Spanish Court Drops Genocide Case Against Polisario Front Leader

Polisario Front Leader Brahim Ghali. AFP file photo
Polisario Front Leader Brahim Ghali. AFP file photo
TT

Spanish Court Drops Genocide Case Against Polisario Front Leader

Polisario Front Leader Brahim Ghali. AFP file photo
Polisario Front Leader Brahim Ghali. AFP file photo

Spain's High Court on Thursday dropped an investigation into war crimes and genocide against Brahim Ghali, whose hospitalization in Spain caused a diplomatic row with Morocco.

Ghali and other Polisario Front leaders were accused by human rights groups and Western Sahara individuals of genocide, murder, terrorism, torture and disappearances, a court document said, according to Reuters.

Ghali had appeared remotely in a court hearing last month as part of the investigation. His lawyer said he denied any wrongdoing.

The High Court ruled that most of alleged facts brought against Ghali were covered by status of limitation. It said there was not enough evidence to support the accusations of genocide.

The admission of Ghali for medical treatment in a Spanish hospital in the northern city of Logrono in April without warning Morocco sparked an acrimonious dispute between the two countries.



Israel Shoots Down a Drone from Yemen, Military Says

This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)
This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Israel Shoots Down a Drone from Yemen, Military Says

This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)
This picture shows a crater left behind in Tel Aviv as a result of a projectile fired from Yemen early on December 21, 2024. (AFP)

Israel's military said Monday it intercepted a drone launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli territory, days after a long-range rocket attack by Yemen's Houthi militias hit Tel Aviv, injuring 16 people from shattered glass.

The military said no air raid warning sirens were sounded Monday. Israel says the Iran-backed Houthis have fired more than 200 missiles and UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles, during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — attacks they say won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The attacks on shipping and Israel are taking place despite US and European warships patrolling the area.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, the US conducted airstrikes on Yemen. Last week, Israel launched its own airstrikes on Yemen, killing at least nine people, and a Houthi missile damaged a school in Israel.