Tunisia’s Ghannouchi in Court Again over Alleged Extremist Links

Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Tunisia's Ennahda party and speaker of the dissolved parliament, gestures after his questioning at the office of the counter-terrorism prosecutor in Tunis, Tunisia, 21 September 2022. (EPA)
Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Tunisia's Ennahda party and speaker of the dissolved parliament, gestures after his questioning at the office of the counter-terrorism prosecutor in Tunis, Tunisia, 21 September 2022. (EPA)
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Tunisia’s Ghannouchi in Court Again over Alleged Extremist Links

Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Tunisia's Ennahda party and speaker of the dissolved parliament, gestures after his questioning at the office of the counter-terrorism prosecutor in Tunis, Tunisia, 21 September 2022. (EPA)
Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Tunisia's Ennahda party and speaker of the dissolved parliament, gestures after his questioning at the office of the counter-terrorism prosecutor in Tunis, Tunisia, 21 September 2022. (EPA)

The speaker of Tunisia's dissolved parliament appeared on Monday before a judge investigating accusations his party helped Tunisian extremists travel to fight in Iraq and Syria.  

Rached Ghannouchi, an arch-rival of President Kais Saied and also head of the Islamist-inspired Ennahda party, arrived in the morning at the anti-terror court in a suburb of the capital Tunis, said one of his lawyers, Mokhtar Jemai.  

At the end of the hearing, the judge is expected to decide whether or not to charge the 81-year-old. 

Several other Ennahdha officials have been questioned on the "shipment of extremists" case since Saied sacked the Ennahda-supported government and seized full executive authority in July 2021.  

After Tunisia's 2011 revolt, thousands of Tunisians joined extremist groups in neighboring Libya as well as the ISIS group in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria.  

Rivals of Ennahda, which dominated Tunisian politics from 2011 until Saied's power grab, accuse the party of helping them leave.  

The party has repeatedly rejected those accusations as "fabricated" and says authorities are trying to distract public attention from "economic and social concerns and the deterioration of people's living conditions".  

Ghannouchi also appeared before a judge on November 10 as part of a case involving money-laundering and "incitement to violence". 



Israel Says It Severely Damaged Yemeni Ports, Vows to Kill Houthi Leader

Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)
Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)
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Israel Says It Severely Damaged Yemeni Ports, Vows to Kill Houthi Leader

Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)
Smoke billows after Israeli strikes on Hodeidah port, Yemen, July 21, 2024. (Reuters file)

Israel said it attacked and severely damaged Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen on Friday, with its defense minister vowing in a statement to hunt down and kill the group's leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

Israel attacked Yemen's ports of Hodeidah and Salif along the country's Red Sea coast on Friday, the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said, in an apparent response to the Iran-backed group's missile launches against Israel.

Al Masirah did not provide further details, but two residents in Hodeidah said they heard four loud booms.

The Houthis have continued to fire missiles at Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, although they have agreed to halt attacks on US ships.

The Israeli military, which has carried out numerous retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets, intercepted a missile launched by the group on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Israel issued evacuation orders for the ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif, saying they were being used by the Houthis.