US Welcomes Resumption of Flights Between Egypt, Libya

An EgyptAir plane lands at Mitiga Airport on Wednesday. (Mitiga Airport)
An EgyptAir plane lands at Mitiga Airport on Wednesday. (Mitiga Airport)
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US Welcomes Resumption of Flights Between Egypt, Libya

An EgyptAir plane lands at Mitiga Airport on Wednesday. (Mitiga Airport)
An EgyptAir plane lands at Mitiga Airport on Wednesday. (Mitiga Airport)

The US welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Tripoli and Cairo, which followed similar agreements with other regional capitals.

“The United States welcomes the resumption of direct passenger flights between Tripoli and Egypt following similar agreements with other regional capitals,” the US embassy in Libya tweeted.

“We encourage and support all efforts toward facilitating safe travel and Libya’s reintegration into the regional economy.”

An EgyptAir plane landed at the Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, after a seven-year suspension.

Director General of Mitiga airport Lotfi Tabib told local media that EgyptAir will operate three flights per week between the facility and Cairo International Airport.

Tabib said this is the third regional airline to resume flights to Libya after National carrier Tunisair and Tunisair Express, which restarted flights to Tripoli in 2021.

International airlines had suspended flights to Libyan airports with the eruption of the conflict in mid-2014 that led to a sharp political division.

Airports were not spared the fighting.

Tripoli International Airport was completely destroyed and security unrest is still hampering efforts to reopen it.

In remarks to the dpa, Tabib called on all foreign airlines to resume flights to and from Libya.

He stressed that Mitiga airport is applying all the security measures in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s recommendations.



Turkish President and Hamas Officials Hold First Meeting Since Gaza Ceasefire

 In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
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Turkish President and Hamas Officials Hold First Meeting Since Gaza Ceasefire

 In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
In this handout photo released by Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, sits next to members of the Hamas leadership council, left, including senior leader Mohammed Darwish, center left, and Turkish Foreign Minster Hakan Fidan, center right, at the Presidential palace in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Wednesday with a high-ranking Hamas delegation, marking his first encounter with the group since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Unlike many of its NATO allies, Türkiye does not consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization and Erdogan has maintained a close relationship with the group, regularly hosting its leaders.

A brief statement from the president’s office said Erdogan met with the delegation, which includes senior leader Mohammed Darwish and other members of the Hamas leadership council, in the Turkish capital Ankara.

The statement did not provide further details but a photograph of the meeting showed that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, were present.