Haftar: Failure of Dialogue Compels Libyans to Determine Fate

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)
Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)
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Haftar: Failure of Dialogue Compels Libyans to Determine Fate

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)
Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)

General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), considered that the ongoing dialogue in Tunis is the only solution for the Libyan problems and in case the dialogue fails to find political solutions then doors will be wide-open for the Libyan people to determine their fate.

In two separate meetings, Haftar met officers and soldiers from the LNA pointing out that the unity of the army was formed in the field and that the victory was achieved thanks to all sons and fighters of the army.

He announced that his forces now have control over the majority of the Libyan territory, with only 30 square kilometers remaining.

Haftar said there were no “indications” that the ongoing UN-sponsored dialogue could be the solution to the current political crisis in the country, pointing out that the door of other alternatives approved by the people remains wide open.

“The army and all security services will answer to the wishes of the people,” he added.

For its part, ISIS Fighting Operation Room (IFOR) in Sabratha denied the figures provided by Haftar because the army has no control over many regions in the west of Libya.

The Supreme Council of the Libyan Tribes and Cities, however, called on fighters and civilians to clear their cities and villages from militias, adding that the cohesion between the armed forces and people in Sabratha led to liberating it from terrorist gangs.

In its statement, the council added that the successive governments failed to protect the people from grave violations and horrible crimes against children, elders, and women that are taking place every day.

He added that throughout seven years, these governments couldn’t prevent the exhaustion of the Libya’s wealth.



Israel Sees More to Do on Lebanon Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: A car drives past damaged buildings in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon,  January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A car drives past damaged buildings in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
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Israel Sees More to Do on Lebanon Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: A car drives past damaged buildings in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon,  January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A car drives past damaged buildings in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir/File Photo

Israel said on Thursday the terms of a ceasefire with Hezbollah were not being implemented fast enough and there was more work to do, while the Iran-backed group urged pressure to ensure Israeli troops leave south Lebanon by Monday as set out in the deal.

The deal stipulates that Israeli troops withdraw from south Lebanon, Hezbollah remove fighters and weapons from the area and Lebanese troops deploy there - all within a 60-day timeframe which will conclude on Monday at 4 a.m (0200 GMT).

The deal, brokered by the United States and France, ended more than a year of hostilities triggered by the Gaza war. The fighting peaked with a major Israeli offensive that displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon and left Hezbollah severely weakened.

"There have been positive movements where the Lebanese army and UNIFIL have taken the place of Hezbollah forces, as stipulated in the agreement," Israeli government spokesmen David Mencer told reporters, referring to UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

"We've also made clear that these movements have not been fast enough, and there is much more work to do," he said, affirming that Israel wanted the agreement to continue.

Mencer did not directly respond to questions about whether Israel had requested an extension of the deal or say whether Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon after Monday's deadline.

Hezbollah said in a statement that there had been leaks talking about Israel postponing its withdrawal beyond the 60-day period, and that any breach of the agreement would be unacceptable.
The statement said that possibility required everyone, especially Lebanese political powers, to pile pressure on the states which sponsored the deal to ensure "the implementation of the full (Israeli) withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the last inch of Lebanese territory and the return of the people to their villages quickly.”

Any delay beyond the 60 days would mark a blatant violation of the deal with which the Lebanese state would have to deal "through all means and methods guaranteed by international charters" to recover Lebanese land "from the occupation's clutches," Hezbollah said.