Ex-Algerian President Bouteflika Dies

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika attends the opening session of the first Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Doha November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous/File Photo
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika attends the opening session of the first Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Doha November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous/File Photo
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Ex-Algerian President Bouteflika Dies

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika attends the opening session of the first Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Doha November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous/File Photo
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika attends the opening session of the first Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Doha November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous/File Photo

Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was ousted amid pro-democracy protests in 2019 after two decades in power, has died at age 84, state television announced Friday.

The report on ENTV, citing a statement from the office of current President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, did not provide the cause of death or information about funeral arrangements.

Bouteflika had suffered a stroke in 2013 that badly weakened him.

Concerns about his state of health, kept secret from the Algerian public, helped feed public frustration with his 20-year, corruption-tarnished rule.

Mass public protests by the Hirak movement led to his departure.

The protests erupted after he announced plans to run for a fifth term in 2019, and it was the then-army chief who sealed Bouteflika's fate by siding with the demonstrators. Bouteflika had no choice but to step down.



Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
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Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)

An Israeli airstrike killed a suspected arms smuggler south of Beirut on Thursday, in a sharp escalation in Lebanon that coincided with internal talks over Hezbollah’s disarmament in line with US demands, Lebanese officials said.

The strike targeted a vehicle on the coastal highway in the Khalde area, just south of the Lebanese capital, according to the state-run National News Agency. Social media footage showed a missile hitting a car, which came to a halt before a second strike hit the driver as he attempted to flee.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed one person was killed and three others wounded in the attack.

The Israeli military said the strike eliminated an operative working on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force, accusing him of trafficking weapons and planning attacks against Israeli civilians and military forces.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that the individual was affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The strike comes amid rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and as Lebanese factions discuss the future of Hezbollah’s weapons amid pressure from Washington to curtail the group’s military power.

Thursday’s airstrike was one of the few Israeli attacks in or near Beirut since the truce with Hezbollah took effect in November.

Only two other strikes have been recorded in the area over the past eight months, including one on Eid al-Fitr that killed a senior Hezbollah figure allegedly linked to coordination with Hamas in the group’s southern Beirut stronghold.

Another strike in Naameh, south of the capital, targeted and killed a senior official from the Islamic Group, a Sunni faction with ties to southern Lebanon’s Hasbaya region.

The latest escalation comes as Lebanese leaders prepare a unified response to a US-backed proposal calling for Hezbollah to disarm and place all weapons under state control.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has maintained positions in southern Lebanon beyond the agreed February withdrawal deadline and continues to carry out airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, following more than a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah.