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Libyan Authorities Recover Bodies of Beheaded Copts

Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
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Libyan Authorities Recover Bodies of Beheaded Copts

Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo
Neighbors and friends of relatives of the Egyptian Coptic men killed in Libya sit at the courtyard of the Virgin Mary Church in the village of el-Aour, near Minya, 220 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 16, 2015. Reuters photo

Libyan authorities have recovered the bodies of 21 Coptic Christian workers, mostly Egyptians, beheaded in 2015 by ISIS in the coastal city of Sirte.

Sadiq Al-Sour, head of investigations for the Attorney General’s office, said last week that Libyan authorities had arrested a senior ISIS commander who supervised the beheadings.

“He gave details on the incident and indicated their place of burial,” Sour said.

“We are seeking with military authorities in the central region to discover where the bodies are, and hopefully we will find them, despite the time that has passed,” he added.

The beheaded bodies in orange uniforms were reportedly found with their hands cuffed to the backs. They included 20 Egyptians and one African.

The killings were documented in a grisly video released online by the terrorist organization that shocked Egypt and led it to launch punitive airstrikes.

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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.