Militia Infighting Kills at Least 9 in Libya’s Capital, Officials Say

LNA forces are seen in southwestern Libya. (LNA)
LNA forces are seen in southwestern Libya. (LNA)
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Militia Infighting Kills at Least 9 in Libya’s Capital, Officials Say

LNA forces are seen in southwestern Libya. (LNA)
LNA forces are seen in southwestern Libya. (LNA)

Clashes between two heavily armed militia groups in Libya's capital terrorized residents and killed about a dozen people, the latest bout of violence in the North African nation, officials said Saturday.

The hours-long clashes, which involved heavy weapons, occurred Friday in Tripoli’s eastern neighborhood of Tajoura between Rahba al-Duruae militia, which is led by warlord Bashir Khalfallah — known as al-Baqrah — and another militia al-Shahida Sabriya, the officials added.

The Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency Services said at least 9 people were killed and 16 others were wounded in the hours-long clashes.

The clashes stemmed from an attempted assassination of al-Baqrah on Friday, which his militia blamed on al-Shahida Sabriya, according to local media reports.

Khalid al-Mishri, the newly-elected head of the west-based High Council of State, condemned the assassination attempt and called for an investigation to hold those responsible accountable.

The warring parties are allied with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government. Its spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The violence underscored the fragility of war-torn Libya following the 2011 uprising-turned-civil war, which toppled and later killed longtime ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi. Amid the chaos, militias grew in wealth and power, particularly in Tripoli and the western part of the country.

Friday’s militia infighting was the latest in a series of clashes between militias competing for influence in the country’s west.

In May, militia clashes rocked the coastal town of Zawiya, trapping families for houses inside their homes, killing at least one person and wounding 22 others. And in August last year, a 24-hour period of fighting between rival militias in Tripoli killed at least 45 people.

The capital’s clashes came as the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, said it deployed troops to the southwestern areas to secure Libya’s southern borders. The deployment prompted militias in western Libya to mobilize amid mounting concerns of a potential new war between east and west Libya.

The United Nations' mission and Western embassies in Libya expressed their concerns that the military movement could explode into an all-out war between the LNA and the West-based militias, four years after a ceasefire deal ended a 14-month war between the two sides.

“Such movements risk escalation and violent confrontation and could put the 2020 ceasefire at risk,” said a joint statement by the embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US.



Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
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Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)

An Israeli airstrike killed a suspected arms smuggler south of Beirut on Thursday, in a sharp escalation in Lebanon that coincided with internal talks over Hezbollah’s disarmament in line with US demands, Lebanese officials said.

The strike targeted a vehicle on the coastal highway in the Khalde area, just south of the Lebanese capital, according to the state-run National News Agency. Social media footage showed a missile hitting a car, which came to a halt before a second strike hit the driver as he attempted to flee.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed one person was killed and three others wounded in the attack.

The Israeli military said the strike eliminated an operative working on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force, accusing him of trafficking weapons and planning attacks against Israeli civilians and military forces.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that the individual was affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The strike comes amid rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border and as Lebanese factions discuss the future of Hezbollah’s weapons amid pressure from Washington to curtail the group’s military power.

Thursday’s airstrike was one of the few Israeli attacks in or near Beirut since the truce with Hezbollah took effect in November.

Only two other strikes have been recorded in the area over the past eight months, including one on Eid al-Fitr that killed a senior Hezbollah figure allegedly linked to coordination with Hamas in the group’s southern Beirut stronghold.

Another strike in Naameh, south of the capital, targeted and killed a senior official from the Islamic Group, a Sunni faction with ties to southern Lebanon’s Hasbaya region.

The latest escalation comes as Lebanese leaders prepare a unified response to a US-backed proposal calling for Hezbollah to disarm and place all weapons under state control.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has maintained positions in southern Lebanon beyond the agreed February withdrawal deadline and continues to carry out airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, following more than a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah.