News in Brief
Syria: Israeli attack puts Aleppo airport out of service
REUTERS – An Israeli air attack put Syria’s Aleppo airport out of service on Monday, the Syrian Defence Ministry said.
“The Israeli enemy carried out an air attack ... targeting Aleppo International Airport. The aggression caused material damage to the airport’s runway and put it out of service,” a military source said. The Israeli military declined to comment.
China, US agree to set up commercial working group: US
AFP - China and the United States on Monday agreed to set up a working group to “seek solutions on trade and investment issues and to advance US commercial interests in China,” Washington’s Department of Commerce said.
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao agreed at a meeting in Beijing that “the working group will meet twice annually at the Vice Minister level, with the US hosting the first meeting in early 2024,” according to a readout from Washington.
Libyan FM suspended over Israeli meeting
AP – One of Libya’s rival prime ministers said Monday he has suspended his foreign minister a day after Israel revealed that its chief diplomat met with her last week – news that prompted scattered street protests in the chaos-stricken North African nation.
Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the government of national unity in Tripoli, also referred Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, for investigation over the meeting, which was the first ever between top diplomats of Libya and Israel. Mangoush fled to Turkey following the Israeli announcement of the meeting, according to a Libyan foreign ministry official.