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Syrian Former Defense Minister Passes Away

Syrian Former Defense Minister Ali Habib pictured while Chief of General Staff of the Syrian Army [Getty]
Syrian Former Defense Minister Ali Habib pictured while Chief of General Staff of the Syrian Army [Getty]
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Syrian Former Defense Minister Passes Away

Syrian Former Defense Minister Ali Habib pictured while Chief of General Staff of the Syrian Army [Getty]
Syrian Former Defense Minister Ali Habib pictured while Chief of General Staff of the Syrian Army [Getty]

Syrian Former Defense Minister Ali Habib passed away Friday morning at the Al Assad University Hospital in Damascus at the age of 81.

His body was returned to his hometown near the city of Tartus, the official statement said.

Born in 1939, Habib graduated from the military academy in 1962.

During the 2nd Gulf War, he served as Chief of General Staff of Syrian armed forces 1990-1991. Then in 1993, he became the commander of the Special Forces.

Prior to his retirement, Mahmoud served as the Chief-of-Staff of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) from 2004 to 2009 and Syrian Minister of Defense from 2009 to 2011. Rumors say that he tried to resist the decision to use the army to crush Syrian protesters.

His name was proposed several times as a prominent figure in shaping the political transition in the country.

Notably, Habib commanded the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanese Bekaa against Israeli forces in 1982.

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Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
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Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday named a veteran aide and confidant as his new vice president. It’s a major step by the aging leader to designate a successor.

The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president. But it makes him the front-runner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party who hope to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas.

Abbas hopes to play a major role in postwar Gaza. He has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies to rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.  

The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Abbas has led both entities for two decades.