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.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.