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Militia Commander Acknowledges Turkey in Control of W. Libya

People are seen shopping at a market in the old city of Tripoli, Libya. (Reuters)
People are seen shopping at a market in the old city of Tripoli, Libya. (Reuters)
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Militia Commander Acknowledges Turkey in Control of W. Libya

People are seen shopping at a market in the old city of Tripoli, Libya. (Reuters)
People are seen shopping at a market in the old city of Tripoli, Libya. (Reuters)

Salah Badi, a Libyan militia leader, acknowledged that Turkey is effectively in control of western Libya.

Badi, commander of the al-Somoud Brigade that is loyal to the Tripoli-based transitional authority, said Saturday: “We used to control positions, while today we have been stripped of everything.”

“We control nothing and Turkey now controls everything, even foreign policy,” he added, revealing that he is barred from traveling.

Badi, who is wanted internationally for war crimes, said the 2019 war on Tripoli was actually part of a Russian-Turkish agreement that would see the defeat of the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar.

He explained that the agreement stipulated that the LNA would be defeated militarily, while it would continue to wield political power.

Moreover, Badi said that holding elections in December is unviable.

Transparent elections cannot be held while foreign mercenaries are deployed in the country, he remarked.

He called for the withdrawal of the mercenaries and foreign forces.

Everything happening in Libya is connected to foreign meddling, he added, demanding that a probe be launched in all developments that have taken place since 2011, even saying he was prepared to appear in court to be held accountable for his actions.

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Israel Says it Will Maintain Control of Gaza-Egypt Crossing

Hamas militants secure aid trucks that arrived the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, days after a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel went into effect. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Hamas militants secure aid trucks that arrived the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, days after a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel went into effect. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Israel Says it Will Maintain Control of Gaza-Egypt Crossing

Hamas militants secure aid trucks that arrived the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, days after a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel went into effect. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Hamas militants secure aid trucks that arrived the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, days after a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel went into effect. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Israel says it will maintain control of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas.

A statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu´s office on Wednesday denied reports that the Palestinian Authority would control the crossing.

It said local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas who had been vetted by Israeli security would merely stamp passports at the crossing. It noted that, under international agreements, this stamp "is the only way Gazans may leave the Strip in order to enter, or be received in, other countries."

According to The AP, the statement said Israeli forces would surround the crossing and that Israel must approve the movement of all people and goods through it. It said European Union monitors would supervise the crossing.

Israel captured the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing last May, forcing it to shut down. Egypt, a key mediator in more than a year of negotiations that led to the ceasefire, has demanded that Palestinians control the Gaza side.

Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Gaza says trucks from the UN, aid groups, governments and the private sector are arriving and no major looting has been reported -- just a few minor incidents.

Nearly 900 trucks of aid entered Gaza on the third day of the ceasefire Tuesday, the United Nations said. That's significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the deal.

Muhannad Hadi, who returned to Jerusalem from Gaza on Tuesday afternoon, told UN reporters by video that it was one of the happiest days of his 35-year humanitarian career to see Palestinians in the streets looking ahead with hope, some heading home and some starting to clean up the roads.

In his talks with families at a communal kitchen run by the UN World Food Program and elsewhere, he said, they all told him they need humanitarian assistance but want to go home, to work and earn money.

"They don´t like the fact that they have been depending on humanitarian aid," Hadi said.

Palestinians talked about resuming education for their children and about the need for shelter, blankets and new clothes for women who have been wearing the same clothes for more than a year. He said a shipment of tents is expected in the coming days.