Saudi Arabian officials report that Iraqi militia attacked an outpost in the far northwestern part of the kingdom.
Six mortar bombs landed near the border post but caused no damage.
Iraq’s al-Mukhtar Army militia, a group supported by the Iranian government, admitted carrying out the attack.
“The goal was to send a warning message to Saudis to tell them that their border stations and patrol are within our range of fire,” Wathiq al-Batat, commander of the al-Mukhtar Army, told Reuters. He said they wanted the Saudis to stop interfering in Iraq.
He also said that Saudis and Kuwaitis had been insulting the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed.
Iran refused to comment on the attack. Iran and Saudi Arabia have a long history of tension and the Saudis have committed to Iran not obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Scientists in Saudi Arabia believe they may have finally been able to confirm their theory that the MERS virus transmits to humans from camels.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus was discovered in a camel owned by a MERS victim according to the Saudi health ministry. DNA testing on the virus is being conducted to see if the virus is the same strain in both the camel and the human victim.
The virus causes pneumonia like symptoms but also produces very rapid and fatal kidney disease. The mortality rate for MERS is over 40 percent.
The virus is similar to the SARS virus that caused a worldwide outbreak in 2002-2003 that killed 775 people.
Researchers have found what might be the source of the deadly MERS virus that his killed 47 people out of 94 confirmed cases.
An Egyptian tomb bat collected close to the home of the first victim was discovered to have the virus in its feces. Scientists were able to make a genetic match from the virus to the first victim. The connection was long suspected as bats have been connected to various diseases in the past such as SARS, Ebola and rabies. Continue reading →
The Israeli Counter Terrorism Bureau has released a report showing that al-Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists groups are planning a major focus on Israeli and Jewish targets over the next few weeks.
The report listed dozens of nations where the CTB was “concrete” proof of a terrorist threat. Israeli citizens were urged to immediately leave nations Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon among others. A travel restriction was put in place to other nations such as Libya, Tunisia and Sudan. Continue reading →
Consumers love falling oil prices because of the corresponding drop in gas prices at the pump.
However, a significant slide in the price of oil could end up causing major civil unrest in the Middle East and other oil producing nations according to multiple economists and researchers. Continue reading →
Saudi Arabian health officials have asked any Muslim coming to their country on a religious pilgrimage to wear surgical masks to lessen chances of contracting the deadly MERS virus. Continue reading →
With the Muslim Hajj only months away, Saudi Arabia has reported two more deaths from the MERS virus.
The death toll is now 38 from the new virus. The Saudi Health Ministry also said that three more positive cases have been found. The death rate for the virus is still over 50%. Continue reading →
World virologists are concerned about the Islamic hajj to Saudi Arabia in wake of the outbreak of the deadly MERS virus.
The virus has originated in Saudi Arabia but no one has been able to find the source of the virus. The virus has struck hardest in Saudi with 40 deaths, a 52% mortality rate. Continue reading →
Saudi Arabia announced another death from the MERS virus bringing the death toll to 34.
A total of 66 cases have been confirmed by Saudi officials making the fatality rate for the virus to 52%. Continue reading →
The World Health Organization has confirmed a 33rd death from the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronavirus along with three new cases in Saudi Arabia.
The new cases make 58 laboratory-confirmed cases of the infection. The latest death was a 21-year-old man who had been admitted into intensive care earlier this week. The death is unusual in that most cases involve older people; the other two cases in Saudi Arabia are a 63-year old woman in stable condition and a 75-year-old man in intensive care. Continue reading →