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Algeria Closes Airspace to All Moroccan Aircraft

On September 22, 2021 Algeria said it was closing its airspace to Moroccan aviation due to 'continued provocations'. Farouk Batiche, AFP
On September 22, 2021 Algeria said it was closing its airspace to Moroccan aviation due to 'continued provocations'. Farouk Batiche, AFP
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Algeria Closes Airspace to All Moroccan Aircraft

On September 22, 2021 Algeria said it was closing its airspace to Moroccan aviation due to 'continued provocations'. Farouk Batiche, AFP
On September 22, 2021 Algeria said it was closing its airspace to Moroccan aviation due to 'continued provocations'. Farouk Batiche, AFP

Algeria said Wednesday it has closed its airspace to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft, amid heightened tensions between the two North African countries in recent months.

“The High Security Council has decided to shut its airspace immediately to all civilian and military aircraft as well as to those registered in Morocco," a statement by the presidency said.

The decision to close Algeria's airspace was announced after a meeting of the High Security Council chaired by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

A source at the Royal Moroccan Airlines said Algeria’s closure of airspace to Moroccan aircraft from Wednesday would only affect 15 flights weekly linking Morocco with Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt.

On August 24, Algeria had severed diplomatic relations with Morocco, accusing Rabat of carrying out incessant hostile acts, claiming it was complicit in deadly forest fires that ravaged the country's north.

In response, Rabat said it regrets Algeria's "completely unjustified" decision to break off diplomatic relations.

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Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
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Geagea Calls on Hezbollah to Work with Lebanese Army

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged on Friday Hezbollah to engage with the Lebanese army and devise a plan to dismantle its military infrastructure south and north of the Litani river.

In a press conference Friday, Geagea criticized Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel and accused the Shiite group of committing a “major crime” against the Lebanese people.

“We could have done without the martyrdom of more than 4,000 people, the displacement of thousands and the destruction across the country,” he said. “Despite all these tragedies, Hezbollah continues to talk about a victory using a bizarre and disconnected logic that has no basis in reality.”

Geagea’s comments came two days after a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect. More than 3,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel's conflict with Hezbollah escalated.

Geagea, whose Lebanese Forces Party holds the largest bloc in Lebanon’s 128-member parliament, also addressed Lebanon’s presidential deadlock. The country has been without a president for more than two years.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a session for presidential elections in January. "Consultations with opposition factions and our allies will begin in the coming days to explore the possibility of agreeing on presidential candidates and bringing them to parliament,” Geagea said.