US Provides $4Mln in COVID-19 Assistance to Libya

People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)
People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)
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US Provides $4Mln in COVID-19 Assistance to Libya

People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)
People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)

The United States said it is providing four million dollars in additional COVID-19 assistance for Libya through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

This new funding will provide technical assistance, equipment and supplies to support Libya’s National Vaccine and Deployment plan and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, said the US embassy in Libya.

“We are pleased to be able to work in partnership with the Libyan government and Libyan people to respond to this unprecedented global pandemic and strengthen the response capacities needed to forestall or mitigate future crises,” said USAID Mission Director John Pennell.

This additional assistance from the historic American Rescue Plan brings the US contribution to confront the pandemic in Libya to more than $20 million from regular and supplemental appropriations since the start of the pandemic, he added.

This assistance has supported the Libyan government and civil society to respond to immediate public health needs, provide emergency assistance to Libya’s most vulnerable communities, and support its economic recovery, the embassy noted.

The US reiterated its commitment to “partnering with Libya to end the COVID-19 pandemic, respond to its social and economic impacts and build back a world that is even better prepared for future health emergencies.”

Libya has recorded 360,000 infections since the beginning of the pandemic, including about 305,000 recoveries, health authorities announced.



Israel Carries Out Several Attacks in Southern Lebanon

A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
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Israel Carries Out Several Attacks in Southern Lebanon

A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)
A picture taken from the southern Lebanese region of Marjayoun, shows the destruction in Khiam on November 28, 2024, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect. (AFP)

The Israeli army carried out several attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday, the third day of the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanon’s state media said.

Artillery bombardment struck the villages of Markaba, Talusa and Khiyam while four Israeli tanks moved into the western part of Khiam, the report said, adding that an Israeli tank fired at a house in Nabatiyeh province.

Local media also reported that the Israeli army fired on civilians in the nearby village of Bint Jbeil. No casualties were immediately reported and The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the claims.

Israel’s military said it struck an area in southern Lebanon where it detected movement of a Hezbollah rocket launcher on Friday.

In the statement on the airstrike, the military said it would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese army, which has accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire several times since it came into effect.