CAIRO: Hospitalized children in Egypt’s Mansoura govenrorate were delighted to hear the voice of Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah in a surprise phone call this week, according to local reports.
Al-Masry El-Youm newspaper said the parents of children patients receiving treatment at the Mansoura University’s Children’s Hospital had been seeking to contact the popular Egyptian footballer via the telephone.
A specialist at the hospital said the ill children were refusing to take their medication if they did not talk to Salah.
Nirvana Salah, a specialist at the hospital, said she finally succeeded in reaching one of the footballer’s relatives, who put her in touch with the player’s mother.
“I was surprised by the phone call from the player’s mother, who was on vacation with him, and she told me that Mohamed wants to talk to the children,” Salah said.
Within just hours, despite his engagement in a football camp with Liverpool, Salah spoke to the children through a video call.
The hospital’s director, Ahmed Refaie, said the hour-long call pleased the children very much, adding that Salah insisted that he speak to them via video so they could see him.
He added that the Egyptian star told the children that he was happy to contact them, and wished them a speedy recovery. He also urged them to take their medicine until they are cured and promised to visit them soon.
Liverpool star Mo Salah surprises hospitalized children in Egypt with video call
Liverpool star Mo Salah surprises hospitalized children in Egypt with video call
US announces ‘large-scale’ strikes against Daesh in Syria
- CENTCOM said operation ordered by President Donald Trump
- Launched in response to the deadly Dec. 13 Daesh attack in Palmyra
WASHINGTON: US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Daesh group in Syria on Saturday in response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead, the US military said.
“The strikes today targeted Daesh throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly Daesh attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria” on December 13, US Central Command said in a statement on X.
CENTCOM said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump following the ambush and is aimed at “root(ing) out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent(ing) future attacks, and protect(ing) American and partner forces in the region.”
The statement continued: “If you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” adding that US and coalition forces remain “resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.”
The statement did not note whether anyone was killed in the strikes. The Pentagon declined to comment on more details and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria, while Syria has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against Daesh, reaching an agreement late last year when President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House.
* With Agencies
