LNA to Announce Liberation of Libya’s Derna City

General view of an empty street in Derna, Libya. (Reuters file photo)
General view of an empty street in Derna, Libya. (Reuters file photo)
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LNA to Announce Liberation of Libya’s Derna City

General view of an empty street in Derna, Libya. (Reuters file photo)
General view of an empty street in Derna, Libya. (Reuters file photo)

The military operation the in eastern city of Derna has concluded, announced the national security directorate that supports the Libyan government in the east.

The Libyan National Army (LNA), which has been waging the operation against terrorists in the city, has yet to declare the official liberation of Derna.

Locals told Asharq Al-Awsat that the residents took to the streets of Derna Friday to celebrate the liberation.

The city was considered one of the remaining terrorist bastions in Libya.

Meanwhile, already tense relations between LNA commander Khalifa Haftar and Government of National Accord head Fayez al-Sarraj became even more strained with the latter accusing his forces of launching rockets at a civilian jet that was transferring wounded from the southern al-Feel oilfield to Tripoli.

He said that the LNA’s firing of warning shots at the plane was a terrorist act that is barred by international treaties and laws.

Sarraj claimed that the attack damaged al-Feel oilfield’s infrastructure, revealing that legal measures have been taken to counter the violation.

Unofficial information said that the plane was set to transfer Ali Kenna, who was appointed by Sarraj as military commander of Sabha, to Tripoli.

The LNA had started imposing on Friday a flight ban at all airports in southern Libya, explaining that the region was a closed military zone. Any flight would need the approval of the LNA.

Any flight that enters the southern airspace will be targeted, it warned.



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 15

A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 15

A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

Gaza's civil defense agency said Friday that overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people, after nearly 21 months of war in the Palestinian territory.

Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the territory's population of more than two million.

Gaza civil defense official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP that seven people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air strike on displaced people's tents near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

Mughayyir said eight more people were killed in two other strikes on tent encampments on the coast of Khan Yunis, including one that killed two children early Friday.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates, but noted it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

On Thursday, the agency reported that 73 people were killed in Israeli strikes.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense.

Israel's military campaign has killed at least 57,130 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.