Israel says Oman has agreed to Israeli flights in its airspace
Tel Aviv, Feb 23: Israel's foreign minister said Thursday that the Gulf Arab state of Oman has decided to allow Israeli planes to fly through its airspace. The announcement was another sign of closer ties between Israel and some Arab countries.
There was no immediate confirmation from Oman. The move comes on the heels last year of a similar step by Saudi Arabia, and would shorten the flying distance between Israel and Asia.
"This is a significant and historic decision for the Israeli economy and Israeli travelers," said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who said there had been American involvement in the decision.
Oman and Israel have had secretive ties for years, which were spotlighted in 2018 when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to the country, the first trip of its kind in over 20 years.
Still, Oman was not among the four countries to sign normalisation deals with Israel in 2020 under US-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as Morocco and Sudan, all agreed to normalise ties with Israel as part of the deals.
The sultanate has long had a low-key role in fostering negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. Oman, which sits on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, with Saudi Arabia to its north and Iran to its east, also has a long record of being a quiet broker in the region, opting to stay on the sidelines of the rivalry between the two regional powerhouses.
Oman has also served as a mediator between the United States and Israel's arch-rival Iran. Oman hosted the secret talks that eventually led to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and has facilitated the release of prisoners and hostages held by armed groups.
Earlier this week, Oman welcomed Syrian President Bashar Assad on his first visit outside Syria since the earthquake there earlier this month.
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4 minor sisters found dead in well; their mother kills self at home in MP's Sagar district
Sagar (MP) (PTI): Four minor sisters aged between five months and seven years were found dead in a well on Thursday, while their mother who allegedly threw them into the water body, was found hanging at her home in a village in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, police said.
Prima facie it appears that the woman, Savita Lodhi (30), threw her four daughters into the well and later hanged herself at her house in Khamaria village, about 50km from the district headquarters, City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Lalit Kashyap told reporters.
The sisters, aged between five months and seven years, drowned in the well located in an agriculture field belonging to a local farmer, he said, adding three of the bodies have been fished out so far with the help of villagers.
On receiving information about the incident, which created panic in the village, personnel from the Kesli police station reached the spot and began an investigation.
The reason behind the suicide-murders was not yet known, according to police.
Police are questioning family members of the deceased and local residents to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident, the CSP said.
