Turkey Reportedly Informed Mercenaries to Prepare for Leaving Libya

A man waving Libyan national flag in Benghazi, Libya (AFP/Getty Images)
A man waving Libyan national flag in Benghazi, Libya (AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkey Reportedly Informed Mercenaries to Prepare for Leaving Libya

A man waving Libyan national flag in Benghazi, Libya (AFP/Getty Images)
A man waving Libyan national flag in Benghazi, Libya (AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters in Libya have been informed to prepare themselves to return to Syria, at orders of the Turkish government, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The Observatory reported that about 9,000 Syrian mercenaries who were recruited by the Turkish intelligence services, including 350 children under the age of 18, returned to Syria after completing the duration of their contracts and receiving their financial dues.

Meanwhile, the unity government headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh denied issuing any statements regarding the mercenaries on Libyan territories, stating that a fake social media page published an unfounded statement.

Dbeibeh’s spokesman, Mohamed Hammouda, told Asharq Al-Awsat there were about 50 fake Facebook pages issuing statements on behalf of the cabinet, but he did not specify the measures taken by the government to solve this issue.

Hammouda also denied, later in press statements, any official statement about the mercenaries, asserting that statements attributed to the government about the fate of foreign fighters were unofficial.

Furthermore, the Political Working Group (PWG) of the International Follow-Up Committee on Libya (IFCL), which includes Algeria, Germany, the Arab League, and UNSMIL held a meeting Thursday to review the progress attained in advancing a comprehensive political settlement of the situation in Libya.

The group stressed the need for the full, immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all foreign forces and removal of all foreign mercenaries from Libya.

It also called for the acceleration of efforts aimed at comprehensively addressing the threat posed by armed groups and militias to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.

Meanwhile, the head of the Presidential Council Mohammad al-Menfi called on the government and competent authorities to follow up the mine explosion incident in Ain Zara, south of Tripoli, which led to the death of a child and the injury of three others.

The PM offered his condolences to the victim's family, announcing that he is directly following the condition of the injured and asked the Minister of Interior to reassess the presence of mines in the area.

Volcano of Rage operation accused Wagner Group mercenaries, which supports the Libyan National Army (LNA), of planting the mines.

The operation also posted pictures showing part of the training of Wagner’s members as part of a program implemented by the Turkish army within the framework of the memorandum of understanding on military and security cooperation concluded with the outgoing Government of National Accord (GNA).



Continued Israeli Incursions in South Lebanon: A Bid to Create New Realities on the Ground

Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 
Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 
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Continued Israeli Incursions in South Lebanon: A Bid to Create New Realities on the Ground

Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 
Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 

South Lebanon is witnessing an escalating series of military operations, marked by repeated Israeli ground incursions and extensive bulldozing along the border.

The latest incidents have unfolded in the Marjayoun district and around the Wadi Hunin area, where Israeli military vehicles advanced more than 800 meters into Lebanese territory. According to analysts, these moves signal an effort to entrench a security presence that reflects “an advanced strategy to impose a new status quo along the frontier.”

On Friday, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli army bulldozers, protected by tanks stationed nearby, crossed the boundary at Wadi Hunin and moved towards a landfill south of the town of Adaisseh. The forces sealed off a road and erected earthen barriers, prompting heightened alert from the Lebanese side.

Separately, an Israeli patrol breached the withdrawal line in the outskirts of Kfar Shouba - penetrating 400 meters into Lebanese territory - and fired shots at shepherds without causing injuries.

The incursions did not stop there. Residents of Blida also reported a fresh advance of over 800 meters. Meanwhile, Israeli troops detonated a civilian structure in the Ghassouna area east of Adaisseh, using incendiary and stun grenades that sowed panic among local families.

In parallel, Israeli aerial attacks have intensified. On Friday, an Israeli drone struck a car traveling on the Nmeiriyeh–Sharqiyyeh road in Nabatieh district, killing one person and injuring five others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed. The attack underscores the widening scope of targets, reaching deeper into southern Lebanon and extending beyond military sites to include civilian vehicles.

Another drone dropped a bomb on a small transport truck in the border town of Kfar Kila, causing material damage but no casualties. Such incidents have become a recurring pattern in the ongoing escalation.

Adding to the strain on civilians, an entire house in Kfar Kila was blown up after being rigged with explosives. In Meiss El Jabal, Israeli forces destroyed a newly renovated tile factory last week, as part of what Israeli spokesmen described as “special operations” targeting weapons depots and infrastructure allegedly tied to Hezbollah in locations including Labouneh and Jabal Balat.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated on Wednesday that the operations were based on intelligence gathering and surveillance of “Hezbollah’s combat means and terrorist infrastructure.” He added that special units were working to dismantle these networks to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing its positions along the border. Adraee also released nighttime video footage showing Israeli infantry operating deep inside southern Lebanon.

A Systematic Effort to Empty the Border

Military analyst Brigadier General Naji Malaeb described these incursions as “part of a systematic plan to reshape the situation on the border.” He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli ground advances typically coincide with major diplomatic developments - whether a US envoy arriving in Beirut or Israeli delegations traveling to Washington.

“Every time there is a significant diplomatic event, we see coordinated maneuvers - airstrikes, artillery shelling, or limited ground incursions targeting civilian or logistical sites,” Malaeb noted.

He argued that Israel’s consistent pattern of targeting rebuilt homes and small businesses reveals a clear message: preventing displaced residents from returning. “Whenever villagers attempt to repair their homes or revive their livelihoods, the response is immediate,” he said, citing a recent case in Aitaroun where Israeli troops demolished a factory that had been reconstructed inside a residence.

“This is no longer just a violation of Lebanese sovereignty or UN Resolution 1701,” Malaeb concluded. “It has evolved into a deliberate strategy to depopulate the border strip and impose new facts on the ground, creating, in effect, a buffer zone through indirect means.”