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Lebanon to Reopen Border with Syria for 3 Days

Lebanon’s Health and Information ministers tour Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Friday (NNA)
Lebanon’s Health and Information ministers tour Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Friday (NNA)
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Lebanon to Reopen Border with Syria for 3 Days

Lebanon’s Health and Information ministers tour Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Friday (NNA)
Lebanon’s Health and Information ministers tour Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Friday (NNA)

The General Security Department announced that the border crossings with Syria in Masnaa and Abboudieh would open on Tuesday for three days as part of Lebanon’s efforts to secure the return of expatriates to the country.

Lebanon opened Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport for commercial flights on July 1 even by keeping air traffic at a 10 percent capacity.

The Health Ministry announced Friday that 34 new COVID-19 cases were recorded within the last 24 hours, raising the total number of infected persons in the country to 1,830.

It said 15 cases were locally transmitted while the rest were among those returning from abroad.

As part of their efforts to follow up the measures taken to ensure a safe return of travelers, Health Minister Hamad Hassan and Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad visited the airport on Friday.

“There’s organization. I do not think that management in other countries is better. This should encourage everyone to come to Lebanon, especially for being among the top 15 countries in managing the fight against the coronavirus,” Abdel Samad said.

Hassan said the PCR tests and the work of the medical staff aim to protect arriving travelers and residents alike, adding that out of 11,250 arrivals, only 19 have tested positive.

The Health Minister visited the Ashrafieh-based Hotel Dieu de France Hospital, where he commended the advanced level of healthcare, heaping special praise on the facility's efforts in receiving and treating COVID-19 patients.

Hassan maintained that the Ministry was keen on the reputation of all of Lebanon's hospitals, whether state-owned or private.

Last week, two COVD-19 cases were registered at the hospital.

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Three Algerians Charged in Kidnapping of Opposition Figure in France

Amir Boukhors (social media)
Amir Boukhors (social media)
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Three Algerians Charged in Kidnapping of Opposition Figure in France

Amir Boukhors (social media)
Amir Boukhors (social media)

Three men, including an employee at the Algerian consulate in France, were indicted in Paris on suspicion of involvement in the April 2024 kidnapping of Amir Boukhors, an opponent of the Algerian regime, judicial sources told AFP on Saturday.

The three men were charged Friday in Paris with kidnapping and unlawful detention in relation to a terrorist organization, as well as participation in a criminal terrorist conspiracy, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT).

Later, a French judge ruled that all three be placed in pre-trial detention.

One of the suspects works for an Algerian consulate in France. While he holds a service passport rather than a diplomatic one, the issue of diplomatic immunity is expected to be addressed during the proceedings, a source close to the case told AFP.

Boukhors, a well-known critic of the Algerian regime, had previously survived two serious attacks — one in 2022 and another on the evening of April 29, 2024, according to his lawyer, Eric Plouvier.

The kidnapping, which initially fell under the jurisdiction of the Créteil prosecutor’s office, was later taken over by PNAT in February 2025.

“This shift to an anti-terror investigation shows that a foreign power, Algeria, did not hesitate to carry out violent acts on French soil — acts of intimidation and terror that threaten lives,” Plouvier said, calling the case a “state affair.”

Neither of the suspects’ attorneys responded to AFP requests for comment.

Boukhors’ name also surfaced in a separate probe by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

In that case, a French Economy Ministry employee was indicted in December for allegedly providing confidential information about Algerian dissidents — including Boukhors — to an Algerian national working at the Algerian consulate in Créteil.

According to sources, some of the individuals targeted in that investigation later became victims of violence, death threats, or abduction attempts.

The latest developments between the two countries coincided with the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said last Friday he is “confident” on the release of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, sentenced to five years in prison in Algeria.

Sansal’s case is under “special attention” by Algerian authorities, Macron commented during a visit to the Paris Book Festival, adding that the evolution of the case makes him confident that the writer would soon be released.

“I am confident because I know that there is particular attention. I am simply waiting for the results,” Macron said.

He added, “Our strongest wish is for the Algerian authorities to make the decision that will allow him to regain his freedom, receive treatment, and return to writing.”

Observers believe that the decision to charge the three Algerian men in France would disrupt the fresh efforts to revive bilateral relations between Paris and Algiers, particularly following the March 31 phone call between Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who voiced their willingness to repair relations and after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said last week that ties with Algeria were back to normal.