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Haftar Visits Cairo Ahead of 3rd Round of Geneva Talks

Fighters loyal to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) clash with forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar south of the capital Tripoli on Monday. AFP file photo
Fighters loyal to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) clash with forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar south of the capital Tripoli on Monday. AFP file photo
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Haftar Visits Cairo Ahead of 3rd Round of Geneva Talks

Fighters loyal to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) clash with forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar south of the capital Tripoli on Monday. AFP file photo
Fighters loyal to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) clash with forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar south of the capital Tripoli on Monday. AFP file photo

Fierce clashes erupted Wednesday in the Libyan capital Tripoli, expanding to strategic military zones, only hours before the launch of the third round of talks in Geneva among Libya’s rivals.

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar has embarked on a visit to Cairo to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and defense officials, a source close to Haftar told Reuters.

This is his first visit this year and the fifth since his operation to ‘liberate’ Tripoli on April 4 of last year.

His trip to Cairo comes amid an expected visit by head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj to Ankara for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Neither the Egyptian president nor Haftar’s office have announced the visit.

However, Egyptian and Libyan sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Haftar’s talks in Cairo focus on foreign meddling in the Libyan crisis, mainly political and military support by Qatar and Turkey to the GNA.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the UN’s announcement that the LNA and the GNA have agreed to resume ceasefire talks.

Further, Shoukry and his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio, held a video call on Wednesday on the latest developments in the Libyan crisis.

The two sides stressed the importance of a comprehensive political settlement to the Libyan war.

They also rejected foreign interference in Libya, whilst lending support to counterterrorism efforts in the North African nation.

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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.