Libyan National Army: Battle for Derna Nearing End

Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar. (Reuters)
Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar. (Reuters)
TT
20

Libyan National Army: Battle for Derna Nearing End

Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar. (Reuters)
Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar. (Reuters)

The Libyan National Army, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, announced on Monday that its campaign against the last remaining terrorist pockets in the eastern city of Derna is nearing its final stages.

"The LNA controls most of the city, but there are still pockets of resistance," LNA spokesman General Ahmed al-Mismari told AFP.

Mesmari said LNA forces were focusing on "sweep operations and tracking down terrorist elements".

The spokesman called on displaced families to return to their homes in "liberated areas" of the city.

The LNA launched a ground offensive to take Derna last month after encircling the city - the last in eastern Libya to elude their control - for around two years.

The LNA is fighting a coalition known as the Derna Protection Force (DPF), which includes local combatants and extremist forces with links to groups in western Libya. The DPF includes fighters with connections to al-Qaeda, as well as foreign militants.

On Saturday and Sunday, the LNA said it had advanced in the district of Sheiha after hitting it with multiple air strikes, to the edge of Al Maghar in central Derna, a Mediterranean port.

“What remains outside the control of our forces is considered a small combat zone, less than just 10 km squared,” said Mismari. “The operations are in their final stages and the fighting is very heavy.”

On June 4, Haftar said "victory was near" for his forces in Derna.

He said the LNA would deploy across the city to take control of all areas and infrastructure, warning his troops against taking "revenge" -- in particular against terrorists who surrender and give up their arms.

The United Nations has expressed concern about the plight of Derna’s 125,000 residents, whose access to food, water, communications and medical treatment has been severely restricted.

The LNA has said it is working to restore services and deliver food to parts of Derna where it has advanced.

The Libyan Red Crescent said it had helped some 1,800 families that had been granted safe passage from areas being fought over. It said Sunday it had delivered humanitarian aid to 6,000 people in western Derna's Bab Tobruk district, in addition to thousands of others who have fled fighting in the embattled city to nearby areas.

Derna is located about 265 km (165 miles) to the west of the border with Egypt.



Israel Kills Syrian in Damascus Countryside, Detains Several

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
TT
20

Israel Kills Syrian in Damascus Countryside, Detains Several

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

Israeli forces conducted an operation in southern Syria to detain several members of Hamas, the military said Thursday. 

Syria TV, a local station, reported that a force of about 100 Israeli troops stormed the southern Syrian village of Beit Jin near the border with Lebanon and called the names of several people through loud speakers who were detained. Syria TV said one person was shot dead by the Israeli force. 

The Israeli military said that the detained people were Hamas members who were planning attacks against Israel, and that they were taken to Israel for questioning, adding that its forces also found weapons in the area. The detained people were not identified. 

Since the fall of President Bashar Assad ’s government in early December, Israeli forces have moved into several areas in southern Syria and conducted hundreds of airstrikes throughout the country, destroying much of the assets of the Syrian army. 

There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Syrian authorities. 

During a visit to France last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent hostilities from getting out of control.