Libya's Bashagha in Turkey to Convince Dbeibah to Step Down

UN Special Adviser Stephanie Williams meets with Dbeibah on Wednesday. (Stephanie Williams via Twitter)
UN Special Adviser Stephanie Williams meets with Dbeibah on Wednesday. (Stephanie Williams via Twitter)
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Libya's Bashagha in Turkey to Convince Dbeibah to Step Down

UN Special Adviser Stephanie Williams meets with Dbeibah on Wednesday. (Stephanie Williams via Twitter)
UN Special Adviser Stephanie Williams meets with Dbeibah on Wednesday. (Stephanie Williams via Twitter)

Fathi Bashagha, head of Libya's Government of Stability, kicked off on Wednesday a surprise visit to Turkey.

His office did not announce the trip and Turkish authorities did not comment on it.

Sources said Bashagha traveled at the head of a government delegation to Ankara after receiving an official invitation. This would mark his second visit to Turkey since taking office.

He is seeking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's support to persuade head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah to step down in his favor.

Libya has been plunged in stalemate over control of the capital Tripoli where the GNU refuses to hand over power after the east-based parliament appointed Bashagha in March.

Dbeibah's government was installed last year to run all of Libya for an interim period as part of a peace process that was meant to include national elections in December.

However, after the election process collapsed amid disputes over the rules, the parliament said Dbeibah's term had expired and moved to appoint its own administration.

Dbeibah says his government is still valid and that he will hand over power only after an election.

Meanwhile, head of the Presidency Council Mohammed al-Menfi stressed the need to prioritize national interests.

"Consensus is key to reaching a final solution to the crisis and achieving peace, and rebuilding the state on just and legal grounds," he said during a meeting in Tripoli with the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams.

Williams said she used the opportunity to brief Menfi on the next meeting of the Joint House of Representatives and High Council of State Committee that will be reconvened in Cairo on May 15 with the objective to rebuild consensus on a firm constitutional and electoral track to enable the holding of national elections as soon as possible.

On Wednesday, Williams said she met with Dbeibah in Tripoli at his request. She "emphasized the importance of ensuring that national elections take place on the basis of a sound constitutional framework within the shortest timeframe possible in order to meet the aspirations of the Libyan people."

She added that she briefed him on her recent travels and consultations with the international community, as well as her discussions with a range of Libyan stakeholders in the lead-up to the second round of talks between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State.

She also "highlighted the absolute necessity of preserving calm on the ground in order to allow space for the political negotiations to proceed."



As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
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As Syrian Opposition Sweep into Aleppo, Army Closes Airport and Roads

A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)
A destroyed Syrian army tank in the village of Anjara on the outskirts of Aleppo, Nov. 29. (AP)

Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, three military sources told Reuters, as the groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo.
The opposition fighters, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, carried out a surprise sweep through government-held towns this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad and his allies.
Russia, one of Assad's key allies, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the opposition, two military sources said, adding new hardware would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
The Syrian army has been told to follow "safe withdrawal" orders from the main areas of the city that the opposition have entered, three army sources said.
The fighters began their incursion on Wednesday and by late Friday an operations room representing the offensive said they were sweeping through various neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
They are returning to the city for the first time since 2016, when Assad and his allies Russia, Iran, and regional Shi'ite militias retook it, with the insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza opposition brigade, said their speedy advance this week had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower in the broader Aleppo province. Iran's allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in opposition-held Idlib, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkiye, which supports the opposition, had given a green light to the offensive.
But Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Friday that Turkiye sought to avoid greater instability in the region and had warned recent attacks undermined de-escalation agreements.
The attack is the biggest since March 2020, when Russia and Turkiye agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict.
CIVILIANS KILLED IN FIGHTING
On Friday, Syrian state television denied opposition had reached the city and said Russia was providing Syria's military with air support.
The Syrian military said it was fighting back against the attack and had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.
David Carden, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said: "We're deeply alarmed by the situation unfolding in northwest Syria."
"Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as 8 years old."
Syrian state news agency SANA said four civilians including two students were killed on Friday in Aleppo by insurgent shelling of university student dormitories. It was not clear if they were among the 27 dead reported by the UN official.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow regarded the attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
"We are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible," he said.