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Fears of Clashes Resuming Between Militias in Tripoli

Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)
Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)
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Fears of Clashes Resuming Between Militias in Tripoli

Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)
Members of the armed militias in the city of Sirte (AP)

Controversial movements of some armed militias affiliated with Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital, Tripoli, have raised fears of a new wave of clashes.

Head of the so-called Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade (TRB) Haithem Tajouri has recently launched a verbal attack on the GNA and its loyal forces describing it as a weak government.

His comments seemed to be in response to GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha’s earlier attempts to control the entrances and exits of the capital.

Tajouri demanded that he be informed of whoever wants to enter Tripoli, whether patrols or any deployed force in the city.

Meanwhile, military commanders from the GNA-affiliated “Volcano of Rage” operation said TRB was on a state of alert.

Local residents have also noticed the sudden and unexplained repositioning of some militias in Tripoli during the past two days.

Local media have reported the appearance of the smuggler who has been sanctioned by the UN Security Council and is wanted by the Attorney General, Mohammed Kachlaf, beside GNA Defense Minister Salah el-Din Al-Namroush during his recent visit to the headquarters of the Petroleum Facilities Guard.

Kachlaf’s appearance after the arrest of his partner, Abd al-Rahman al-Milad in Tripoli in mid-October, raises questions on the engagement of the GNA Ministry of Interior in battles against militias.

Kachlaf has been controlling the Zawiya refinery for years. He is described as one of the rich and masters of smuggling in the western coastal regions, knowing that he commands militias affiliated with the Petroleum Facilities Guard. He is enlisted on the UN Security Council sanctions list, which includes travel bans and freezing of funds.

Namroush also employed an ISIS member after the Ministry of Defense assigned Mohammed Balaam to manage and follow up the exchange of detainees and corpses, in cooperation with the ministry’s permanent committee for humanitarian affairs, knowing that he had previously participated in the battles waged by extremists against the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in Benghazi before his escape to Tripoli.

Spokesperson for the GNA Sirte and al-Jufrah operations room Brigadier General Abdul Hadi Dara has claimed that a member of the Sudanese “Janjaweed” militia was shot dead by the townspeople on Abu Hadi Island after attempting to rob a house.

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Israel’s Raid on Masyaf: Commandos Descended from Helicopters to Capture Iranians

The Masyaf site in Syria following a raid carried out by Israeli special forces on an Iranian weapons facility (SANA)
The Masyaf site in Syria following a raid carried out by Israeli special forces on an Iranian weapons facility (SANA)
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Israel’s Raid on Masyaf: Commandos Descended from Helicopters to Capture Iranians

The Masyaf site in Syria following a raid carried out by Israeli special forces on an Iranian weapons facility (SANA)
The Masyaf site in Syria following a raid carried out by Israeli special forces on an Iranian weapons facility (SANA)

During a raid carried out by Israeli special forces on an Iranian Revolutionary Guard weapons facility in the Masyaf area in Syria last Sunday, equipment and documents were seized, as commandos descended from helicopters to capture Iranians and remove materials before destroying the site, according to several unconfirmed Israeli media reports.

At the time, local Syrian media reported that airstrikes hit a scientific research center in Masyaf, which has long been associated with the manufacture of chemical weapons and precision missiles by the Syrian regime and Iranian forces.

But Israeli media attributed the information on the commando raid to reports from private sources, including the opposition Syria TV network and Middle East researcher Eva Koulouriotis.

The opposition TV said the Israeli troops operated on the ground during the action at Masyaf and that Israeli helicopters did not land on Syrian soil, but instead hovered as special forces rappelled down ropes.

The report said there were violent clashes in which three Syrians were killed, and two to four Iranians were captured. It did not give details as to what happened to the Iranians.

Additionally, the Syrian TV network said that a Russian communications center was among the sites targeted as part of the operation.

Sources told the outlet that Syrian air defenses had been weakened by recent Israeli attacks, preventing them from foiling the Sunday assault, and that Syria has established a high-level commission of inquiry into the incident.

Separately, Koulouriotis told The Times of Israel quoting a “security source” that the Israeli army operation had targeted an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility for the development of ballistic missiles and drones that also provided logistical support to Hezbollah.

In a series of posts to X, Koulouriotis said roads surrounding the facility were targeted with airstrikes to stop Syrian troops from reaching the area, before the Israeli helicopters carrying special forces approached, with air support from combat helicopters and drones.

She said Israeli troops entered the compound, removed equipment and documents, and then laid explosives to destroy the facility.

Koulouriotis wrote, “This special operation in Syria is considered an important development in the recently escalating scene in the Middle East.”

“It is certain that what happened in Masyaf will become more clear in detail as the days pass and may be an indication of the imminence of a new escalation, whether on the Syrian or Lebanese arena,” she added.

The Masyaf area is thought to be used as a base for Iranian forces and pro-Iranian militias and has been repeatedly targeted in recent years in attacks widely attributed to Israel.

It hosts the Scientific Studies and Research Center, known as CERS or SSRC, which according to Israel is used by Iranian forces to manufacture precision surface-to-surface missiles.

Western officials have long associated CERS with the manufacture of chemical arms. According to the US, sarin gas has been developed at that center, a charge denied by the Syrian authorities.

In a related development, the Israeli strike that targeted a Volvo car at the eastern entrance of Khan Arnabah town on the Damascus-Quneitra highway on Wednesday, killed a commander from Al-Ashah village in Quneitra’s countryside, according to sources.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the commander worked for the Lebanese Hezbollah and was responsible for recruiting Syrians from the region and for transporting weapons.

The commander lived in Sayeda Zeinab area, south of Damascus. When he turned 60, he moved to Quneitra.

Syrian state media said an Israeli drone strike killed two people in Quneitra.

“Two citizens were martyred due to an Israeli drone attack that targeted a civilian vehicle with a missile” on the Damascus-Quneitra road, the official news agency SANA reported.

A local security source told AFP that “two charred bodies were removed” from the targeted vehicle.

The Israeli army has yet to comment on the strike.

Thursday's strike came days after raids blamed on Israel killed 18 people in the central province of Hama, according to Syrian authorities.

The Observatory said those strikes killed 27 people, including six civilians, and targeted a “scientific research area” and other sites in the province's Masyaf area.