Macron Acknowledges Algerian Independence Leader Was 'Killed By French Soldiers' in 1957

This handout picture taken in the fifties shows Larbi Ben M’Hidi, an Algerian anti-French leader tortured to death in 1957 - File photo by AFP
This handout picture taken in the fifties shows Larbi Ben M’Hidi, an Algerian anti-French leader tortured to death in 1957 - File photo by AFP
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Macron Acknowledges Algerian Independence Leader Was 'Killed By French Soldiers' in 1957

This handout picture taken in the fifties shows Larbi Ben M’Hidi, an Algerian anti-French leader tortured to death in 1957 - File photo by AFP
This handout picture taken in the fifties shows Larbi Ben M’Hidi, an Algerian anti-French leader tortured to death in 1957 - File photo by AFP

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday recognized that Larbi Ben M'hidi, a key figure in Algeria's War of Independence against France, had been killed by French soldiers after his arrest in 1957, the French presidency said, AFP reported.

"He recognized today that Larbi Ben M'hidi, a national hero for Algeria... was killed by French soldiers," the presidency said on the 70th anniversary of the revolt that sparked the war, in a new gesture of reconciliation by Macron towards the former colony.

On September 13, 2018, Macron officially acknowledged that the French state was responsible for the disappearance of Maurice Audin, an anti-colonial activist who was arrested during the 1957 Battle of Algiers and never seen again.

Also, on March 3, 2021, the French president admitted that the French army was behind 1957 death of Ali Boumendjel during Battle of Algiers. Before this, Boumendjel, was said to have died after falling from a sixth-floor window.

However, the Elysée affirmed in its statement that he was arrested by the French army, hidden, tortured then assassinated on 23 March 1957.



Nineteen Reported Injured in Israel after Projectile Launch from Lebanon

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts projectiles fired from southern Lebanon over the Galilee, northern Israel, 11 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts projectiles fired from southern Lebanon over the Galilee, northern Israel, 11 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Nineteen Reported Injured in Israel after Projectile Launch from Lebanon

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts projectiles fired from southern Lebanon over the Galilee, northern Israel, 11 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts projectiles fired from southern Lebanon over the Galilee, northern Israel, 11 October 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Nineteen people in central Israel's Sharon region were injured, the Israeli police said, after the military reported the launch of three projectiles from Lebanon into Israeli territory early on Saturday.
The national ambulance service previously reported that seven people in the central Israeli town of Tira were injured, Reuters reported.
The Israeli military said that sirens sounded in several areas of central Israel after the projectile launch. Some projectiles had been intercepted, it said.
"A fallen projectile was most likely identified in the area," the army added, noting that details were under investigation.
The national ambulance service and local media said the injuries in Tira ranged from mild to moderate, while two other people suffered stress symptoms.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said later in a statement it had launched drones at a "vital target" in northern Israel. It was not immediately clear if the group's action was related to the injuries.
Fighting in Lebanon has escalated dramatically in recent weeks between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.