictions
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Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Trump’s decision to revoke flight restrictions between Lebanon and the US that were imposed four decades ago was an indication of US confidence in steps taken by Lebanon to address civil aviation safety.
Direct flights between the US and Lebanon were suspended in 1985 by the Reagan administration following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
Trump made the surprise announcement that he would allow American carriers to resume direct flights to Lebanon during a visit by Aoun to Washington in July. While he ordered the lifting of the restrictions nearly two weeks ago, the decision was publicly announced on Saturday.
The move comes after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group was severely weakened by two wars with Israel over the past two years in which many of the group’s political and military commanders were killed.
Houthi attacks on Saudi airport damaged 3 planes
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Two regional officials said Saturday that attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Riyadh airport on Thursday damaged three planes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media.
Three Saudi citizens were killed and several were wounded, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said Friday.
Air traffic was again disrupted Friday evening when the Houthis fired another missile at the airport, one of the officials said. Flightradar24, a flight-tracking platform, said many flights were diverted.
Fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has escalated, with a Saudi-led coalition providing air support for Yemen’s government forces in an attempt to reverse Houthi gains.
Drone strike kills at least 40 people in Sudan, rights group says
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A drone strike killed at least 40 people including children in Sudan along the border with Ethiopia, according to Emergency Lawyers, a group that tracks the war.
It said the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that has been battling Sudan’s military since 2023, was responsible for Friday’s strike in the Abu Shandi area in Sudan’s Blue Nile province.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was appalled by the strike.
The conflict has killed at least 150,000 people, according to conflict monitor ACLED, though aid groups say the real number is likely higher. (AP)
