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Algeria’s Tebboune Says Will Not Offer to Make Up with France

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune takes the oath during a swearing-in ceremony in Algiers, Algeria December 19, 2019. Reuters
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune takes the oath during a swearing-in ceremony in Algiers, Algeria December 19, 2019. Reuters
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Algeria’s Tebboune Says Will Not Offer to Make Up with France

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune takes the oath during a swearing-in ceremony in Algiers, Algeria December 19, 2019. Reuters
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune takes the oath during a swearing-in ceremony in Algiers, Algeria December 19, 2019. Reuters

Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Saturday he would not make the "first move" towards easing tensions with France after critical comments from Paris about his country.

The diplomatic spat has been fueled by a visa row and media reports that President Emmanuel Macron told descendants of fighters in Algeria's 1954-1962 war of independence that the country was ruled by a "political-military system" that had "totally re-written" its history.

"Macron completely pointlessly revived an old conflict," Tebboune told German magazine Der Spiegel.

"I won't be the one to make the first move" to ease tensions, he added.

"No Algerian will accept it if I get in touch with those who insulted us."

French daily Le Monde in early October quoted Macron as saying: "Was there an Algerian nation before French colonization? That's the question."

The comments reflected "the old hatred of colonial masters, and I know that Macron is far from thinking like this," Tebboune said.

Algeria has recalled its ambassador from Paris and banned French military planes from its airspace over the tensions.

Asked by Der Spiegel if the fallout was likely to be resolved any time soon, Tebboune was defiant.

"No, if the French want to go to Mali or Niger now, they will just have to fly for nine hours instead of four," the Algerian president said, referring to two countries where France has sent troops to help fight militants.

According to AFP, he said he would however make an exception to "rescue wounded people".

At the end of September, France said it would sharply reduce the number of visas it grants to citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, accusing the former French colonies of not doing enough to allow illegal immigrants to return.

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Arab World

Jordan Arrests Three Suspects in Deadly Church Attack

A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)
A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)
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Jordan Arrests Three Suspects in Deadly Church Attack

A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)
A Jordanian security officer guards a church (Reuters)

Jordanian security forces have arrested three suspects in connection with an attack on a church that killed nine people, state television reported on Monday.

The attack, in which gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church on Friday in the village of Hamoud in Karak governorate, about 120 km (75 miles) southwest of the capital Amman, also wounded 40 others. The shooting lasted several minutes, witnesses ‌said.

Jordan's Public Security ‌Directorate said security forces located the three ‌suspects ⁠early on Monday ⁠hiding in an abandoned house in Karak. The suspects refused to surrender and opened fire on security forces, who returned fire and arrested all three after they were wounded, the directorate said in a statement carried on state media.

No security personnel were injured, and a number of firearms ⁠and ammunition were found in the suspects' ‌possession after their arrest, reported Reuters.

"Terrorism has ‌no place among us," the directorate said, adding that the suspects ‌had met their "just fate".

The Public Security Directorate did not ‌identify the suspects' affiliation or say whether they belonged to any militant group.

Jordanian authorities have said the attack was carried out by "extremist terrorists", but it was too early to determine whether they had ‌links to known groups inside or outside Jordan. There has been no claim of ⁠responsibility.

Interior Minister ⁠Mazen al-Faraya said on Monday authorities were reviewing the circumstances that led young people towards extremism and would hold accountable anyone found to have participated in the attack.

King Abdullah has ordered security forces to respond with an "iron fist" to the rare attack on Jordan's Christian minority.

Such violence is highly unusual in Jordan, a relatively stable state in the Middle East, though authorities say they have foiled several extremist militant plots over the years.

Arab World

Strike on Gaza University Kills Three

Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)
Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)
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Strike on Gaza University Kills Three

Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)
Mourners grieve during the funeral of three Palestinians at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 25, 2026, after they were killed in an Israeli strike on the Islamic University building. (AFP)

An Israeli strike on a university in Gaza City killed three people on Sunday, staff and a local hospital said, while the civil defense agency reported five others killed elsewhere in the territory.

Reached for comment on the strike at the Islamic University, the Israeli army said that it was currently under review.

Al Shifa hospital reported receiving three bodies and treating eight people who were wounded in the drone strike, with two sources at the university saying the dead were employees and the injured were students.

The university said the campus and its surroundings had been targeted twice on Sunday, condemning the attacks and mourning those killed in a statement.

Gaza's education ministry likewise condemned the strike, saying: "The global silence regarding attacks on students and universities serves as encouragement for the continuation of these crimes".

"This strike occurs at a time when the higher education sector is facing total annihilation, with 95 percent of the buildings belonging to academic institutions having been damaged as a result of the war," it continued.

"This heinous assault is part of a continuous series of attacks on education; over the past six days, 10 students and educators have been killed by the occupation's fire."

In a statement, the army said it had been "targeting a terrorist from Hamas' military wing".

"Following the identification of uninvolved individuals in the area, the munition was diverted in order to mitigate harm to them. The incident is under review," it said, without specifying whether those killed at the university were hit by accident.

A truce has been in effect in Gaza for over a year, but has failed to completely halt the violence there.

Gaza civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said five other people were killed on Sunday, three in strikes around the southern city of Khan Younis, one in central Deir al-Balah and one northwest of Gaza City.

One more person was wounded by Israeli gunfire in Jabalia refugee camp in the north.

Arab World

Commander of Yemeni Coast Guard: Our Duties Are Continuing Normally and Our Morale Is High

Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)
Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)
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Commander of Yemeni Coast Guard: Our Duties Are Continuing Normally and Our Morale Is High

Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)
Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli. (Saba)

Yemeni Coast Guard Commander Major General Khalid al-Qamli stated that three Houthi missiles targeted coast guard positions in the interim capital of Aden, causing infrastructure damage. He stressed that the attack did not halt operations, which continue normally with high morale.

Al-Qamli told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Three Houthi missiles targeted the Yemeni Coast Guard Authority in Aden, resulting in infrastructure damage.”

The Interior Ministry said two missiles struck on Saturday the coast guard headquarters at the ministry’s offices, while a third hit the coast guard building in the Tawahi district.

It noted that the targeting of security and service facilities is an extension of previous assaults on civilian and vital infrastructure in Aden. This includes Aden International Airport, which has been subjected to ballistic missile and drone attacks on multiple occasions.

It added that the relevant authorities are continuing to gather information and evidence to assess the damage and are taking the necessary measures to boost security and protect both infrastructure and citizens.

The Coast Guard in the Gulf of Aden sector performs critical duties that include securing ports and their facilities, monitoring vessel traffic, maritime lanes, and the coastline, alongside escorting vessels when necessary and executing rescue operations.

These responsibilities carry heightened significance amid Yemen's ongoing efforts to bolster port security and streamline coordination among maritime security entities.

To that end, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) convened a workshop in Aden last August, drawing representatives from the Coast Guard, government bodies, and port authorities to address maritime security governance, information sharing, and the protection of port infrastructure.

In Shabwah, Governor Awadh Mohammed bin Al-Wazir praised a "qualitative security achievement" by the Rapid Intervention Forces, which dismantled a 13-member Houthi cell and seized a truck laden with weapons, ammunition, highly explosive improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and various projectiles.

The seized items included sniper rifles, ammunition, IEDs, and various projectiles. Preliminary investigations revealed the shipment was smuggled through a boat and received by members of the cell on the coast of the Radum district ahead of sending it to the Houthis.