Gunmen Attack Tunisian Military Patrol Near Libya Border, Soldier Killed

Tunisian soldiers in Tunis - File Photo/EPA
Tunisian soldiers in Tunis - File Photo/EPA
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Gunmen Attack Tunisian Military Patrol Near Libya Border, Soldier Killed

Tunisian soldiers in Tunis - File Photo/EPA
Tunisian soldiers in Tunis - File Photo/EPA

Unidentified attackers opened fire on a Tunisian military patrol near the Libyan border on Wednesday, killing a soldier, the Tunisian Ministry of Defense said.

The Tunisian Ministry said in a statement published on its official website that a military patrol operating in the Remada, near the border with Libya, was carrying out its regular duties at the border buffer zone when it was suddenly subjected to gunfire from an unknown source. This resulted in the death of a soldier from the military patrol.

The statement added that local authorities, with the permission of the public prosecutor at the Military Primary Court in Sfax, have opened an investigation into the incident. 



EU’s Kallas Says She Hopes for Political Agreement on Easing Syria Sanctions

In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
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EU’s Kallas Says She Hopes for Political Agreement on Easing Syria Sanctions

In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday she hopes a political agreement on easing Syria sanctions can be reached at a gathering of European ministers next week.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Syria during a meeting in Brussels on Jan. 27.

European officials began rethinking their approach towards Syria after Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which the United Nations designates as a terrorist group.

Some European capitals want to move quickly to suspend economic sanctions in a signal of support for the transition in Damascus. Others have sought to ensure that even if some sanctions are eased, Brussels retains leverage in its relationship with the new Syrian authorities.

“We are ready to do step-for-step approach and also to discuss what is the fallback position,” Kallas told Reuters in an interview.

“If we see that the developments are going in the wrong direction, then we are also willing to put them back,” she added.

Six EU member states called this month for the bloc to temporarily suspend sanctions on Syria in areas such as transport, energy and banking.

Current EU sanctions include a ban on Syrian oil imports and a freeze on any Syrian central bank assets in Europe.