Senior US Official in Algeria for Talks on Tunisian Crisis, Terrorism Fight

US Acting Assistant Secretary Hood meets with Algerian Prime Minister Benaberrahmane. (US State Department of State for Near Eastern Affairs via Twitter)
US Acting Assistant Secretary Hood meets with Algerian Prime Minister Benaberrahmane. (US State Department of State for Near Eastern Affairs via Twitter)
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Senior US Official in Algeria for Talks on Tunisian Crisis, Terrorism Fight

US Acting Assistant Secretary Hood meets with Algerian Prime Minister Benaberrahmane. (US State Department of State for Near Eastern Affairs via Twitter)
US Acting Assistant Secretary Hood meets with Algerian Prime Minister Benaberrahmane. (US State Department of State for Near Eastern Affairs via Twitter)

US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood discussed with Algerian officials on Monday the developments in neighboring Tunisia following President Kais Saied’s decision to sack the government and suspend parliament.

Earlier, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had received a phone call from Saied to tackle developments in Tunisia.

“The two presidents also addressed the prospects for Algerian-Tunisian relations and the ways and means of their consolidation,” said a statement from the Algerian presidency.

Meanwhile, Hood was received by Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra on Sunday, according to an Algerian foreign ministry statement.

The pair discussed “prospects for the promotion of peaceful political solutions to the various crises undermining the peace and security in North Africa and the Middle East”, it said. They also touched on the fight “against terrorism in the Sahel” and “the situation in Libya, Mali and Western Sahara."

Hood also “had fruitful discussions” with Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane, the US embassy said.

Sources revealed that Algeria and the US are keen on the Libyans resolving their problems through political means. They also discussed the latest talks between Washington and Ankara on the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Libya.

Hood praised the key role Algeria plays in maintaining stability in the region.

His two-day visit is part of a tour in the Middle East and North Africa that started on July 24 and includes stops in Morocco and Kuwait.



Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
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Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the first targeted killing in the area for several months.

In a statement, Israel's military did not give the identity of the targeted person. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Lebanese state media said a car had been hit near Tripoli and the health ministry reported two people were killed and three others wounded, without identifying them, Reuters reported.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in camps that have housed displaced Palestinians for decades.

Since Hamas' cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel in 2023, Israel has carried out targeted strikes on Lebanese armed group Hezbollah as well as members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Hamas' deputy chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024, and other strikes hit Palestinian camps in northern Lebanon.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year ended the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, though Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Tuesday's strike near Tripoli was the first time a targeted assassination had taken place in the area since the truce.

Meanwhile, US envoy Thomas Barrack continued a two-day visit to Lebanon to discuss disarming Hezbollah and other militant groups.