UNSMIL Asks About Impact of Proliferation of Arms on Libyans

The UN envoy to Libya, Abdullah Bathily (UN)
The UN envoy to Libya, Abdullah Bathily (UN)
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UNSMIL Asks About Impact of Proliferation of Arms on Libyans

The UN envoy to Libya, Abdullah Bathily (UN)
The UN envoy to Libya, Abdullah Bathily (UN)

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) asked Libyan citizens about the impact of the spread of arms in Libya on them, their families, and their children.

In a tweet on its Twitter account on Disarmament Week, UNSMIL announced that it would like to hear from people in Libya, posing two questions directed to citizens.

The missions asked, “how has the proliferation of arms in Libya personally impacted you and your family?” and “how do you think regularizing the possession of weapons in Libya should start?”

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Abdullah Bathily, said told the Security Council that despite the noticeable decrease in the mobilization of armed groups and clashes among them, there are reports of ongoing large-scale recruitment activities.

The fighting between armed groups in Zawiya, west of Tripoli, on September 25 trapped dozens of families for several hours and left at least three civilians dead, including a 10-year-old girl.



Israel Says It Captured Weapons from Iran Being Smuggled to West Bank

An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israel Says It Captured Weapons from Iran Being Smuggled to West Bank

An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli soldier holds a weapon during an Israeli raid, in Al-Faraa camp near Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 27, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli authorities say they seized a large cache of weapons originating in Iran and bound for Palestinian fighters in the West Bank.

A joint statement from the military and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency on Wednesday said the cache included rockets, explosives, mortar launchers, sniper rifles and other weapons. They released photos purporting to show the weapons.

The statement did not say where the seizure took place, and the military did not respond to a request for comment.

The statement identified two units of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, one purportedly based in Syria, that it said were responsible for the smuggling, and named their commanders. It did not provide further evidence of Iran’s involvement.

Israel has carried out near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank in recent years, targeting what it says are militants planning attacks.

The violence spiked after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Health Ministry says nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since then. There has also been a rise in Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for a future state.