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Chairwoman of Russian Federation Council Discusses in Algeria Tebboune’s Upcoming Visit to Moscow

President of Eurojust the European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (left) with Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad)
President of Eurojust the European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (left) with Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad)
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Chairwoman of Russian Federation Council Discusses in Algeria Tebboune’s Upcoming Visit to Moscow

President of Eurojust the European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (left) with Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad)
President of Eurojust the European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (left) with Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad)

Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko started on Wednesday discussions in Algeria with its officials, mainly the scheduled visit of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to Moscow in May.

Meanwhile, President of Eurojust the European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation Ladislav Hamran has pledged to assist Algeria in its efforts to restore funds smuggled abroad by state officials who were charged with corruption.

During the visit, Matviyenko will meet heads of both chambers of the Algerian parliament Salah Goudjil and Ibrahim Boughali as well as the Algerian president.

The visit would cover the cooperation in parliament, economy, and military between Algeria and the Russian Federation, the war in Ukraine, the developments in the Palestinian cause, and the political and security crisis in Libya, as well as the Sahara dispute.

An Algerian parliamentarian source reported that the Russian official would discuss the upcoming visit of the Algerian president, which would be concluded with the signing of key agreements in the economy, trade, and warfare industries.

Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev visited Algeria last month and held talks with Algerian Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Said Chengriha, on the “military cooperation between the two countries”.

Furthermore, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers sent a letter in Sep. to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling for sanctions against Algeria for its arms deals with Moscow.

According to several international reports, Algiers is the third largest importer of Russian arms in the world. Moscow is said to be the top supplier of the Algerian army in weapons and military systems.

Algeria is the second trading partner to Russia in the African continent, with trade reaching $3 billion in 2021.

Eurojust announced that it is willing and committed to providing Algeria assistance to deal with files for the recovery of looted funds and assets abroad, Hamran said during his meeting on Friday in Algiers with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Ammar Blani.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry's statement quoted Blani confirming that "the Algerian authorities wish to launch close cooperation with the agency, to benefit from its extensive expertise and distinguished experience in the field of freezing, confiscating and recovering funds and assets transferred abroad through illegal means."

The Algerian official expressed "the desire of his country's judicial authorities to strengthen relations and cooperation between them and the EU member countries."

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, confirmed Tuesday, after his visit to Algeria and his meeting with Tebboune, that the two sides discussed the file of smuggled funds, and that the EU is ready to support Algeria in this regard.

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Arab World

Syria Closes ISIS-linked al-Hol Camp after Emptying it

18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
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Syria Closes ISIS-linked al-Hol Camp after Emptying it

18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa

Syrian authorities have closed al-Hol camp, which long housed relatives of suspected ISIS militants, after emptying the formerly Kurdish-controlled facility, a camp official told AFP on Sunday.

"All Syrian and non-Syrian families were relocated," Fadi al-Qassem, the official appointed by the government to manage al-Hol's affairs told AFP.

Al-Hol, located in a desert region of Hasakeh province, had been Syria's largest camp housing relatives of suspected ISIS fighters.

Last month, the government took over the camp from its Kurdish administrators, who had long run it, as Kurdish forces ceded territory and Damascus extended its control across swathes of Syria's northeast.

Since then, thousands of family members of foreign militants have left for unknown destinations.

The facility had housed some 24,000 people, mostly Syrians but also Iraqis and more than 6,000 other foreigners of around 40 nationalities.

Qassem said security forces were searching the tents for any remaining families.

Earlier this week, authorities had started evacuating the remaining residents, taking them to a camp in Akhtarin, in the north of Aleppo province.

Some of the families were taken elsewhere, Qassem said, without specifying the location.

"The camp's residents are children and women who need support for their reintegration," he added.

A source in a humanitarian organization that was active in the camp told AFP: "We evacuated all our teams working inside the camp, dismantled all our equipment and prefabricated rooms and moved them out of the camp".

Last week, the US military said it had completed the transfer of thousands of ISIS suspects, including many Syrians but also Westerners, to Iraq, after they were held in Kurdish-run prisons in northeast Syria for years.

Arab World

Palestinian Foreign Ministry Condemns US Ambassador to Israel’s Statements

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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Palestinian Foreign Ministry Condemns US Ambassador to Israel’s Statements

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned statements by the US ambassador to Israel, in which he claimed that Israel has the right to exercise control over the entire Middle East.

The ministry emphasized that these provocative statements constitute a blatant call for aggression against the sovereignty of states.

It added that they support the continuation of the occupation’s war of genocide and displacement, as well as the implementation of its annexation and expansionist plans against the Palestinian people, SPA reported.

The Palestinian foreign ministry pointed out that the statements contradict religious and historical facts and international law, SPA reported.

It called on the US administration to take a clear stance regarding its ambassador to Israel’s remarks, which are completely at odds with the US president’s position rejecting the annexation of the West Bank.

Arab World

Israel Carries Out More Strikes in Lebanon amid Lack of Int’l Assurances on Wider Regional Escalation

People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israel Carries Out More Strikes in Lebanon amid Lack of Int’l Assurances on Wider Regional Escalation

People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanese officials say the country has yet to obtain firm or decisive Western guarantees that it will be spared from a larger confrontation in the region as speculation grows over a potential US strike on Iran.

Chief concerns center on whether Hezbollah would be targeted as part of any large-scale strike, or whether the group might intervene militarily alongside Tehran.

Ministerial sources said Israeli airstrikes on Hamas in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, as well as overnight raids targeting Hezbollah in the eastern Bekaa Valley fall within the pattern of ongoing military operations Lebanon, particularly targeted assassinations against figures linked to both groups.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat Lebanon has not received explicit Western assurances that it would not be drawn into a wider confrontation if the conflict expands.

On Hezbollah’s position, the sources noted that the group has not offered a clear position on how it would respond to potential developments.

They pointed to behind-the-scenes efforts led primarily by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri who believes “Hezbollah will not take any step if Iran is struck.”

Although Hezbollah has previously declared it “would stand idle” in case of escalation, the sources said the party has not announced any specific military plans.

Statements made by its officials have been vague, they added, citing remarks by head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohammad Raad, who stressed on Friday the party’s commitment to “the security and stability of the country and the continuation of normal life.”

In Lebanon’s official response, President Joseph Aoun strongly condemned the Israeli raids carried out overnight by land and sea, which targeted the Sidon area and towns in the Bekaa.

He described the continued attacks as “blatant aggression” aimed at sabotaging Lebanon’s diplomatic efforts with brotherly and friendly nations - foremost among them the United States - to consolidate stability and halt Israeli hostilities.

Aoun said the strikes were a renewed violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international obligations, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a cessation of hostilities and full implementation of its provisions.

The president renewed his appeal to countries supporting regional stability to assume their responsibilities by pressing for an immediate halt to the attacks and ensuring respect for international resolutions in a way that preserves Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and prevents further escalation.