Libyan Amazigh Threaten Dbeibeh with War, Taking Control of Ras Ajdir

A former meeting between the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, and Abdulhamid Dbeibeh (Libyan Presidential Council)
A former meeting between the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, and Abdulhamid Dbeibeh (Libyan Presidential Council)
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Libyan Amazigh Threaten Dbeibeh with War, Taking Control of Ras Ajdir

A former meeting between the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, and Abdulhamid Dbeibeh (Libyan Presidential Council)
A former meeting between the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, and Abdulhamid Dbeibeh (Libyan Presidential Council)

No military vehicles to the forces loyal to the interim unity Libyan government are allowed to move to the west of the country, the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, has announced.

Menfi sought on Saturday to contain sudden military tensions in the country after the Libyan Amazigh Supreme Council accused the unity government chaired by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh of "gathering armed formations to attack Ras Ajdir” border crossing with Tunisia.

Menfi, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army, demanded the military units affiliated with Dbeibeh "not to move towards the West," ordering all militants who left Tripoli to return to their headquarters.

In the letter leaked to local media, he required unit commanders to follow orders and implement them as soon as possible, calling on the Army Chief of Staff and the Military Intelligence Department to take legal action against any violating unit.

Earlier, tensions arose between Dbeibeh and the Amazigh Council president, al-Hadi Barqiq, after the latter called on the unity government to "immediately dissolve and withdraw the joint operations room."

Barqiq called on all parties to demonstrate a patriotic spirit, warning against "any military action that would drag the region into unpredicted actions."

He also warned against reaching "a point of no return," describing the situation as an "existential conflict," especially since the constitution does not guarantee the rights of the Amazigh, who were not well represented.

The statement of the Libyan Amazigh Supreme Council, which named Dbeibeh as the head of the outgoing caretaker government, cautioned anyone against attacking Zuwara or its affiliated cities.

It warned that any military development could lead to a fierce war that would end the Amazigh's presence.

It indicated that the Amazigh are living in a state of security instability in light of the collapse of the Libyan economy, adding that they were surprised by Dbeibeh's attempt to gather armed formations to attack Ras Ajdir under false and malicious, baseless pretexts.

On Friday, the Amazigh civil and military components declared a state of emergency and maximum mobilization among all military battalions, positioning them along the Zuwara area.

According to the Amazigh Channel, the first military convoy of the Nalut Military Council entered Ras Ajdir, and other forces will be stationed inside Zuwara.

Local reports monitored a sudden disruption of the traffic system at the Ras Ajdir crossing on the Libyan side.

Dbeibeh ignored these developments while attending the North African International Conference for Ports and Free Zones in Misurata.

He stressed that port development and infrastructure development are one of the government's priorities.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior of the unity government began its "official control and monitoring over the Libyan border with Tunisia," announced Minister Imad Trabelsi.

Trabelsi warned that any illegal immigrant would be returned to his country, asserting that any migrant entering Libya and benefitting from its resources must arrive legally. He said that Dbeibeh advised him to refuse resettlement.

During his visit on Friday evening to the headquarters of the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency, Trabelsi confirmed that the agency's employees have significant responsibilities to limit illegal immigration, which caused huge debts due to the provision of shelter and deportation of those arrested.

Libya is set to host a two-conference on legal migration, entitled "Safe Mediterranean, Stable South," which will take place on Nov. 27 in Tripoli, with the participation of labor ministers from the Sahel and Sahara countries.



Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A Lebanese security source said the target of a deadly Israeli airstrike on central Beirut early Saturday was a senior Hezbollah official, adding it was unclear whether he was killed.

"The Israeli strike on Basta targeted a leading Hezbollah figure," the security official told AFP without naming the figure, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The early morning airstrike has killed at least 15 people and injured 63, according to authorities, and had brought down an eight-storey building nearby, in the second such attack on the working-class neighbourhood of Basta in as many months.

"The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads," said Samir, 60, who lives with his family in a building facing the one that was hit.

"It felt like they had targeted my house," he said, asking to be identified by only his first name because of security concerns.

There had been no evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military for the Basta area.

After the strike, Samir fled his home in the middle of the night with his wife and two children, aged 14 and just three.

On Saturday morning, dumbstruck residents watched as an excavator cleared the wreckage of the razed building and rescue efforts continued, with nearby buildings also damaged in the attack, AFP journalists reported.

The densely packed district has welcomed people displaced from traditional Hezbollah bastions in Lebanon's east, south and southern Beirut, after Israel intensified its air campaign on September 23, later sending in ground troops.

"We saw two dead people on the ground... The children started crying and their mother cried even more," Samir told AFP, reporting minor damage to his home.

Since last Sunday, four deadly Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut, including one that killed Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.

Residents across the city and its outskirts awoke at 0400 (0200 GMT) on Saturday to loud explosions and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

"It was the first time I've woken up screaming in terror," said Salah, a 35-year-old father of two who lives in the same street as the building that was targeted.

"Words can't express the fear that gripped me," he said.

Saturday's strikes were the second time the Basta district had been targeted since war broke out, after deadly twin strikes early in October hit the area and the Nweiri neighbourhood.

Last month's attacks killed 22 people and had targeted Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa, who made it out alive, a source close to the group told AFP.

Salah said his wife and children had been in the northern city of Tripoli, about 70 kilometres away (45 miles), but that he had to stay in the capital because of work.

His family had been due to return this weekend because their school reopens on Monday, but now he has decided against it following the attack.

"I miss them. Every day they ask me: 'Dad, when are we coming home?'" he said.

Lebanon's health ministry says that more than 3,650 people have been killed since October 2023, after Hezbollah initiated exchanges of fire with Israel in solidarity with its Iran-backed ally Hamas over the Gaza war.

However, most of the deaths in Lebanon have been since September this year.

Despite the trauma caused by Saturday's strike, Samir said he and his family had no choice but to return home.

"Where else would I go?" he asked.

"All my relatives and siblings have been displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs and from the south."