The only mosque in the city of Yokohama, the Yokohama Mosque, served more than 30 meals on Wednesday to Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, mosques across Japan have resumed community iftar gatherings, allowing people in the country to enjoy the communal aspect that forms a central part of Ramadan for many.
At the Yokohama Mosque, the iftar meals were provided by the Lebanese restaurant Al-Ain, which is located in Kanagawa. The meals donated by Al-Ain restaurant consist of a main course including rice, a sandwich, a side such as a piece of chicken and dessert.
Ziad Karam, the owner of Al-Ain restaurant said that he tried to help anyone who needed it at
the mosque.
The restaurant has also offered a set iftar menu that is created exclusively for the holy month and charges ¥3,500 ($27) per person. The iftar features a four-course menu that consists of cold and hot mezze platters, main dishes, and desserts to allow guests to indulge in the traditional savory dishes from the Lebanese cuisine.
“Ramadan traditionally has been very busy for us. There are many Japanese people that are interested in the Lebanese cuisine that also join in on the iftar meals,”
Karam said.
Additionally, Al-Ain restaurant will be offering halal lamb for three consecutive days through the provision of a “Eid Al-Fitr Dinner Course” in commemoration with Eid Al-Fitr holidays.
Lebanese restaurant serves iftar at Japanese mosque
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Lebanese restaurant serves iftar at Japanese mosque
Mikati, Macron discuss Lebanon crisis as Army chief presents military needs in Paris talks
- Israeli raid kills official working for educational body affiliated with Hezbollah
BEIRUT: Israel continued its raids on Hezbollah positions on Friday amid reports of dawn explosions in Iran, as Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.
Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun and the Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces Gen. Thierry Burkhard also attended the extended meeting.
According to reports, Aoun presented a study to the French military commander, as well as the head of the Italian armed forces, about the needs of the Lebanese Army, its current situation, challenges, and logistical and material requirements.
The discussion focused on “how to assist in enhancing the situation of the Lebanese army in the south, provided that a committee is formed to study these needs and how to secure the necessary support and funding.”
The international community insists on Lebanon’s compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, while Lebanon, in return, demands assistance for its military to enable it to deploy more of its forces in the south to implement the resolution.
Aoun described his separate meetings with his French and Italian counterparts as “positive.”
Israeli warplanes carried out an attack on a house in the town of Aita Al-Shaab with two air-to-ground missiles.
The raid resulted in the killing of Mohammed Hassan Abdel Mohsen Fadlallah, 54, who worked at the Islamic Education Foundation (Al-Mahdi Schools), an educational institution affiliated with Hezbollah.
Israeli Army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X that “reconnaissance soldiers from Battalion 869 spotted saboteurs inside a military building belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Aita Al-Shaab area. An airstrike targeted the building and the saboteurs who were stationed there.”
Hezbollah announced a few hours later the targeting of a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Al-Raheb site with artillery shells.
Israeli forces fired machine guns at one of the Wazzani areas while Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of the town of Rmeish.
The total number of Hezbollah deaths has now reached 280 since the beginning of the war.
Russia Today news agency — citing Israel’s Yneti website — claimed it had the names of a number of high-ranking Hezbollah members who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since the start of the clashes on the southern front on Oct. 8.
The report stated that the Israeli Army often carries out attacks against vehicles, “demonstrating its deep knowledge of Hezbollah's organizational structure and role distribution in the field.”
According to the report, 14 senior Hezbollah figures have been killed in the attacks.
They include Ismail Youssef Baz, the commander of the coastal sector of Hezbollah; Mohammed Hussein Mustafa Shahhouri, the commander of the rocket and missile unit in the western sector of the Radwan Force; Ali Ahmed Hussein, the commander of the Hajir region of the Radwan Force; Ali Abdul Hassan Naeem, deputy commander of the rocket and missile unit in Hezbollah; and Ali Mohammed Al-Debs, a central commander in the Radwan Force.
The report also published the following names: Hassan Mahmoud Saleh, commander of the attack in the Jabal Douf area; Mohammed Alawiyah, commander of Hezbollah’s Maroun Al-Ras area; Hassan Hussein Salama, a commander in Hezbollah’s Nasser unit; Wissam Al-Taweel, a commander in the Radwan Force; Ali Hussein Burji, commander of the southern Lebanon region of Hezbollah’s air unit; Hussein Yazbek, local commander of Hezbollah in Naqoura; Abbas Mohammed Raad, a leader in the Radwan Force and son of the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc; Khalil Jawad Shehimi, a leader in the Radwan Force; and Ali Mohammed Hadraj, commander the Palestine branch of the Quds Force in the Tyre area.
Hezbollah usually mourns its dead without acknowledging their political or military roles within the organization.
Kuwait economic fund signs coordination MoU with ILO
- MoU aims to coordinate joint actions in economic and social development in developing countries
WASHINGTON: The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has agreed a memorandum of understanding with the International Labor Organization to enhance development cooperation, Kuwait News Agency reported.
The MoU was signed by KFAED Acting Director General Waleed AI-Bahar and ILO Assistant Director General for External and Corporate Relations Laura Thompson on the sidelines of the 2024 spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington DC.
The MoU establishes a framework for technical cooperation and aims to coordinate joint actions in economic and social development in developing countries. This includes exchanging expertise and information in economic, financial and commercial sectors.
The five-year renewable agreement focuses on collaborative activities aligned with the goals of both organizations in the countries in which they operate. The partnership will also involve sharing resources in areas of mutual interest such as statistics, policy enhancement, youth economic empowerment, gender equality at work, crisis response and South-South cooperation.
Regular consultations are planned to ensure effective coordination of operations in the targeted nations.
International reactions after Israel’s reported attack on Iran
- Widespread calls for utmost restraint between Iran and Israel to avoid serious repercussions
PARIS: Here are some international reactions Friday after Israel’s reported attack on the Iranian province of Isfahan, where it has military bases and nuclear facilities:
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that it was “high time to stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
“The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond,” Stephane Dujarric said.
RUSSIA
Russia has made clear to Israel that Iran “does not want escalation,” Moscow’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday, after reports Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes against its arch-rival.
“There have been telephone contacts between the leadership of Russia and Iran, our representatives and the Israelis. We made it very clear in these conversations, we told the Israelis that Iran does not want escalation,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian radio stations.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry on Friday expressed concern about regional tensions in a statement, calling for ‘utmost restraint’ to avoid serious repercussions.
JORDAN
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Friday Israeli-Iranian retaliations must end, warning against danger of regional escalation.
GERMANY
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for de-escalation following a strike on the Iranian city of Isfahan and said Berlin would work with its partners in this direction.
“De-escalation remains the order of the day in the near future. And we will also talk about this with all our friends and allies, and work together with them in this direction,” Scholz told reporters on Friday.
G7
G7 foreign ministers Friday urged “all parties” to “work to prevent further escalation” in the Middle East, following reports that Israel had carried out revenge strikes on Iran.
“In light of reports of strikes on April 19th, we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation. The G7 will continue to work to this end,” the Group of Seven industrialized nations said in a statement.
The ministers from Italy, the UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and Canada said they “demand that Iran and its affiliated groups cease their attacks”.
SPAIN
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Friday for all sides to avoid “an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East” after reports that Israel carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran.
“We must avoid any action that would lead to an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The seriousness of the moment demands responsibility and restraint from all parties,” he wrote on X.
JAPAN’S CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY YOSHIMASA HAYASHI
“Japan is deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East and strongly condemn any actions that lead to the escalation of the situation.
“Japan will continue to make all necessary diplomatic efforts to prevent the situation from worsening further.”
CHINA
“China opposes any actions that further escalate tensions and will continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate the situation,” said foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
IAEA
“IAEA can confirm that there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites. Director General Rafael Grossi continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said on X.
OMAN
“The Sultanate of Oman is following the continuing tension in the region and condemns the Israeli attack this morning on Isfahan,” the foreign ministry said, adding that it also “condemns and denounces Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region.
“Oman once again appeals to the international community to address the causes and roots of tension and conflict through dialogue, diplomacy and political solutions, and to focus on ceasefire efforts in Gaza and resort to international law and United Nations resolutions to reach a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue.”
EC PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN
“We have to do everything possible (so) that all sides restrain from the escalation in that region ... It is absolutely necessary that the region stays stable and that all sides refrain from further action,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
UK
“We have condemned Iran’s reckless and dangerous barrage of missiles against Israel on Saturday and Israel absolutely has a right to self-defense. But as I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu when I spoke to him (this week) and more generally, significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest, what we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
ITALY
“We invite everyone to be cautious to avoid an escalation,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RAI news on Capri where Italy is hosting a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations.
“This is something we from the government’s side take very seriously and are following very closely,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said.
“There has to be an end to the exchange of blows and escalation.”
Gazans cool down in seawater despite nearby Israeli vessels
- Soaring temperatures in the embattled Palestinian enclave have prompted Gazan children to resort to the sea
RAFAH: Soaring temperatures in Gaza during the past week have driven thousands in the enclave’s southern city of Rafah to seek respite on beaches.
The proximity to Israeli military vessels did not stop hundreds of war-weary Gazans from bringing their children to enjoy a day of paddling and swimming, according to Arab News’ reporter in the embattled Palestinian enclave.
Many of the 1.4 million displaced Palestinians in Rafah live in makeshift shelters, including tents, on the beach, near the Egyptian border.
Since the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip broke out on Oct. 7 last year, Gazans have been forced to resort to salty seawater for washing, bathing and even drinking due to the collapse of the water system.
Dubai carrier Emirates suspends check-in for onward connections, flydubai cancels Iran flights
- Dubai International Airport temporarily limiting the number of arriving flights for 48 hours from 12 p.m. on Friday
DUBAI: Dubai’s flagship airline Emirates is suspending check-in for all customers with onward connections through the city until 2359 GMT on Friday, three days after a record storm swept the United Arab Emirates.
Emirates, one of the world’s biggest international airlines, said customers traveling to Dubai as their final destination may check-in and travel as usual.
The suspension shows the airline and its hub, Dubai International Airport, are still struggling to clear a backlog of flights after the UAE saw its heaviest rains in the 75 years records have been kept, bringing much of the country to a standstill for two days and causing significant damage.
Dubai International airport, one of the world’s busiest, later said it was temporarily limiting the number of arriving flights for 48 hours from 12 p.m. on Friday to speed up recovery operations from rain and flooding.
Thousands of passengers have been affected by flight cancelations this week, Dubai Airports Chief Executive Paul Griffiths told local radio station Dubai Eye on Friday, after the storm flooded taxiways.
The storm, which hit neighboring Oman on Sunday, pounded the UAE on Tuesday, with 20 reported dead in Oman and one in the UAE.
Dubai’s budget carrier flydubai meanwhile canceled flights to Iran on Friday after receiving an official alert, a statement said.
“In line with the issued NOTAM (notice to air missions), our flights to Iran today have been canceled,” said the statement.
One flight which had already departed for Tehran returned to Dubai after the Iranian capital’s airport was closed, it added.
Flights were suspended across swathes of Iran as Iranian state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan.
Flight-tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan, and skirting Tehran to the north and east.
The main road that connects the UAE’s most populous emirate Dubai with Abu Dhabi remains partially closed, while an alternative route into Dubai requires vehicles to use a road that is entirely covered in floodwater where cars and buses have been abandoned.
In the UAE’s north, including in the emirate of Sharjah, people were reportedly still trapped in their homes, while others there said there had been extensive damage to businesses.
Rains are rare in the UAE and elsewhere on the Arabian Peninsula, which is typically known for its dry desert climate where summer air temperatures can soar above 50 degrees Celsius.
The UAE’s National Center of Meteorology said on social platform X that Monday may see light rainfall by late night and forecast “a chance of light to moderate rainfall, might be heavy at times over some areas” for Tuesday, with a fall in temperatures over some coastal areas.
