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First Female Mayor of Morocco's Capital Rabat Resigns

A street in Moroccan capital Rabat (File photo/AFP)
A street in Moroccan capital Rabat (File photo/AFP)
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First Female Mayor of Morocco's Capital Rabat Resigns

A street in Moroccan capital Rabat (File photo/AFP)
A street in Moroccan capital Rabat (File photo/AFP)

The mayor of Rabat, the first woman elected to the job, resigned on Wednesday amid criticism of her management of the Moroccan capital, she told AFP.

For months, Asmaa Rhlalou, 54, has been criticized by elected officials and municipal councillors for what they called "catastrophic" and "autocratic" management of the city, local media reported.

"I prefer to prioritize the interests of the city and its citizens in the face of the blockage that Rabat is experiencing," she said.

Rhlalou has sent her letter of resignation to the regional governor.

Some of the criticism of the mayor has centred on her use of municipal funds for recovery efforts in the Marrakesh region hit hard by an earthquake last year.

Rhlalou, a former journalist and a member of the National Rally of Independents party, which governs Morocco, was elected to a six-year term in September 2021.

Two other women, Nabila Rmili and Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, were elected mayors of Casablanca and Marrakesh, respectively, a first in the North African kingdom.

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Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Detains Several People on Suspicion of Firing Rockets at Israel

A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a damaged site in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of south Lebanon, in Lebanon, February 19, 2025. (Reuters)

The Lebanese military said it has detained a group of people linked to firing rockets into Israel last month.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, the army said it had detained several people, including a number of Palestinians, who were involved in firing rockets in two separate attacks toward Israel in late March that triggered intense Israeli airstrikes on parts of Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denied at the time it was behind the firing of rockets, The Associated Press reported.

The army said that a vehicle and other equipment used in the rockets attacks were confiscated and the detainees were referred to judicial authorities. The army said it had carried out raids in different parts of Lebanon to detain the suspects without giving further details.

On Thursday, the state-run National News Agency reported that Gen. Rodolph Haikal briefed a weekly cabinet meeting about the security situation along the border and the ongoing implementation of the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

Three security and one judicial official told The Associated Press that four Palestinians linked to the Hamas group are being questioned.

A Hamas official told the AP that several members of the group were detained in Lebanon recently and released shortly afterward adding that they were not involved in firing rockets into Israel. He said in one case authorities detained a Hamas member who was carrying an unlicensed pistol.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Hezbollah started launching attacks on Israel a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023 with the Palestinian militants’ attack on southern Israel. The war that left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused wide destruction ended in late November with a US-brokered ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire went into effect in late November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes that left dozens of civilians and Hezbollah members dead.

On Tuesday, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights said that at least 71 civilians, including 14 women and nine children, have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire took effect.