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US Fighter Jets Strike ISIS Locations in Libya

The US carried out an airstrike against an ISIS location in Libya for the first time since September. (AFP)
The US carried out an airstrike against an ISIS location in Libya for the first time since September. (AFP)
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US Fighter Jets Strike ISIS Locations in Libya

The US carried out an airstrike against an ISIS location in Libya for the first time since September. (AFP)
The US carried out an airstrike against an ISIS location in Libya for the first time since September. (AFP)

US fighter jets carried out on Saturday an airstrike against ISIS terrorist locations in Libya for the first time since September.

According to a US Department of Defense source, a number of terrorists were killed in the strike, reported Fox News.

The development has raised questions on the extent of cooperation or lack of it between the US and Libyan authorities before the strike was launched.

The source added that the strike was carried out in the desert in central Libya, while American circles predicted that more strikes will be staged in the future.

In 2016, the US carried out over 500 airstrikes against ISIS in the Libya city of Sirte. A strike in September of this year left 17 ISIS members dead.

Independent Libyan politician Suleiman al-Bayoudi told Asharq Al-Awsat that any land or aerial targeting of Libyan soil without the coordination of legitimate authorities or the national military will be deemed a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty.

He added: “Despite the chaos in the country, the violation of its airspace is unacceptable and it will not prevent the Libyans, no matter how long it takes, to demand the trial of whoever violated their land.”

He stressed the need for foreign powers to deal with Libya as a national country and to respect its right to sovereignty over its land and airspace.

This should take place in cooperation with the international community against terrorism and “the foreign-backed forces that have destroyed Libya,” he demanded.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.