Libya’s Dbeibah Says Will Only Leave Post Through Elections

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah meets with an Italian delegation. (GNU)
Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah meets with an Italian delegation. (GNU)
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Libya’s Dbeibah Says Will Only Leave Post Through Elections

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah meets with an Italian delegation. (GNU)
Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah meets with an Italian delegation. (GNU)

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah declared that he will only hand over power to a successor when elections are successfully held.

Speaking at a forum in the capital Tripoli on Saturday, he added that Libya “will not be divided” and there “can only be one state.”

“God brought me to head the government,” he went on say.

He continued: “I love this country and I am working for it and its people. My motto is ‘no to wars and conflicts’.”

Moreover, he alleged that the parliament had “lost its legitimacy years ago.”

“We don’t want another period of transition,” Dbeibah urged.

He suggested that a referendum be held over the constitution “since it is the guide of the people.”

He declared that he will “only leave his seat in power to whoever wants to serve the people.”

“The people must decide who they want to lead them. We will accept any laws as long as they are fair,” he went on to say.

On whether he will run in the elections, he revealed he will have to consult his family and wife first. He also noted that the “rules of the political real have not really been approved for him to declare whether he will run or not.”

On the possibility that Seif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the son of slain leader Moammar, will run, Dbeibah said he has “no problem” with his candidacy “if the Libyan people agree to it and if there are no legal impediments.”



Series of Israeli Airstrikes Hit Central Beirut, At Least 11 Dead

Rescue workers and people search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit central Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Rescue workers and people search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit central Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Series of Israeli Airstrikes Hit Central Beirut, At Least 11 Dead

Rescue workers and people search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit central Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Rescue workers and people search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit central Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Powerful Israeli airstrikes targeted central Beirut on Saturday, resulting in a large number of fatalities and injuries and destroying an eight-story building, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

Footage broadcast by TV stations showed at least one destroyed building and several others badly damaged around it in the Basta neighborhood.

At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured. Lebanon's civil defense said the death toll was provisional as emergency responders were still digging through the rubble looking for survivors. 

Israel used bunker buster bombs in the strike, leaving a deep crater, said NNA. Beirut smelled strongly of explosives hours after the attack.
The blasts shook the capital around 4 a.m.

NNA said at least five bombs were dropped in the attack.
It marked the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut, where the bulk of Israel's attacks have targeted the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs.

On Sunday an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah's media relations chief Mohammad Afif in the Ras al-Nabaa district of central Beirut.

The Israeli military did not issue a warning for Basta's residents to evacuate prior to the strike and did not immediately issue a statement on it.

Israel has killed several Hezbollah leaders in airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

Meanwhile, heavy ground fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants was ongoing in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops have pushed farther from the border.