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Exclusive - AFRICOM Expects ISIS Attack on Libya’s Oil Crescent

FILE - A member of Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar holds a weapon as he sits on a car in front of the gate at Zueitina oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi, Libya, Sept. 14, 2016.
FILE - A member of Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar holds a weapon as he sits on a car in front of the gate at Zueitina oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi, Libya, Sept. 14, 2016.
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Exclusive - AFRICOM Expects ISIS Attack on Libya’s Oil Crescent

FILE - A member of Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar holds a weapon as he sits on a car in front of the gate at Zueitina oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi, Libya, Sept. 14, 2016.
FILE - A member of Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar holds a weapon as he sits on a car in front of the gate at Zueitina oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi, Libya, Sept. 14, 2016.

A senior official in the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said that ISIS was likely plotting attacks on Libya’s strategic oil crescent.
 
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, AFRICOM spokeswoman Robyn Mack said: “At the moment, we believe that the organization (ISIS-Libya) is likely to give priority to the restructuring of security forces and infrastructure, and to launch strikes, which may include targets in the Libyan oil crescent.”
 
The oil crescent, which is located 500 km east of the capital Tripoli, encompasses the largest oil reserves in Libya, as well as the ports of Sidra, Ras Lanuf and Brega.
 
The Libyan National Army succeeded in regaining control of the area in November 2016 following a massive military operation.
 
Mack suggested that ISIS-Libya would maintain its current strategy, which focuses on rebuilding its operational capabilities and exploiting areas under Libyan control, to destabilize the country and disrupt the political process.
 
“The United States stands by its Libyan counterparts and supports their efforts to combat terrorist threats and defeat ISIS there. We are committed to continuing to exert pressure on the terrorist network and prevent it from establishing a safe haven,” she stressed.
 
Brigadier General Ahmad al-Mesmari, spokesman for the LNA, confirmed the authenticity of this information.
 
“Yes, they have tried more than once to reach the oil crescent and were faced by our forces that secure the region,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
 
Last week, an explosion occurred at a Waha-operated pipeline near Marada in the oil crescent region. A source in the National Oil Corporation in Libya said gunmen possibly caused the explosion.
 
Meanwhile, a senior Libyan military official said that the army was preparing to enter the city of Derna, east of Libya, and liberate it from the grip of ISIS, while stressing the confidentiality of any information regarding the next battle.
 
“There will be no talks on Derna due to the secrecy of operations. It is impossible to publish information,” he stated.

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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.