Rome, Moscow Follow Paris Path in Libya

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)
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Rome, Moscow Follow Paris Path in Libya

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano meets Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Saturday. (AFP)

The number of players active in Libya witnessed an increase on Saturday, only a day after a tour carried out by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian between east and west Libya.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano made a surprise visit to Tripoli where he met Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and Moscow announced a readiness to persuade Libyan parties to become involved in the political settlement.

The Italian embassy in Libya revealed in two separate tweets the presence of Italian military forces in the north African country.

According to the Italian foreign ministry, Alfano affirmed to Sarraj, during their meeting, that Italy supports the organizational framework detailed in the Skhirat agreement, Presidential Council and the National Accord government.

For his part, Sarraj reiterated his implicit complaint against Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, saying the lack of commitment by some parties destabilizes the political scene. This demands strict measures by the international community against all those hindering the political agreement.

Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meanwhile relayed to Mohammed Dairi, foreign minister of the Tobruk-based Libyan interim government, Moscow’s support for dialogue among Libyans under the auspices of the UN.

Furthermore, UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salamah met on Friday with Mohammed Shukri, who was recently appointed a governor of the central bank, to listen to his financial plan to rescue the Libyan economy.



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.