Syrian President Hafez Assad appointed a new chief of staff for the country’s armed forces, according to reports in the Arabic-language press. No official announcement has been made, but two leading Arabic dailies in London reported that Gen. Hikmat Shehabi had been replaced as part of a routine round of military promotions and appointments. The retirement of Shehabi, a political ally of Assad since the 1960s, came just days after he turned 67, the age of compulsory military retirement.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
