Macron Calls for Sanctions over Those Interfering in Libya

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint news conference with his counterpart of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint news conference with his counterpart of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
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Macron Calls for Sanctions over Those Interfering in Libya

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint news conference with his counterpart of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint news conference with his counterpart of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that the European Union should push for sanctions over those involved in Libya’s conflict.

Arms sanctions, Macron said, were necessary "to achieve a ceasefire and unlock a real dynamic towards a political resolution of the Libyan conflict,” he told reporters at the Elysee Palace alongside his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades.

Macron said foreign powers "whoever they are" cannot be allowed to violate a UN embargo on sending weapons to Libya.

Turkey supports Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA).

France angrily condemned Ankara last month after it said a French navy ship was targeted by a Turkish frigate's missile radar while inspecting cargo en route to Libya.

"More broadly, Europe must undertake a thorough reflection on the security issues in the Mediterranean," said Macron, who will host a summit of countries of the southern European Union at the end of August or early September.



Almost Half of Attacks on Heath Care in Lebanon Have Been Deadly, WHO Says

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the village of Al-Khiyam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 22 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the village of Al-Khiyam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 22 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
TT

Almost Half of Attacks on Heath Care in Lebanon Have Been Deadly, WHO Says

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the village of Al-Khiyam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 22 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the village of Al-Khiyam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 22 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)

The World Health Organization says nearly half of the attacks on health care in Lebanon have been deadly since the Middle East conflict erupted in October last year, the highest such rate anywhere in the world.

The UN health agency says 65 out of 137, or 47%, of recorded “attacks on health care” in Lebanon over that time period have proven fatal to at least one person, and often many more.

WHO’s running global tally counts attacks, whether deliberate or not, that affect places like hospitals, clinics, medical transport, and warehouses for medical supplies, as well as medics, doctors, nurses and the patients they treat.

Nearly half of attacks on health care in Lebanon since last October and the majority of deaths occurred since an intensified Israeli military campaign began against Hezbollah in the country two months ago.

The health agency said 226 health workers and patients have been killed and 199 injured in Lebanon between Oct. 7, 2023 and this Monday.