TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – The Israeli delegation has delivered a letter of Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani, with an official request to open an Israeli embassy in the capital of Manama, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iranian Defence Minister Mohammad Amir Khatami said that with the lifting of the arms embargo, Tehran plans to sell more military products than purchase them.

In September, the UAE and Bahrain officially reconciled with Israel by signing US-arranged peace agreements during a ceremony at the White House.

Earlier, Israel signed US-brokered peace agreements with both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain during a ceremony at the White House in Washington.

In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the European Union, requiring Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption.

Despite last-moment attempts by the US to prevent the embargo from being lifted, the rest of the UN Security Council refused to extend it beyond the timeline set by the Iran nuclear deal.

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Police in Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Saturday used tear gas against protesters who were marking the one-year anniversary of the uprising in the country, media reported.

The US strongly opposed the Turkish intention to buy Russian-made air defence systems and recently warned Ankara against officially deploying it, let alone running practical tests. Numerous reports, however, have suggested that Turkey plans to test its S-400s between 10 and 16 October.

Twitter users asked if the muscle-bound police academy graduates had used up all the whey powder in Africa and how they managed to hold their breath for so long, while others compared the shirt-free motorcade to a Gay Pride event.

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Supporters of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Front (PMF), an Iran-backed conglomeration of Shia militias, attacked and set fire to the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Baghdad over comments made by a Kurdish leader, media reported.

Ottawa earlier suspended the export of drone-related equipment to Turkey over reports that some of it might have been used in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

People in Lebanon have faced a massive currency devaluation and deteriorating economy over the past few years. These factors later prompted mass demonstrations in October 2019 and the subsequent resignation of the cabinet.

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called shelling of Azerbaijani cities by Armenia amid the escalation of tension in conflict-torn Nagorno-Karabakh region war crimes, adding that those responsible will be held accountable.

On 15 October, the Knesset met for a celebratory session and endorsed the Abraham Accords by a large majority. Retired Israeli Armed Forces Brig. General Dr Meir Elran has explained how the deal may affect the balance of forces in the Middle East and shed light on the promising opportunities provided by the agreement.

Explosions were reported in the Gaza Strip early Saturday morning local time, hours after a rocket was launched from the Palestinian territory into Israel.

Earlier, Politico reported, citing an anonymous intelligence source, that Tehran is looking at options to avenge the killing of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. According to the media outlet, the US ambassador to South Africa may be a potential target.

Earlier this month, Washington said that Turkey’s S-400 deal with Russia remains “a major obstacle” in US-Turkish relations. The US has repeatedly claimed that the S-400 air defence systems are incompatible with NATO security standards, allegations that Turkey rejects.

BERLIN (Sputnik) - Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain have expressed concern about Israel's plans to built nearly 5,000 housing units in the occupied West Bank and called on Tel Aviv to stop all settlement-related activities in the region, according to the joint communique by the foreign ministries of these states.

While many in Israel regard the former defence chief as a potential replacement for Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinians are dreading that prospect, says a Ramallah-based expert. The prime reason for this is his hawkish views and zero compromise on key issues including Jerusalem and Jewish settlements.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Iraqi authorities have formed a committee that will coordinate with the United States to develop the timeline for the withdrawal of US troops from the Middle Eastern country, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.