Qaeda Announces Death of Former Bin Laden Associate in US Strike in Yemen

Qaeda militants - File/Asharq Al-Awsat
Qaeda militants - File/Asharq Al-Awsat
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Qaeda Announces Death of Former Bin Laden Associate in US Strike in Yemen

Qaeda militants - File/Asharq Al-Awsat
Qaeda militants - File/Asharq Al-Awsat

The director of SITE Intelligence Group said on Thursday that AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) announced the death of a military commander in a US air strike in Yemen, Reuters reported.

Rita Katz, director of SITE which monitors militants groups online, said the militant group did not mention any date or location for the death of Salih bin Salim bin Ubayd ’Abolan (aka Abu 'Umayr al-Hadhrami) who was also a former associate of Al Qaeda's leader Osama Bin laden.

Katz pointed to Twitter reports of a US air strike that killed 3 AQAP militants on Nov. 14.



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.