Libyan Parliament Calls on Egypt to Protect National Security of Both Countries

Libya's Tobruk-based parliament. (AFP)
Libya's Tobruk-based parliament. (AFP)
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Libyan Parliament Calls on Egypt to Protect National Security of Both Countries

Libya's Tobruk-based parliament. (AFP)
Libya's Tobruk-based parliament. (AFP)

The east-based Libyan parliament granted on Tuesday the Egyptian armed forces the right to intervene to protect Egyptian and Libyan national security “if the need arose”.

In a statement, it said that the “joining of Libyan and Egyptian efforts will ensure the defeat of the invading occupier, preserve our joint national security and ensure the security and stability of our country and region.”

The Egyptian armed forces may intervene to protect Libyan and Egyptian national security “if they believed an imminent danger was threatening our nations.”

“Our repelling of invaders preserves Libya’s sovereignty, unity and resources against colonizers,” the parliament added.

“The parliament is the only legitimate elected representative of the Libyan people and it represents their free will,” it stressed.

In June, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered his army to be ready to carry out any mission inside or outside the country to protect its national security.

He said that Egypt’s national security is connected to the stability of regional countries.

“We will not allow any threat to our western borders,” he announced, while urging a ceasefire in Libya according to the current frontlines.

“Any direct Egyptian intervention in Libya will be aimed at reaching a ceasefire. Any direct Egyptian intervention is now legitimate,” he declared.

“If some people think that they can cross the Sirte-Jufra frontline, this is a red line for us”, he said before an audience that included some Libyan tribal leaders.



Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Lebanon's central bank has banned banks and brokerages from dealing with a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution, according to a circular, a sign of the group's diminished sway over state affairs since its devastating war with Israel.

Keeping up military pressure on the Iran-backed group, Israel on Tuesday launched some of its heaviest airstrikes since a ceasefire in November, saying it hit training camps and weapons depots in east Lebanon. A security source in Lebanon said 12 people were killed, five of them Hezbollah fighters, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah has faced mounting pressures since the war, including financial ones.

In the circular, dated July 14 and reviewed by Reuters, Banque du Liban prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system".

Bolstered by its powerful arsenal, Hezbollah had long exercised decisive influence over Lebanese state affairs, but it was unable to impose its will in the formation of a post-war government in February.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organisation which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year.

Operating as a not-for-profit organisation under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

SHADOW ECONOMY

A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected US pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan because it is under US sanctions.

"The important point is that finally the authorities are addressing the shadow economy in Lebanon, which is the real problem," he said, adding that authorities had long failed to address its "toxic effects".

In June, the European Commission included Lebanon in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions presenting strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Last year, global financial crime watchdog FATF placed Lebanon on its "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny.