Among Algerian plane dead, 33 French soldiers, Hizballah high-up

At least 33 French military personnel including three senior intelligence officials were among the 116 or 118 people aboard Air Algerie flight AH5017 which crashed in northern Mali last week. Also aboard, according to French security officials, was a senior Hizballah figure disguised as a businessmen. Some of the other 19 Lebanese passengers on the plane were his bodyguards. As the cause of the crash is investigated, a rocket fired by al Qaeda which is strongly present in the area is not ruled out.