Turkey’s Parliament Holds Emergency Session to Vote On Sending Troops to Libya

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media next to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after the Global Refugee Forum at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 17, 2019, REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media next to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after the Global Refugee Forum at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 17, 2019, REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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Turkey’s Parliament Holds Emergency Session to Vote On Sending Troops to Libya

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media next to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after the Global Refugee Forum at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 17, 2019, REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media next to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after the Global Refugee Forum at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 17, 2019, REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan anticipated Thursday’s parliament session to vote on sending troops to Libya, by calling on his country’s soldiers to achieve “epics” in the African country and to draw inspiration from the battles of the “Emir of the Ottoman sailors Hayreddin Barbarossa.”

In remarks on Wednesday, Erdogan said that his country “is going to take a new step in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean.”

“We hope that our soldiers in the eastern Mediterranean will achieve heroic epics, such as those achieved by the Emir of the Ottoman sailors Hayreddin Barbarossa” (1478 - 1546), he stated.

The Turkish Parliament convened in an emergency session on Thursday to discuss and vote on a motion submitted by the government to obtain a mandate to send soldiers to Libya, at the request of the Libyan National Reconciliation government, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, based on an agreement of understanding in military and security cooperation signed between the two sides on November 27.

The Republican People’s Party, the largest of the Turkish opposition parties, announced its refusal to send forces to Libya, explaining that it would vote against granting the government the mandate, while the Nationalist Movement Party, which was allied with the Justice and Development within the framework of the People’s Alliance, said that that its 49 deputies would vote in favor of the motion.

In the same context, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the Skhirat agreement in Libya “requires the support of the government of national reconciliation”, which it described as “legitimate and internationally recognized.”

Erdogan said last month that Sarraj requested the Turkish deployment, after he and Sarraj signed a military deal that allows Ankara to dispatch military experts and personnel to Libya.

Ankara says the deployment is vital for Turkey to safeguard its interests in Libya and in the eastern Mediterranean.



Syrian Presidency Says Ceasefire in Place, Urges Parties to Respect it

Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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Syrian Presidency Says Ceasefire in Place, Urges Parties to Respect it

Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

The Syrian government said its internal security forces began deploying in Sweida on Saturday as the presidency called on all parties to respect a ceasefire following bloodshed in the area that has left hundreds dead.

In a statement, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to commit to it and end hostilities in all areas immediately.

The country's interior ministry spokesperson said earlier on Saturday that internal security forces had begun deploying in Sweida, in southern Syria.

US envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel intervened in the conflict earlier this week, hitting government forces and the defense ministry building in Damascus as it declared support for the Druze minority.

Syria's Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence which began with clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions, before drawing in government security forces that were sent to the area by Damascus.