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Libya: Haftar Forces Take Control of Sabha Citadel

Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRCG) Ghassan Salame with Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (UNSMIL)
Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRCG) Ghassan Salame with Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (UNSMIL)
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Libya: Haftar Forces Take Control of Sabha Citadel

Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRCG) Ghassan Salame with Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (UNSMIL)
Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRCG) Ghassan Salame with Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (UNSMIL)

The Libyan armed forces have tightened their grip on several strategic targets that fall under the control of “criminal groups,” notably Sabha International Airport, the city's historic citadel and the Mountain Hotel.

This comes as part of the offensive that the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has launched to liberate the southern cities from terrorist groups.

Military battalions announced that the Tariq bin Ziad battalion, 106th brigade and Buhliqa’s 128th and 21st battalions, as well as several military units, captured various locations south of Sabha.

Flights at Sabha International Airport were suspended in January 2014 due to repeated clashes in the vicinity of the 6th Brigade based in the Citadel.

The southern operations command announced on Thursday that it had entered the airport after pursuing criminal gangs. It handed the airport’s control to Tariq bin Ziad battalion, which was confirmed by Colonel Mohammed Abdul Salam al-Misnaie.

In addition, the LNA’s 119th Infantry Division announced Friday that, after capturing the airport and fortress, the military units moved south to seize the rest of the camps, which the Chadian opposition has taken as a safe haven.

LNA spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Mismari announced that army units advanced in “several areas in the south” from an airbase 650 kilometers from the capital, Tripoli, pointing out that the main target is “to ensure security of residents in the southwest and protect them from terrorists,” whether ISIS, al-Qaeda or criminal gangs.

In the meantime, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRCG) Ghassan Salame continued his efforts to hold a unifying national Libyan conference, the date for which has not been set yet.

On Thursday, Salame met with Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome for an in-depth discussion on the situation in Libya. The Italian official expressed strong support for the UN-facilitated political process, announced the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)

The SRCG believes the national convention is very crucial, saying: “It is vital that the National Conference is held under the right conditions, with the right people, and that it is capable of concluding with an outcome that is agreeable to the broad majority.”

“We are working night and day to pull together these various elements to ensure the most productive event," Salame told the United Nations Security Council.

While the UNSMIL did not give further details on the Salame and Conte meeting, former Italian Interior Minister Marco Minetti said Libya was “not a safe harbor” for immigrants.

Minetti told AKI News Agency that Libya's instability is due to its failure to sign the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Palermo's mayor Loluca Orlando also criticized Tripoli’s efforts in dealing with immigrants, and described Libya as an “open-air detention camp” for migrants.

Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) and Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya Maria Ribeiro discussed with Local Government Minister Milad Taher cooperation to provide humanitarian and development support to Libyans in the east, west and south, including the launch of the Humanitarian Response Plan 2019.

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Arab World

Syrian Army on Alert after SDF Armed Groups Detected East of Aleppo

People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)
People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Syrian Army on Alert after SDF Armed Groups Detected East of Aleppo

People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)
People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)

The Syrian army went on alert on Sunday after detecting armed groups aligned with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) east of Aleppo city.

In statements to the SANA state news agency, the Operations Command said that the nature and objectives of these military reinforcements and troop concentrations brought by the SDF to eastern Aleppo have not yet been identified.

The Command added that Syrian army forces have been placed on full alert, deployment lines east of Aleppo have been reinforced, and all necessary measures have been taken to be ready for all possible scenarios.

First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.

The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the SDF, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to opposition groups in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.

The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF.

However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”

Arab World

Hadhramaut Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Stance Was Decisive, Situation Is Calm

Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Hadhramaut Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Stance Was Decisive, Situation Is Calm

Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut Salem al-Khanbashi stressed that the situation in the governorate was returning to normal in wake of the recent developments and withdrawal of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat from his office in Mukalla, he said: "The general situation is calm and stable. Work is underway to resume operations at various public administrations."

"Security measures have also been intensified, especially over the possession of weapons," he added.

He revealed that several suspects involved in looting and the possession of heavy weapons have been arrested.

"Life is gradually returning back to normal and the situation will improve," he stressed.

On Saudi Arabia's role, Khanbashi credited the Kingdom with helping move forward the issue of the STC withdrawal from Hadhramaut in record time.

Coordination with the Kingdom continues, he added.

He also noted that a meeting was held with senior Hadhramaut officials with leaders of the "Hadhramaut elite brigades" to discuss returning the forces to their former military positions.

Coordination with Saudi Arabia is at a "very high level", he revealed. Hadhramaut has received pledges from senior Saudi officials that major projects will be implemented in the governorate to develop infrastructure.

On restructuring the local authority, Khanbashi stressed: "Measures have been taken against officials who had openly expressed their support to the STC or who had taken contentious political positions."

Commenting on the conference Riyadh will be hosting on the southern issue, he said the Hadhramaut leadership has met with several members of the Hadhramaut National Council to discuss the issue.

The details of the talks and mechanism to choose representatives have not taken shape yet, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Expanded meetings with various political and social figures will be held in the governorate in the coming days with the aim of coming up with a unified vision that represents Hadhramaut at the conference, he added.

He noted the historic differences that exist between Hadhramaut and other southern governorates that should be taken into consideration and discussed.

On the issue of the Hadhramaut airports, he said the Riyan Airport is ready and expected to resume operations in the next two days.

Arab World

Yemen's Al-Alimi Urges Limiting Possession of Weapons to State to Focus on Confronting Houthis

Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (Saba)
Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (Saba)
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Yemen's Al-Alimi Urges Limiting Possession of Weapons to State to Focus on Confronting Houthis

Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (Saba)
Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad al-Alimi. (Saba)

Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad al-Alimi said on Sunday that his country has entered a new decisive phase in restoring state institutions and ending armed coups.

The process of handing over military camps in Hadhramaut and al-Mahra governorates to legitimate authorities is a step towards imposing state monopoly over weapons, he added.

He made his remarks during a meeting in Riyadh with British Ambassador to Yemen is Abda Sharif.

The formation of a supreme military council will help unify all armed forces and military and security formations under the defense and interior ministries, al-Alimi went on to say.

The formation of the committee sends a message that the state has not veered off its national priorities and that the process to hand over military camps was the right call in protecting the internal front, he stressed.

The move aims to protect the internal front and focus state efforts in confronting the Iran-backed Houthi coup either through peaceful means or war, he added.

He discussed with Sharif the latest local developments and efforts to restore order in the liberated governorates.

He hailed the positive role the UK has played in supporting Yemen's unity and legitimate authorities, as well as peace and humanitarian efforts.

Moreover, al-Alimi described as "brave" the Southern Transitional Council's decision to dissolve itself.

It marked a "pivotal moment that reflects a realization of the sensitivity of the current phase and the danger of sliding into internal conflicts that would weaken the internal front against the confrontation against the real threat," he said.

The next phase demands that all national, civilian and military forces align with the state and legitimate authorities and the rule of law, he demanded.

Al-Alimi also highlighted Saudi Arabia's central role in easing the escalation and sponsoring intra-southern Yemen dialogue. This is an extension of its economic and humanitarian support to Yemen.