Iranian Militias Switch Positions in Syria

View of a damaged building in the aftermath of missile attacks in Erbil, Iraq March 13, 2022. (Reuters)
View of a damaged building in the aftermath of missile attacks in Erbil, Iraq March 13, 2022. (Reuters)
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Iranian Militias Switch Positions in Syria

View of a damaged building in the aftermath of missile attacks in Erbil, Iraq March 13, 2022. (Reuters)
View of a damaged building in the aftermath of missile attacks in Erbil, Iraq March 13, 2022. (Reuters)

After a dozen ballistic missiles struck Iraq’s northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil, Iranian militias across Syria undertook redeployment and repositioning operations.

The attack against Erbil had also targeted the US consulate’s new building on Saturday evening.

In the western Euphrates region, Iranian-backed militias in Al-Bokamal and its desert, Al-Mayadeen and its countryside have changed their positions and outposts and stationed in new posts, transported weapons and ammunition to other locations in Al-Shibli area, Al-Mazarea in the outskirts and desert of Al-Mayadeen and in Al-Raqqah, informed sources at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The war monitor’s sources have also reported that Iranian-backed militias have transported their forces and weapons from two areas of Maadan desert.

According to Observatory sources, Iranian-backed militias conducted unusual movements in Palmyra and its desert and other areas in the eastern countryside of Homs, as these militias have repositioned in new sites there and evacuated warehouses and points.

Similar operations on the outskirts of the capital Damascus and near the border with Lebanon in the Damascus countryside have occurred.

The mass reshaping of Iranian positioning in Syria came after two members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force and two other Syrian fighters operating under the banner of Iran-backed militias were killed in an Israeli attack on March 7.

Israel had hit their military positions near Damascus International Airport.

Severe tensions have also taken over Syrian-Iraqi borders. Beyond military calculations and positions, the area is troubled by terrorists and smugglers.

On Friday night, clashes erupted between a group of smugglers and Iraqi border guards in the Al-Bokamal desert border with Iraq in Syria’s eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.

According to the Observatory, the clashes started with the attempt of a group of smugglers to cross the Iraqi border. Eventually, the smugglers managed to flee towards Syrian territory amid clashes.



Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
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Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh has stressed the need for all Libyans to actively participate in the political process and play a role in shaping Libya’s future.

Tetteh’s comments came shortly before her briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the North African country.

On Tuesday, the UN Special Representative and her Deputy for Political Affairs, Stephanie Koury, briefed a delegation of 28 representatives of civil society organizations from the southern region, including mayors and municipality members, on the outcomes of the Advisory Committee and the country-wide consultations led by the UN mission regarding the political process, as well as the recent meeting of the International Follow-up Committee in Berlin.

The participants told Tetteh that the ongoing institutional divisions between the east and west are negatively impacting the south.

They expressed a strong desire to see national elections through which all Libyans can choose their leaders and establish unified national institutions.

The southern delegation stressed the importance of ensuring that all cultural components have the opportunity to participate equally as citizens in the governance of the country.

Tetteh then held a meeting with the mayors of Misrata, Tarhouna, Khoms, Zliten, and Qasr al-Akhyar to discuss the options put forward by the Advisory Committee, as well as the ongoing challenges faced by municipalities across Libya.

UNSMIL stated the mayors conveyed their support for the work of the Advisory Committee and submitted a petition to Tetteh expressing their support for inclusive dialogue involving elected municipal councils and an end to the protracted transitional phases in Libya.

The mayors also stressed the need for effective administrative decentralization, and the allocation of resources to the municipalities to support adequate service delivery, and noted that the municipalities were currently underfunded.

They also voiced concerns over irresponsible public spending, which they warned poses a threat to the Libyan state, and called for the adoption of clear criteria for allocations of development funds.

They noted the importance of strengthening decentralization as a means to provide critical support for the Libyan people.

In a related development, the Chairman of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh, met Monday in Tripoli with British Ambassador to Libya Martin Longden to discuss ways the UK can support Libya’s electoral process.

Longden reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to providing technical and advisory support to the HNEC, aimed at strengthening its readiness and ensuring elections are held with integrity and transparency.

Meanwhile, Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah chaired an expanded meeting on Monday to follow up on the latest developments in the implementation of the “Emmar Tripoli” (Tripoli Re/Development) program, launched by the his government, with the aim of improving infrastructure and enhancing the aesthetic and urban character of the capital.

During the meeting, Dbeibah stressed the need to overcome obstacles and accelerate the pace of work according to the approved timetables, stressing the importance of daily field follow-up to achieve the set goals.