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.”



Justice or Assassination: Leaders React to Israel's Killing of Nasrallah

An Iraqi volunteer holds a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has been killed, in Basra, Iraq, on September 27, 2024. (Reuters)
An Iraqi volunteer holds a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has been killed, in Basra, Iraq, on September 27, 2024. (Reuters)
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Justice or Assassination: Leaders React to Israel's Killing of Nasrallah

An Iraqi volunteer holds a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has been killed, in Basra, Iraq, on September 27, 2024. (Reuters)
An Iraqi volunteer holds a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has been killed, in Basra, Iraq, on September 27, 2024. (Reuters)

World leaders warned of potential repercussions on Saturday after Lebanese armed group Hezbollah announced its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike on a suburb of Beirut.

The killing of the Iran-backed group's chief has intensified fears of all-out war in the Middle East.

US President Joe Biden welcomed "a measure of justice".

- Iran -

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref warned Israel that Nasrallah's death would "bring about their destruction", Iran's ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.

The foreign ministry of Iran, which finances and arms Hezbollah, said Nasrallah's work will continue after his death. "His sacred goal will be realized in the liberation of Quds (Jerusalem), God willing," spokesman Nasser Kanani posted on X.

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei announced five days of public mourning.

- United States -

Biden said Nasrallah's death was "a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese civilians".

Washington supports Israel's right to defend itself against "Iranian-supported terrorist groups" and the "defense posture" of US forces in the region would be "further enhanced", Biden added in a statement.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Nasrallah was "a terrorist with American blood on his hands" and said she would "always support Israel´s right to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis."

Leading Republicans in the House of Representatives also welcomed the end of a "reign of bloodshed, oppression, and terror" by "one of the most brutal terrorists on the planet".

- Russia -

Russia's foreign ministry said "we decisively condemn the latest political murder carried out by Israel" and urged it to "immediately cease military action" in Lebanon.

Israel would "bear full responsibility" for the "tragic" consequences the killing could bring to the region, the ministry added in a statement.

- Germany -

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told ARD television that the killing "threatens destabilization for the whole of Lebanon", which "is in no way in Israel's security interest".

- Canada -

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Nasrallah as "the leader of a terrorist organization that attacked and killed innocent civilians, causing immense suffering across the region".

But he called for more to be done to protect civilians in the conflict, adding: "We urge calm and restraint during this critical time."

- Britain -

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a post on X that he had spoken with the Lebanese premier.

"We agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the bloodshed. A diplomatic solution is the only way to restore security and stability for the Lebanese and Israeli people," he said.

- France -

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot demanded Israel "immediately stop its strikes in Lebanon" and said it was opposed to any ground operation in the country.

France also "calls on other actors, notably Hezbollah and Iran, to abstain from any action that could lead to additional destabilization and regional conflagration", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

- United Nations -

UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours".

- Hamas -

Palestinian armed group Hamas, whose unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel sparked the devastating war in Gaza that drew in fellow Iran-backed groups including Hezbollah, called Nasrallah's killing "a cowardly terrorist act".

"We condemn in the strongest terms this barbaric Zionist aggression and targeting of residential buildings," Hamas said in a statement.

- Palestinian Authority -

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas offered his "deep condolences" to Lebanon for the deaths of Nasrallah and civilians, who "fell as a result of the brutal Israeli aggression", according to a statement from his office.

- Houthis -

The Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis militias, who have been firing on ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas, said in a statement that Nasrallah's killing "will increase the flame of sacrifice, the heat of enthusiasm, the strength of resolve" against Israel, with their leader vowing Nasrallah's death "will not be in vain".

- Türkiye -

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country maintains diplomatic relations with Israel but who has been a sharp critic of its offensive in Gaza, said on X that Lebanon was being subjected to a "genocide", without referring directly to Nasrallah.

- Cuba -

In a post on X, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called the killing a "cowardly targeted assassination" that "seriously threatens regional and global peace and security, for which Israel bears full responsibility with the complicity of the United States."

- Argentina -

Argentine President Javier Milei reposted on X a message from a member of his council of economic advisers, David Epstein, who hailed the killing.

"Israel eliminated one of the greatest contemporary murderers. Responsible, among others, for the cowardly attacks in #ARG," it said. "Today the world is a little freer".

- Venezuela -

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed solidarity with Nasrallah and Lebanon.

"They want to justify it, but to assassinate him, they attacked buildings, housing estates and killed hundreds of people. There's a word for this: crime."