Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Jan. 23


  • World
  • Wednesday, 24 Jan 2024

ANKARA -- Turkish lawmakers on Tuesday approved a long-delayed bill on Sweden's bid to become the 32nd member of NATO.

The Turkish parliament voted on the bill after a debate in the Grand National Assembly. With Türkiye's ratification, Hungary will become the only NATO member country that hasn't approved Sweden's application to join the military alliance. (Türkiye-Parliament-Sweden's NATO Membership)

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JERUSALEM -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday that its troops have surrounded the main southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis after its 24 soldiers were killed in Gaza in the worst single-day toll on Monday.

At a press briefing, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said 21 soldiers were killed in an explosion in central Gaza on Monday. They were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings when coming under a rocket-propelled grenade attack by the Palestinian militants, which triggered a premature explosion and resulted in the collapse of the buildings, with the soldiers either inside or nearby. (Israel-Gaza-Khan Younis)

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SANAA -- Yemen's Houthi group has ordered UN workers from the United States and Britain to leave the areas under its control in a month, a UN official told Xinhua on Tuesday.

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The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis told UN agencies that their American and British staff were unwelcome and should not return to the Houthi-held territory. (Yemen-UN-Eviction)

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TEHRAN -- The Iranian army received a large number of domestically developed reconnaissance and combat drones in a ceremony on Tuesday.

The ceremony was attended by Iranian Army's Chief Commander Abdolrahim Mousavi and Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, according to a statement published on the army's public relations website. (Iran-Drones)

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