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GNA-Affiliated Militia Kidnaps Head of Libyan Media Foundation

Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters
Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters
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GNA-Affiliated Militia Kidnaps Head of Libyan Media Foundation

Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters
Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj attends a meeting in Rome on March 20, 2017. Remo Casilli / Reuters

Militias affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA) stormed the Libyan Media Foundation and kidnapped its head Mohamed Baiyou and two of his sons.

Baiyou revealed on Wednesday that he had been kidnapped, saying that “terrorist criminals attacked his home in Tripoli.”

The militias also kidnapped and arrested Hind Ammar who was appointed two days ago as program director at al-Wataniya TV channel.

The group behind the kidnapping, the so-called Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade, released a photo of Baiyou facing a poster of the militia’s logo and said in a statement that it rejected "a person without principle to run the media." It added that "the martyrs’ blood will not be wasted.”

The group's leader Ayoub Aburas had openly threatened Baiyou shortly before the kidnapping.

Meanwhile, GNA did not issue any official statement over the issue.

This came before GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj and his Foreign Minister Mohmmad Siala arrived in Rome to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Also earlier, Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha arrived on an official visit to Italy to discuss illegal migration with Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese.

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Israel Lobbies US to Keep Russian Bases in a 'Weak' Syria

People look for the position of the moon to determine the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at Mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria February 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
People look for the position of the moon to determine the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at Mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria February 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
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Israel Lobbies US to Keep Russian Bases in a 'Weak' Syria

People look for the position of the moon to determine the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at Mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria February 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
People look for the position of the moon to determine the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at Mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria February 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Türkiye's growing influence in the country, four sources familiar with the efforts said.
Türkiye's often fraught ties with Israel have come under severe strain during the Gaza war and Israeli officials have told Washington that Syria's new rulers, who are backed by Ankara, pose a threat to Israel's borders, the sources said.
The lobbying points to a concerted Israeli campaign to influence US policy at a critical juncture for Syria, as the opposition fighters who ousted Bashar al-Assad try to stabilize the fractured state and get Washington to lift punishing sanctions.
Israel communicated its views to top US officials during meetings in Washington in February and subsequent meetings in Israel with US Congressional representatives, three US sources and another person familiar with the contacts told Reuters.
The main points were also circulated to some senior US officials in an Israeli "white paper", two of the sources said.
All the sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to diplomatic sensitivities.
"Israel's big fear is that Türkiye comes in and protects this new Syrian order, which then ends up being a base for Hamas and other militants," said Aron Lund, a fellow at US-based think-tank Century International.
The US State Department and National Security Council did not provide a response to questions for this story. The office of Israel's prime minister and the foreign ministries in Syria and Türkiye did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It was not clear to what extent US President Donald Trump's administration is considering adopting Israel's proposals, the sources said. It has said little about Syria, leaving uncertainty over both the future of the sanctions and whether US forces deployed in the northeast will remain.
Lund said Israel had a good chance of influencing US thinking, describing the new administration as wildly pro-Israeli. "Syria is barely even on Trump's radar now. It's low priority, and there's a policy void to fill," he said.

ISRAELI ATTACKS
Israel has publicly declared its mistrust of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the faction that led the campaign that toppled Assad.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel will not tolerate the presence in southern Syria of HTS, or any other forces affiliated with the new rulers, and demanded the territory be demilitarized.
Following Assad's ouster, Israel carried out extensive airstrikes on Syrian military bases and moved forces into a UN-monitored demilitarized zone within Syria. Earlier this week, Israel struck military sites south of Damascus.
Now, Israel is deeply concerned about Türkiye's role as a close ally of Syria's new rulers, three US sources said, describing the messages delivered by Israeli officials.