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Haftar Vows to Bring ‘Final Battle’ to Turkey

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)
Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)
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Haftar Vows to Bring ‘Final Battle’ to Turkey

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)
Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar. (AFP)

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar reiterated on Sunday his vow to confront Turkey in what he described as the “final battle”.

During an inspection of the Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade, he also vowed to defeat the mercenaries Ankara has brought in from Syria.

“The groups have no nation, no family and only seek to make money,” he said, while touring the forces’ preparations for the battle for the strategic city of Sirte.

Addressing the troops, he stated: “When you meet them in battle, they will act like mice as they cannot confront you.”

He added that simple observation of the mercenaries on television reveals that they have no fighting experience.

Haftar further slammed Turkey, saying that throughout its 300 rule of Libya, the people have seen nothing from it but evil, looting and murder.

“Even though the Libyan population is the smallest in the region, North Africa in specific, … we know how to expel them. This is the primary objective as we refuse colonization, which was brought about by the Turks when they handed over (Libya) to the Italians,” he continued.

Haftar added that all that remains is “one battle between us and the invaders. We will teach them and observers from afar a lesson.”

Meanwhile, a dispute erupted between Ankara and Rome over an Italian plane’s landing in the western city of Misrata.

The Italian foreign affairs parliamentary committee demanded clarifications from the Italian government after Turkish forces barred an Italian jet from landing in the city. The aircraft was transporting some 40 Italian military personnel.

Sources from the LNA said the incident revealed the extent of Turkey’ military control over Misrata. It accused it of turning the city into a logistic base for its military operations and the management of the GNA and mercenary forces ahead of the battle for Sirte.

Italy has deployed troops to Misrata under the excuse of securing a military hospital it set up to treat wounded members of the GNA forces. The LNA has repeatedly called on Rome to withdraw the troops, accusing it of supporting extremists.

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Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
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Italy’s Foreign Minister Heads to Syria to Encourage Post-Assad Transition

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome’s Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini (Andrew Medichini/AP POOL)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by insurgents, and appealed on Europe to review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.
Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.
The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.
Going into the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their European counterparts, Tajani said it was critical that all Syrians be recognized with equal rights. It was a reference to concerns about the rights of Christians and other minorities under Syria’s new de facto authorities of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HT.
“The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation,” Tajani said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to its sanctions on Syria. “It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged,” he said.
Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the US, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war.
HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.
The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of a Syrian opposition leader whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.
Syria’s new leaders also have been urged to respect the rights of minorities and women. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population before Syria’s civil war, either fled the country or supported Assad out of fear of insurgents.