CAIRO: The former chief of staff of Egypt’s military says he will not run for president, leaving a leftist politician as the only serious candidate to run against the nation’s military chief.
Sami Anan said his decision not to run in next month’s vote was rooted in the “nation’s higher interests” and out of the realization of the dangers facing it.
Anan played a key part in running Egypt when generals took power for nearly 17 months after Hosni Mubarak’s 2011 ouster. He was retired in 2012 by Mubarak’s successor, Muhammad Mursi.
Anan’s popular support is thought to be limited. His departure leaves leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi as Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi’s only significant rival in the race. El-Sissi has yet to formally declare his candidacy.
Meanwhile, the candidate who lost Egypt’s 2012 presidential election reiterated his support Thursday for El-Sissi, but also slammed the military for initially backing his candidacy openly.
Ahmed Shafiq — Hosni Mubarak’s last premier — endorsed El-Sissi. Shafiq narrowly lost the election that made Mursi Egypt’s first democratically elected president.
Shafiq called El-Sissi the “strongest candidate who has the highest chances of winning the presidency.” Shafiq said he was backing El-Sissi because he was “convinced of the need to unify our efforts and avoid a scattering of votes which is useless.”
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General out of race; Shafiq backs Sissi
General out of race; Shafiq backs Sissi
Israeli strike in south Lebanon kills one: ministry
The health ministry said an “Israeli enemy strike” on a vehicle in Mansuri in south Lebanon killed one
It also said that a strike on Mayfadun in south Lebanon the previous night killed one
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Friday, the health ministry in Beirut said a day after raids that Israel said had targeted the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the group or its infrastructure.
In a statement, the health ministry said an “Israeli enemy strike” on a vehicle in Mansuri in south Lebanon killed one person.
It also said that a strike on Mayfadun in south Lebanon the previous night killed one person.
Israeli said Thursday’s attack killed a Hezbollah member it alleged “took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah area.”
The attacks come a week after Lebanon’s military said it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, the first phase of a nationwide plan, although Israel has called those efforts insufficient.
On Thursday, Israel carried out several strikes against eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa region, north of the Litani, after issuing warnings to evacuate.
United Nations peacekeepers, deployed in the south to separate Lebanon from Israel, said on Friday that an Israeli drone “dropped a grenade” on its troops.
On Monday, the peacekeeping force said an Israeli tank fired near its troops, and warned that such incidents were becoming “disturbingly common.”
It also said that a strike on Mayfadun in south Lebanon the previous night killed one
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Friday, the health ministry in Beirut said a day after raids that Israel said had targeted the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the group or its infrastructure.
In a statement, the health ministry said an “Israeli enemy strike” on a vehicle in Mansuri in south Lebanon killed one person.
It also said that a strike on Mayfadun in south Lebanon the previous night killed one person.
Israeli said Thursday’s attack killed a Hezbollah member it alleged “took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the Zawtar Al-Sharqiyah area.”
The attacks come a week after Lebanon’s military said it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, the first phase of a nationwide plan, although Israel has called those efforts insufficient.
On Thursday, Israel carried out several strikes against eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa region, north of the Litani, after issuing warnings to evacuate.
United Nations peacekeepers, deployed in the south to separate Lebanon from Israel, said on Friday that an Israeli drone “dropped a grenade” on its troops.
On Monday, the peacekeeping force said an Israeli tank fired near its troops, and warned that such incidents were becoming “disturbingly common.”
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