Othmani: Terrorist Incidents Don’t Affect Morocco’s Stability

Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo
Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo
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Othmani: Terrorist Incidents Don’t Affect Morocco’s Stability

Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo
Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. AP file photo

Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani has stressed that some “isolated crimes or terrorist incidents” are not capable of tampering with the security and stability of the country.

Speaking Thursday, the PM hailed security agencies in arresting 20 terrorist networks this year alone, a figure that shows “the efforts exerted (by the authorities) at the level of security, and the number of plots that have been thwarted.”

Othmani stressed that citizens, civil society, the media, intellectuals and the government had a role in preserving Morocco’s security.

All communities in the country have expressed their condemnation to terrorism, an evidence on the people’s unity, he said.

The PM urged all state institutions to consolidate their communication with citizens to inform them about the government’s achievements and brief them on the efforts exerted by the authorities in several sectors.

He characterized government work in 2018 as “greatly dynamic” despite many challenges.

Othmani said many reform programs had been launched, promising further measures in 2019 to meet the people’s social needs.



Israeli Ground Troops in Lebanon Reach the Litani River

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
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Israeli Ground Troops in Lebanon Reach the Litani River

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)

The Israeli military says its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River — a focal point of the emerging ceasefire.

In a statement Tuesday, the army said it had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah forces.

Under a proposed ceasefire, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.

The military says the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few kilometers (miles) from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation.

The military says soldiers destroyed rocket launchers and missiles and engaged in “close-quarters combat” with Hezbollah forces.

The announcement came hours before Israel’s security Cabinet is expected to approve a ceasefire that would end nearly 14 months of fighting.