Arabic press review: UAE-backed fighters from Sudan and Chad join Haftar

Hundreds of foreign militiamen supplementing LNA

Around 500 armed Sudanese men have arrived in Libya's Benghazi as a prelude to being deployed alongside Khalifa Haftar's forces around Tripoli, according to London-based newspaper al-Araby al-Jadeed.

The fighters' arrival came as part of an agreement between Haftar, the United Arab Emirates and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces paramilitary.

Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army has since April been waging an offensive against the UN-recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli.

According to al-Araby al-Jadeed's sources, the armed men sent by Dagalo - who is commonly known as Hemetti - received training on the use of light weapons and the basics of fighting, and had been recruited from the areas under his control in and around Darfur.

Hemetti has close ties with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the de facto ruler of the UAE. 

According to the sources, the fighters were the second batch to arrive from Sudan, following 1,000 others in July. 

The sources also revealed that in conjunction with the arrival of the militants affiliated with Hemetti, 200 other fighters affiliated with the Chadian Rotation and Reconciliation Movement had been brought in.

These were reportedly transferred after Abu Dhabi sent money to the Chadian and Sudanese parties.

Jordan's king target of 'provocation campaign'

The head of Jordan's Parliamentary Committee of Palestine, Yahya Al-Saud, said King Abdullah II had been subjected to a provocation campaign led by the "Zionist lobby" because of his recent positions on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the occupation’s continued attacks on it.

Saud stressed in an interview with Al-Khaleej Online that the Jordanian king stood in the face of the United States, and "in the face of the aggression and the global Zionist sultanate". This is why "he is being exposed, every minute, to offenses by the Israeli right wing". 

"The Jordanian king has religious and historical legitimacy. No matter how the Zionist lobby and the extreme right try to offend him, they will not defeat the Jordanian people and government," said Saud.

Israeli army congratulates Mohamed Salah

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee has sent Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah congratulations for winning the best player award at the 2019 Fifa Club World Cup.

"I congratulate Mohamed Salah on the winning of his Liverpool team of the Fifa Club World Cup 2019 in Qatar. All the respect. I will be waiting for you to come and play here in Israel soon," Adraee said on Twitter. 

Liverpool won the Club World Cup after defeating Brazilian team Flamengo 1-0 in the final of the tournament on Saturday in the Qatari capital, Doha.