Algeria’s Tebboune Ends COVID-19 Treatment, to Undergo Checks

FILE PHOTO: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
FILE PHOTO: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
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Algeria’s Tebboune Ends COVID-19 Treatment, to Undergo Checks

FILE PHOTO: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina
FILE PHOTO: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has finished treatment for COVID-19 but will undergo follow-up checks, the country's presidency said on Sunday.

Tebboune, 75, was flown to a German hospital 19 days ago after he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Tebboune was elected last December after more than a year of mass protests that toppled his predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Algerians earlier this month approved changes to the constitution to allow more powers for the parliament and prime minister, and pave the way for the army to take part in peacekeeping missions overseas.

Tebboune has also announced plans to develop the non-energy sector to diversify the economy away from oil and gas and create sorely-needed jobs in the nation of 44 million people.



Iran Considers Sending Troops to Lebanon if Attacked by Israel

A poster hanging on a building in Tehran with a Persian text, "The beginning of the end of the Zionists", on Thursday. (EPA)
A poster hanging on a building in Tehran with a Persian text, "The beginning of the end of the Zionists", on Thursday. (EPA)
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Iran Considers Sending Troops to Lebanon if Attacked by Israel

A poster hanging on a building in Tehran with a Persian text, "The beginning of the end of the Zionists", on Thursday. (EPA)
A poster hanging on a building in Tehran with a Persian text, "The beginning of the end of the Zionists", on Thursday. (EPA)

Two senior commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed that Tehran is considering sending "volunteer" forces to Lebanon and the Golan Heights, while also vowing to eliminate "traitors" within Hezbollah. This announcement comes as Tehran criticized the G7’s statement condemning Iran's missile attacks on Israel.
Iran launched over 180 rockets at Israel on Tuesday, claiming it was retaliation for the deaths of leaders in Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the ongoing attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. The strikes followed the Israeli airstrike in Beirut last week, which killed Abbas Nilforoushan, the deputy commander of the IRGC, and Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah.
The G7 leaders issued a statement on Wednesday expressing deep concern about the escalating crisis in the Middle East, although they emphasized the need for a diplomatic solution, warning that regional conflict benefits no side. Iran, however, dismissed the G7’s statement as biased and irresponsible. Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s new Foreign Ministry spokesman, condemned the G7 for supporting Israel and accused Western nations, especially the US, of destabilizing the region through their military and financial support for Israel.
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the German and Austrian ambassadors after Berlin and Vienna summoned their own Iranian representatives to condemn the missile attacks.
Iran argued that had European nations acted sooner to stop Israel's aggression, including cutting financial and military support, the ongoing "massacres" could have been avoided.
Former IRGC commander Mohsen Rafighdoost stated that deploying Iranian forces to Lebanon and the Golan Heights is under serious consideration.
In an interview with Iran Observer, he suggested that his country is fully prepared for military confrontation if Israel retaliates for the IRGC’s missile attacks, boasting that Iran has sufficient forces to endure decades of conflict.
Esmail Kowsari, an IRGC brigadier general and member of Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, echoed this stance, welcoming volunteers who are ready to travel to Lebanon to support Hezbollah.
Kowsari insisted that Hezbollah is strong enough to face Israel independently, referencing Hezbollah’s resilience in past conflicts, particularly the 33-day war, and dismissed Israel’s threats of a ground invasion as political bluffing. He emphasized that Iran, along with other global supporters, stands ready to back Hezbollah if needed.
Rafighdoost attributed the pager device explosions to an infiltration within Hezbollah's ranks. He urged officials to exercise caution, stating: "Fortunately, our security forces have taken the necessary measures to counter any infiltration," expressing hope that such incidents would not recur.
Kowsari, for his part, said: "Israel's agents in Lebanon will be identified and punished."