JERUSALEM: Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, the spiritual leader of Israel’s non-Hassidic ultra-Orthodox Jews of European descent, has died. He was 104.
Shteinman died on Tuesday from a heart attack after falling ill weeks ago.
Shteinman was one of Israel’s most influential rabbis and a political kingmaker whose orders were strictly followed by his representatives in parliament.
Following the 2012 death of his predecessor, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, he was widely regarded as “Gadol Hador,” or “leader of the generation.” Hundreds of thousands are expected to attend his funeral in the central Israeli ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak.
Shteinman was known for his rabbinic scholarship, relatively pragmatic rulings and extremely modest lifestyle.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called him a leader who “carried on his shoulders the existential weight of the Jewish people.”
Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish leader Shteinman dies at 104
Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish leader Shteinman dies at 104
Syrian authorities repair Deir Ezzor airport runway to prepare for resuming flights
- Airport has been out of service for more than a decade because of civil war
LONDON: Syrian authorities are repairing key infrastructure at Deir Ezzor Civil Airport ahead of flights being resumed. Government forces have been in control of northeastern Syria since January.
Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced on Monday that technical and engineering teams are repairing the runway, essential facilities, and rebuilding the airport’s perimeter fence to meet international safety and security standards.
The airport has been out of service for more than a decade due to the civil war in the country, which damaged infrastructure, including several bridges in northeastern Syria, where towns are next to the Euphrates River.
The Syrian government regained control over the region from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces through an agreement in January that established a ceasefire and outlined a phased integration of military and administrative structures.
On Sunday, Syrian authorities took over security responsibilities at Qamishli airport in Hasaka Province, northeastern Syria, as part of the agreement with the SDF.
