Tripoli Becomes Military Base amid Fears of War in Libya

Joint forces of the interim government at the closed Tripoli airport (AFP)
Joint forces of the interim government at the closed Tripoli airport (AFP)
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Tripoli Becomes Military Base amid Fears of War in Libya

Joint forces of the interim government at the closed Tripoli airport (AFP)
Joint forces of the interim government at the closed Tripoli airport (AFP)

The Libyan capital, Tripoli, turned into a military base amid fears of war between the militias supported by Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh, head of the interim government, and fighters backed by parliament-appointed Fathi Bashagha, who chairs the unity cabinet.

The commander of the western military region, Major General Osama al-Juwaili, said that he refuses to negotiate with armed factions affiliated with Dbeibeh, demanding their unconditional withdrawal of from the government headquarters.

Local media also quoted a source from the Bashagha government asserting that its forces will not initiate the use of force.

He noted that the goal of this unit is to secure the government headquarters to enable the cabinet to carry out its tasks.

Meanwhile, media sources said that several leaders loyal to Dbeibeh activated what was known as the "Tripoli Military Council," coinciding with the movements of troops to secure the entrances and exits of the city and block the roads leading to Tripoli's closed airport.

Anadolu Agency quoted a military source affiliated with the Dbeibeh government as saying that military forces were deployed in the southern regions of Tripoli.

Furthermore, the Libyan Human Rights Committee said it is following with great concern the armed mobilization in various areas of Tripoli and its suburbs, which threatens a new escalation of violence and armed clashes.

The committee warned that this would significantly threaten the security, safety, and life of civilians and their property in the capital.

The Libyan Crimes Watch organization called for ending all military preparations in the vicinity of Tripoli, urging all parties to end all forms of escalation.

The United Nations voiced concern over the situation in Libya and called on all concerned parties to consider the interests of the Libyan people.

"We're watching with concern the developments in Libya, including the mobilization of forces, the threats of resorting to force for political aims," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

It is essential that there is de-escalation and that everyone keeps in mind the needs of the Libyan people: political harmony and peace, he said. "Nobody wants to see anything go backward."

The United Nations Libya Mission (UNSMIL) warned Friday that armed groups in the sensitive region of Sirte were preventing civilians from accessing vital services.

UNSMIL said it had “received worrying reports that these restrictions are preventing access by civilians to hospitals, schools, shops, and other essential facilities.”

It added that civilian freedom of movement should be restored and called “for the release of all arbitrarily detained individuals.”



Netanyahu Denounces Tactical Pauses in Gaza Fighting to Get in Aid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Denounces Tactical Pauses in Gaza Fighting to Get in Aid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized plans announced by the military on Sunday to hold daily tactical pauses in fighting along one of the main roads into Gaza to facilitate aid delivery into the Palestinian enclave.

The military had announced the daily pauses from 0500 GMT until 1600 GMT in the area from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and then northwards.

"When the prime minister heard the reports of an 11-hour humanitarian pause in the morning, he turned to his military secretary and made it clear that this was unacceptable to him," an Israeli official said.

The military clarified that normal operations would continue in Rafah, the main focus of its operation in southern Gaza, where eight soldiers were killed on Saturday.

The reaction from Netanyahu underlined political tensions over the issue of aid coming into Gaza, where international organizations have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads one of the nationalist religious parties in Netanyahu's ruling coalition, denounced the idea of a tactical pause, saying whoever decided it was a "fool" who should lose their job.

DIVISIONS BETWEEN COALITION, ARMY

The spat was the latest in a series of clashes between members of the coalition and the military over the conduct of the war, now in its ninth month.

It came a week after centrist former general Benny Gantz quit the government, accusing Netanyahu of having no effective strategy in Gaza.

The divisions were laid bare last week in a parliamentary vote on a law on conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant voting against it in defiance of party orders, saying it was insufficient for the needs of the military.

Religious parties in the coalition have strongly opposed conscription for the ultra-Orthodox, drawing widespread anger from many Israelis, which has deepened as the war has gone on.

Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, the head of the military, said on Sunday there was a "definite need" to recruit more soldiers from the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox community.

RESERVISTS UNDER STRAIN

Despite growing international pressure for a ceasefire, an agreement to halt the fighting still appears distant, more than eight months since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas fighters on Israel triggered a ground assault on the enclave by Israeli forces.

Since the attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and foreigners in Israeli communities, Israel's military campaign has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health ministry figures, and destroyed much of Gaza.

Although opinion polls suggest most Israelis support the government's aim of destroying Hamas, there have been widespread protests attacking the government for not doing more to bring home around 120 hostages who are still in Gaza after being taken hostage on Oct. 7.

Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials said seven Palestinians were killed in two air strikes on two houses in Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip.

As fighting in Gaza has continued, a lower level conflict across the Israel-Lebanon border is now threatening to spiral into a wider war as near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia have escalated.

In a further sign that fighting in Gaza could drag on, Netanyahu's government said on Sunday it was extending until Aug. 15 the period it would fund hotels and guest houses for residents evacuated from southern Israeli border towns.