Libyan National Army Dismisses Ceasefire Push by Rivals

LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari. Reuters file photo
LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari. Reuters file photo
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Libyan National Army Dismisses Ceasefire Push by Rivals

LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari. Reuters file photo
LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari. Reuters file photo

The Libyan National Army (LNA) dismissed a ceasefire announcement by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli as a marketing stunt on Sunday, saying rival forces were mobilizing around front lines in the center of the country.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said the army was ready to respond to any attempted attack on its positions around the coastal city of Sirte, and Jufra, to the south.

Mismari's comments were the first by the LNA after the announcement on Friday of a ceasefire and a call for the resumption of oil production by GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj.

"The initiative that Sarraj signed is for media marketing," Mismari said during a briefing for journalists. "There is a military build-up and the transfer of equipment to target our forces in Sirte."

"If Sarraj wanted a ceasefire, he would have drawn his forces back, not advanced towards our units in Sirte."



Israel Bombs Power Station and Two Ports Controlled by Houthis in Yemen

 Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Bombs Power Station and Two Ports Controlled by Houthis in Yemen

 Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)

Israeli warplanes bombed a power station and two ports in Houthi-controlled Yemen on Friday in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile strikes against Israel, and pro-Houthi media said at least one person had been killed and nine wounded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iran-backed Houthi militias were "paying and will continue to pay a heavy price for their aggression against us".

A series of airstrikes targeted the Red Sea port of Ras Issa and six others the major port of Hodeidah, said Al Masirah TV, the main news outlet run by the Houthis, while Harf Sufyan District in Amran province also came under air attack.

An employee at the Ras Issa port was killed and six others were injured, the outlet said.

Earlier, British security firm Ambrey said airstrikes on the Ras Issa port targeted oil storage facilities in the vicinity of shipping berths, though no merchant vessels were reported to have been damaged.

The supply of petroleum derivatives is stable, the Houthi government spokesperson Hashem Sharaf Eddine said after the attack.

Thirteen airstrikes also targeted the Hezyaz central power station in Yemen's capital Sanaa, Al Masirah TV reported. It said three citizens had been injured, including a worker at Hezyaz, and a number of homes had been damaged.

An Israeli military statement confirmed the targets, saying the power station served as a "central source of energy for the Houthi terrorist regime in its military activities". It added that the targets struck were examples of the "Houthis' exploitation of civilian infrastructure".

Within the past 48 hours, the Houthis have fired three drones at Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv and more drones and missiles at the US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said.

The Houthis have targeted Israel, hundreds of kilometers to the north as well as international shipping in waters near Yemen since November 2023 in support of Palestinians at war with Israel in Gaza.

Israel has responded with airstrikes in Houthi-held areas of Yemen, as have British and US forces in the region.

Netanyahu said last month Israel was only at the beginning of its campaign against the Houthis.