Cairo Brings Views of Libyan Parties Closer

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool
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Cairo Brings Views of Libyan Parties Closer

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool

Egypt has sought to bring the views of Parliament Speaker Agila Saleh and Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar closer through a meeting held in Cairo Wednesday.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Saleh and Haftar.

“During the talks, Sisi was briefed on developments in Libya and the efforts of all parties to implement a ceasefire on the one hand, and on the Libyan efforts to promote the peace process under the auspices of the United Nations on the other,” Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

Saleh has not commented on a “surprise agreement” struck between Haftar and Ahmed Maiteeq, the vice-president of the Libyan Presidential Council, on the resumption of oil production after a nine-month hiatus.

Although Haftar didn’t express support to the initiative launched by Saleh to resolve the Libyan crisis, he reiterated keenness on adhering to the legitimacy of the house of representatives.

In a statement, he described Wednesday’s meeting as important, noting that it discussed political developments in Libya.

Egypt is committed to helping Libyans “rid their country of armed militias and terrorist organizations, and put an end to the blatant interference of some regional parties,” Radi said.

Sisi urged all parties to the Libyan conflict to return to the political process with the aim of restoring peace, security, and stability.

Head of the Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj stated that he met on Wednesday the leader of the High Council of State, Khaled al-Mishri.

They affirmed the importance of committing to a ceasefire and halting all fighting on Libyan territories.

In a related context, the LNA called on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to assume responsibility towards the secret detention centers ran by militias backing the GNA.

The LNA noted that these camps are located near UNSMIL’s headquarters.

LNA’s Brigadier General Khalid Al-Mahjoub said that the residents of Tripoli have fallen victim to the worst forms of torture committed by the militias and extremist organizations that control large swaths of the capital.



Israel Strikes Syria After Projectiles Fired, Holds Sharaa Responsible 

An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israel Strikes Syria After Projectiles Fired, Holds Sharaa Responsible 

An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel has carried out its first airstrikes in Syria in nearly a month, saying it hit weapons belonging to the government in retaliation for the firing of two projectiles towards Israel and holding interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. 

Damascus said Israeli strikes caused "heavy human and material losses", reiterating that Syria does not pose a threat to any regional party and stressing the need to end the presence of armed groups and establish state control in the south. 

Israel had not struck Syria since early May - a month marked by US President Donald Trump's meeting with Sharaa, the lifting of US sanctions, and direct Syrian-Israeli contacts to calm tensions, as reported by Reuters last week. 

Israel has bombed Syria frequently this year. Israel has also moved troops into areas of the southwest, where it has said it won't allow the new government's security forces to deploy. 

The projectiles Israel reported fired from Syria were the first since longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled. The Israeli military said the two projectiles fell in open areas. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he held the Syrian president "directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel". 

A Syrian Foreign Ministry statement said the accuracy of the reports of shelling towards Israel had not yet been verified. 

"We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilize the region to achieve their own interests," the Syrian Foreign Ministry added, as reported by the state news agency. 

A Syrian official told Reuters such parties included "remnants of Assad-era militias linked to Iran, which have long been active in the Quneitra area" and have "a vested interest in provoking Israeli retaliation as a means of escalating tensions and undermining current stabilization efforts". 

Several Arab and Palestinian media outlets circulated a claim of responsibility from a little-known group named "Martyr Mohammed Deif Brigades," an apparent reference to Hamas' military leader who was killed in an Israeli strike in 2024. 

Reuters could not independently verify the statement. 

The Syrian state news agency and security sources reported Israeli strikes targeting sites in the Damascus countryside and Quneitra and Daraa provinces. 

Local residents contacted by Reuters said Israeli shelling targeted agricultural areas in the Wadi Yarmouk region. They described increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli incursions into villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. 

An Israeli strike also hit a former Syrian army base near the city of Izraa, a Syrian source said. 

Israel has said its goals in Syria include protecting the Druze, a religious minority with followers in both countries. 

Israel, which has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Middle East war, bombed Syria frequently during the last decade of Assad's rule, targeting the sway of his Iranian allies. 

The newly-appointed US envoy to Syria said last week he believed peace between Syria and Israel was achievable. 

Around the same time that Israel reported the projectiles from Syria, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile from Yemen. 

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they targeted Israel's Jaffa with a ballistic missile. The group says it has been launching attacks against Israel in support of Palestinians during the Israeli war in Gaza.