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Haftar Says Libya Has ‘Last Chance’ to Resolve Crisis 

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar gives a speech during a rally marking the 71st anniversary of the country's independence from Italy in the eastern city of Benghazi on December 24, 2022. (AFP)
Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar gives a speech during a rally marking the 71st anniversary of the country's independence from Italy in the eastern city of Benghazi on December 24, 2022. (AFP)
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Haftar Says Libya Has ‘Last Chance’ to Resolve Crisis 

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar gives a speech during a rally marking the 71st anniversary of the country's independence from Italy in the eastern city of Benghazi on December 24, 2022. (AFP)
Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar gives a speech during a rally marking the 71st anniversary of the country's independence from Italy in the eastern city of Benghazi on December 24, 2022. (AFP)

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar announced on Saturday that the country has a “last chance” to resolve its protracted crisis. 

Delivering an address from Benghazi on the occasion of 71st Independence Day, he said the solution to the crisis lies in drawing up a roadmap that would ensure that presidential and parliamentary elections are held. 

Oil revenues must also be fairly distributed, he added. 

“The Libyans alone can resolve their problems and establish a unified Libyan state,” he went on to say. 

He described the unity of the country as a “red line that we won’t allow anyone to cross. Libya is still united and will not be broken up.” 

Haftar called on all parts of the country to hold intra-Libyan dialogue and to unite the people. 

Moreover, he stressed that he was among the first officials to call for fair and transparent elections, demanding that the United Nations mission in Libya assume its responsibility to resolve the crisis. 

“The people can no longer remain silent over the wrongs that they have had to put up with,” he added, accusing some political parties of obstructing the elections. 

Addressing the case of former Libyan intelligence agent Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir al-Marimi, who was turned over to the US for his alleged role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, Haftar called for establishing the circumstances in which he was “kidnapped” from Libya. 

“We assure Abu Agila’s family that we will not abandon them,” he stated. 

Meanwhile, UN special envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, encouraged Libyan leaders “to agree on a solution based on a national compromise and avoid escalatory action that would threaten Libya’s already fragile stability and unity.” 

After a 2020 ceasefire, rival powers in eastern and western Libya agreed to hold elections on Dec. 24, 2021, and installed a new unity government that was meant to reunify divided national institutions. But the process fell apart. 

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Damascus Disarms Regime Loyalist Sleeper Cells in Deir Ezzor

Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)
Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)
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Damascus Disarms Regime Loyalist Sleeper Cells in Deir Ezzor

Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)
Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)

The internal security command in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province has banned remnants of the former regime from owning or carrying weapons, following the completion of the initial phases of a sweeping security crackdown.

The campaign, which focused on the city of al-Mayadeen near the Iraqi border, led to the arrest of dozens of wanted individuals and the seizure of large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

Col. Derrar al-Shamlan, head of internal security in the province, said 85% of the operation had been completed and described it as a major effort to dismantle “sources of chaos and threats to public safety.”

“A firm decision has been issued to prohibit the possession or ownership of all types of weapons by remnants of the ousted regime and their collaborators, due to the threat they pose to community security and stability,” Shamlan said.

He added that the ban followed confirmed reports that such weapons had been used in homicides and acts of intimidation. Shamlan also announced the completion of the second and third phases of the campaign, with plans to extend operations to the rest of Deir Ezzor province.

Security forces also launched a weapons crackdown on areas once under Iranian influence during the era of the former regime, security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The operation comes amid growing concerns that Iran could activate loyalist sleeper cells in Syria to stage attacks, as tensions escalate between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Analysts say such moves may be aimed at widening the conflict and easing pressure on Iran from Israeli airstrikes.

According to security officials, the campaign focused on disarming groups in the city of al-Mayadeen. Authorities exercised extreme caution during the raids, given the tribal nature of the region.

The operation was conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, whose forces sealed off the area and imposed a curfew.

Officials emphasized that cooperation with local residents and tribal leaders was a priority. The Syrian leadership, the sources said, is relying on tribal elders to help restore and maintain security across the country’s east.

Dozens of people have been arrested in the sweeping campaign in Deir Ezzor, with local sources estimating the number of detainees at more than 70. The charges include illegal weapons possession, drug trafficking, smuggling, murder, and failure to comply with reconciliation procedures, residents told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to the sources, over a third of those detained were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias. Many of them, they said, were well-known in the area and had long been a source of fear and unrest for local communities.

“There is widespread frustration that the government delayed cracking down on these individuals,” one source said, noting that some of those arrested had joined the public security apparatus, only to resume their previous illegal activities.