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Senussi Denies Involvement in Killing of ‘February 17’ Protesters in Libya 

Abdullah al-Senussi, former head of military intelligence under late Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi. (Reuters file photo)
Abdullah al-Senussi, former head of military intelligence under late Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi. (Reuters file photo)
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Senussi Denies Involvement in Killing of ‘February 17’ Protesters in Libya 

Abdullah al-Senussi, former head of military intelligence under late Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi. (Reuters file photo)
Abdullah al-Senussi, former head of military intelligence under late Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi. (Reuters file photo)

Abdullah al-Senussi, former head of military intelligence under late Libyan leader Moammar al-Gaddafi, denied on Monday charges that he was involved in the killing and quelling of protests during the February 17, 2011 revolution that toppled Gaddafi.

Senussi appeared before an appellate court in the capital Tripoli where “he faced over 25 charges, including the killing of protesters,” said his lawyer Ahmad Nashad.

Nashad told Asharq Al-Awsat that Senussi denied all the charges during the hearing that lasted four and a half hours.

The court listened to Senussi’s defense and later, he recalled the conditions of his arrest and current health situation, he added.

Senussi, 73, was seen as one of the most powerful figures in the Gaddafi regime. He was married to Gaddafi's sister-in-law and part of his inner circle.

Senussi’s court appearance had been delayed 13 times because of the opposition of the Special Deterrence Force militia. He has been held in Mitiga prison in Tripoli.

His supporters believe he is being held “hostage”, claiming his jailors worry that he will gain popular support as soon as he is released from prison.

Nashad said the hearing was adjourned to February 5 when it will listen to the defense of the remaining accused.

Senussi was sentenced to death in 2015 after he was accused of quelling the February 17 protests. In 2019, he was acquitted by a Tripoli court, but the supreme court overruled the decision and the case is being handled by another court.

Senussi’s Magarha tribe said it was optimistic after Monday’s court appearance.

Sheikh Haroun Arhouma, a tribal leader, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Senussi has heart problems and is suffering from liver cancer.

“We will hold Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah's government responsible for any harm that may befall him,” he warned.

Dbeibah is head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU).

“We will await the outcome of next week’s court session. We will welcome any good news, but we will take action if the outcome does not please us,” said Sheikh Haroun without elaborating.

“We control the oil and gas wells, as well as the water pipelines in the South. We will make our response heard. The western regions don’t boast oil or war,” he remarked.

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Arab World

Yemen Warns against Houthis Using Red Sea to Extort Int’l Community

The Yemeni and German delegations meet in Berlin. (Yemeni government media)
The Yemeni and German delegations meet in Berlin. (Yemeni government media)
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Yemen Warns against Houthis Using Red Sea to Extort Int’l Community

The Yemeni and German delegations meet in Berlin. (Yemeni government media)
The Yemeni and German delegations meet in Berlin. (Yemeni government media)

The Yemeni government warned of an expanding threat posed by the terrorist Houthi militia to regional security and international navigation, citing growing Iranian involvement in managing Houthi military operations and growing ties with terrorist organizations in the Horn of Africa. The warning coincided with continued Houthi attacks on civilians and the tightening of the siege on the city of Taiz.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba presented these concerns during a series of meetings in Berlin with German officials and experts at think tanks and research centers specialized in Yemeni affairs.

The discussions addressed the developments of the Houthi escalation since last June, as well as its military, humanitarian, and security repercussions on Yemen and the wider region.

Al-Zouba stated that the Houthis intensified their attacks following the landing of an aircraft belonging to Iran's Mahan Air, which is linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), at Hodeidah airport.

She explained that the plane carried Iranian experts, funds, and advanced weaponry to support Houthi military operations, in direct violation of Yemeni sovereignty and international laws and resolutions.

The escalation reached the west coast and Bab al-Mandeb regions prior to a government deployment under Operation Dawn of Yemen.

Authorities cautioned against renewed efforts by the militia to expand along the west coast, threaten shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and leverage maritime corridors to pressure the international community.

Meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Al-Zouba warned that the Houthi threat extends beyond Yemen's borders, pointing to the militia’s targeting of Saudi territory and international shipping lanes, and the resulting risks to regional security and global energy and food supplies.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba meets with her German counterpart Johann Wadephul. (Yemeni government media)

She presented the Yemeni government's announcements regarding the participation of experts from the IRGC and Hezbollah in managing Houthi operations, in addition to the group's links with terrorist organizations in the Horn of Africa, chief among them the Somali Al-Shabaab movement.

These ties raise the level of threat to maritime security and regional stability, she warned.

The two sides discussed ways to develop the capabilities of the Yemeni Coast Guard to protect territorial waters and secure international trade routes, while strengthening bilateral consultation and information exchange regarding security developments in Yemen and the region.

Al-Zouba delivered a written letter from Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The message addressed bilateral relations, regional issues, and the latest updates on the situation in Yemen.

On the humanitarian level, Al-Zouba highlighted the Houthi siege on the city of Taiz, the targeting of civilian and health facilities, and the resulting closure of medical centers, medicine shortages, and lack of safe corridors, warning of catastrophic impacts on civilians.

She detailed the Houthi recruitment of child soldiers, indiscriminate landmine deployment, and the ongoing detention of UN and humanitarian personnel, noting the death of several detainees including UN staff member Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami.

Arab World

Houthis Under Govt Pressure in al-Jawf, Lahj

Yemeni troops hold a position during clashes with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's northwestern al-Jawf province on November 2, 2026. (AFP)
Yemeni troops hold a position during clashes with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's northwestern al-Jawf province on November 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Houthis Under Govt Pressure in al-Jawf, Lahj

Yemeni troops hold a position during clashes with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's northwestern al-Jawf province on November 2, 2026. (AFP)
Yemeni troops hold a position during clashes with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's northwestern al-Jawf province on November 2, 2026. (AFP)

Yemeni government forces have advanced to a new phase of offensive operations against the Houthis in al-Jawf and Lahj governorates, according to military developments reflecting the expanding scope of Operation Dawn of Yemen.

The shift to offensive maneuvers coincided with government forces thwarting Houthi attempts to recapture previously lost positions in Marib and Taiz.

In the latest field updates, government forces successfully secured their positions across strategic mountain ranges in eastern Al-Jawf. This follows tactical advances into areas formerly controlled by the terrorist Houthi group.

Military officials said the breakthrough reinforces current positions and establishes the necessary conditions to sustain the advance toward al-Hazm, the governorate's capital.

Armed forces spokesman Majed al-Nuzaili said troops managed to recapture positions from the Houthis in several regions in al-Jawf.

He stressed that the operations will continue to reclaim positions from the group.

Government forces have advanced through the al-Dahidha mountain range, breaching Houthi fortifications and seizing military equipment. Airstrikes and drone operations also targeted Houthi strongholds and weapons depots across several locations.

Yemeni forces sit on a pick-up truck mounted with a heavy machine-gun as they hold a position during clashes with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's northwestern al-Jawf province on November 2, 2026. (AFP)

This territorial gain holds strategic importance due to the mountainous terrain and its proximity to routes leading to al-Hazm, the Houthis' primary administrative and military hub in the governorate. Government forces are currently working to secure these newly recaptured positions before pressing forward with further operations.

In an attempt to contain this advance, the Houthi group launched a broad attack on government force positions in the Halhalan area. However, government forces managed to repel the assault and force the militants to retreat, said government military sources.

In Lahj, government forces have regained the initiative after reorganizing their military deployment along the Tur al-Baha axis, launching a swift counteroffensive to recapture areas seized by the Houthi group in the al-Maqatirah district.

Supported by warplanes, government troops breached the border of the district and advanced into Bani Abdan village, where heavy fighting continues in the surrounding vicinity. Military operations also expanded to target Houthi positions in the Hayfan and al-Zuraiqah al-Sham regions of the neighboring Taiz governorate.

These latest field updates indicate that government forces have successfully shifted from containing the initial Houthi push in al-Maqatirah to executing direct offensive operations to reclaim lost ground.

Military officials said the transition follows a strategic reinforcement of troops and a reorganization of the military command along the Tur al-Baha axis, effectively shifting the balance of power on this front.

Arab World

Lebanon's Military Judiciary Begins Legal Proceedings in Hezbollah Explosives Case

A Hezbollah flag hangs at the entrance to the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, from which Israeli troops withdrew under the framework agreement for southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
A Hezbollah flag hangs at the entrance to the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, from which Israeli troops withdrew under the framework agreement for southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
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Lebanon's Military Judiciary Begins Legal Proceedings in Hezbollah Explosives Case

A Hezbollah flag hangs at the entrance to the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, from which Israeli troops withdrew under the framework agreement for southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
A Hezbollah flag hangs at the entrance to the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya in southern Lebanon, from which Israeli troops withdrew under the framework agreement for southern Lebanon. (Reuters)

Two Hezbollah members have been ordered detained after questioning by a Lebanese military judge over a truckload of explosives seized at a checkpoint in eastern Lebanon about a month ago.

Ali al-Kurdi and Haitham Amhaz appeared before First Military Investigating Judge Ghada Abu Alwan, who issued arrest warrants for both men following a hearing attended by their lawyer, Maan al-Asaad.

The warrants stem from charges brought by Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner to the military court, against the two men and 11 other Hezbollah members who remain at large.

The charges include offenses against internal state security, violating government decisions, possessing weapons and explosives, and forming "illegal associations" aimed at undermining the state's authority and prestige.

The explosives-laden truck was intercepted at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint in eastern Lebanon.

Probe Enters New Phase

The questioning marks a turning point in the case, shifting it from preliminary investigations to formal judicial proceedings and bringing sharper scrutiny to three central questions: Where did the explosives come from, where were they headed and who was responsible for transporting them?

Asaad has also been authorized to represent Hezbollah members and operatives who remain at large, including Ibrahim Hussein, known as "Sajed"; Bilal al-Sabbouri, known as "Dhul Fiqar"; Mohammed Ayoub; Mohammed Zaiter; Mohammed Hazimeh, the truck's owner; and Perina Krishiona, Amhaz's wife.

Five other suspects have been identified only by aliases, with their full identities still unknown. Asaad filed preliminary procedural objections on behalf of the fugitives.

Despite the strict secrecy surrounding the questioning, a judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kurdi and Amhaz stood by their initial statements to army intelligence, insisting they knew neither the explosives' destination nor their intended use.

The source said the men told Abu Alwan their role was limited to collecting the explosives from "Sajed" in Baalbek, in the Bekaa Valley, and delivering them to "Dhul Fiqar" in Musharrafieh, in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Key Questions Remain Unanswered

The detainees' denials leave critical questions unresolved, particularly the shipment's destination, the circumstances of its transportation and the purpose for which the explosives were intended.

Legal sources following the case said the men's claims of ignorance were not enough to settle the question of responsibility.

"The statements of Kurdi and Amhaz are now being assessed by the investigating judge against all the evidence and information in the case file," the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

One potentially significant piece of evidence has yet to reach the judge.

Abu Alwan is still awaiting records of the preliminary investigation conducted by the Internal Security Forces' Information Branch, which analyzed mobile phones belonging to Kurdi, Amhaz and his wife.

The phones are expected to contain important information, the sources said, raising the possibility that Abu Alwan could summon the two detainees for further questioning about material recovered from the devices.

Legal Challenge Delays Questioning of Fugitives

Meanwhile, Asaad filed preliminary procedural objections on behalf of the defendants who remain at large, delaying their questioning until Nov. 17.

Legal sources said the filing was intended to delay formally notifying the defendants and the issuance of arrest warrants in absentia if they refuse to appear for questioning, as expected.

Details of the objections and their legal grounds were not immediately available.

Abu Alwan referred the filing to Ghanem for review and an opinion before ruling on the objections.