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.



Houthis in Yemen Say They Won’t End Support for Gaza

 Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Houthis in Yemen Say They Won’t End Support for Gaza

 Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

A top leader of the Iran-backed-Houthi militias in Yemen said they will keep up their support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip until Israeli “aggression stops, and the siege is lifted.”

“Our operations in support of Gaza will not cease, no matter the sacrifices,” said Mahdi al-Mashat in a statement Wednesday.

The Houthis are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.

They have been firing long-range missiles at Israel in the months since it resumed the war in Gaza, setting off air raid sirens but generally causing few casualties. They have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.