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Libya: Clashes Erupt South of Tripoli Violating Ceasefire Deal

Smoke rises during heavy clashes between rival factions in Tripoli, Libya (File photo: Reuters)
Smoke rises during heavy clashes between rival factions in Tripoli, Libya (File photo: Reuters)
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Libya: Clashes Erupt South of Tripoli Violating Ceasefire Deal

Smoke rises during heavy clashes between rival factions in Tripoli, Libya (File photo: Reuters)
Smoke rises during heavy clashes between rival factions in Tripoli, Libya (File photo: Reuters)

Heavy clashes erupted Thursday in the Libyan capital violating the ceasefire deal, only to subside on Friday morning amid reports on the mobilization of troops of Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar and forces loyal to Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

LNA advanced towards Tripoli as GNA forces retreated, a high-ranking military official told Asharq Al-Awsat in a brief statement.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the army forces managed during the past two days to thwart militia defenses in several areas of the capital, especially in its southern suburbs, but declined to reveal more details.

Heavy clashes erupted between the forces of the two parties near the diplomatic club in Ain Zara axis in southern Tripoli.

Two top officials of forces loyal to GNA stated they monitored LNA forces mobilizing in the areas of Qasr bin Ghashir, Tarhunah, and Sorman, adding that they transported artillery from al-Jafra airbase towards Tripoli.

Volcano of Rage Operation, launched by militias loyal to the GNA, indicated that LNA forces bombed the homes and properties of citizens, as worshipers went out for Friday prayers in the town of Abu Salim.

GNA Minister of Interior Fathi Bashagha pledged the ministry’s full support to the forces to liberate the entire country from LNA's "illegal militias".

In a statement, the minister said he was confident the government and supporting forces would fully liberate all areas.

Bashagha was visiting Sirte – al-Jufrah field operations room where he met with military officials and head of the operations room to discuss recent developments in the region and preparations to liberate the areas.

Meanwhile, Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the recent developments of the Libyan crisis in the wake of the resignation of the UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame.

Aboul-Gheit discussed, over the phone, Salame’s resignation and conveyed to Guterres his sincere appreciation for the important role he has played for Libya's peace and stability. He expressed confidence in the UN to choose another distinguished Arab figure to succeed Salame and lead UNSMIL.

Guterres praised the Arab League’s firm commitment to settling the Libyan crisis, stressing that the UN will continue to build on the efforts launched by Salame, according to a source.

Aboul-Gheit said they discussed the Libyan developments after Saleme’s sudden resignation citing health issues, noting that he briefed Guterres on the results of the last ministerial meeting of the Arab League.

Arab countries are committed to helping settle the Libyan crisis by strengthening mechanisms of cooperation with the UN and continuing to coordinate with other partners concerned with Libyan affairs, asserted Aboul-Gheit.

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Syria’s New Rulers Declare Crackdown as Tensions Flare in Coastal Area

Syrian opposition forces stop a vehicle as they form a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous in western Syria on December 16, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian opposition forces stop a vehicle as they form a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous in western Syria on December 16, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria’s New Rulers Declare Crackdown as Tensions Flare in Coastal Area

Syrian opposition forces stop a vehicle as they form a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous in western Syria on December 16, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian opposition forces stop a vehicle as they form a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous in western Syria on December 16, 2024. (AFP)

Syria's new authorities on Thursday launched a security crackdown in a coastal region where 14 policemen were killed a day before, vowing to pursue "remnants" of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government accused of the attack, state media reported.

The violence in Tartous province, part of the coastal region that is home to many members of Assad's Alawite sect, has marked the deadliest challenge yet to the new authorities which swept him from power on Dec. 8.

The new administration's security forces launched the operation to "control security, stability, and civil peace, and to pursue the remnants of Assad's militias in the woods and hills" in Tartous' rural areas, state news agency SANA reported.

Members of the Alawite minority wielded huge sway in Assad-led Syria, dominating security forces he used against his opponents during the 13-year-long civil war, and to crush dissent during decades of bloody oppression by his police state.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former al-Qaeda affiliate which led the opposition campaign that toppled Assad, has repeatedly vowed to protect minority religious groups.

SANA reported that Mohammed Othman, the newly appointed governor of the coastal Latakia region that adjoins the Tartous area, met Alawite sheikhs to "encourage community cohesion and civil peace on the Syrian coast".

HOMS PROTEST

The Syrian information ministry declared a ban on what it described as "the circulation or publication of any media content or news with a sectarian tone aimed at spreading division" among Syrians.

The Syrian civil war took on sectarian dimensions as Assad drew on Shiite militias from across the Middle East, mobilized by his ally Iran, to battle the revolt.

Dissent has also surfaced in the city of Homs, 150 km (90 miles) north of Damascus. State media reported that police imposed an overnight curfew on Wednesday night, following unrest linked to demonstrations that residents said were led by members of the Alawite and Shiite religious communities.

Footage posted on social media on Wednesday from Homs showed a crowd of people scattering, and some of them running, as gunfire was heard. Reuters verified the location. It was not clear who was opening fire.

Assad's long-time Shiite regional ally, Iran, has criticized the course of events in Syria in recent days.

On Sunday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to "stand with firm determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this insecurity".

Khamenei forecast "that a strong and honorable group will also emerge in Syria because today Syrian youth have nothing to lose", calling the country unsafe.

Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, said in a social media post on Tuesday that Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and Syria's sovereignty and security.

"We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria and we hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks," he said.

Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighborly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the new administration in Damascus.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah played a major role propping up Assad during the civil war, before bringing its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel - a redeployment that weakened Syrian government lines.