Haftar Troops Advance in South Libya, Putting GNA Under Pressure

Libya's eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar (File Photo: Reuters)
Libya's eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar (File Photo: Reuters)
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Haftar Troops Advance in South Libya, Putting GNA Under Pressure

Libya's eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar (File Photo: Reuters)
Libya's eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar (File Photo: Reuters)

The Libyan National Army (LNA) continued to advance in the south of Libya amid heavy clashes with terrorists and Chadian groups, further isolating Fayez al-Sarraj's Government of National Accord in the capital Tripoli.

Although LNA commander Khalifa Haftar did not declare the army's advance towards the capital, military officials told Asharq al-Awsat that the liberation of the South would greatly facilitate the army’s mission if it was ordered to move on Tripoli, which has been under militia control for five years.

“Controlling the entire South will certainly facilitate the next step to enter Tripoli,” said a military officer who asked not to be identified.

The officer indicated that the entire South is now under the control of the army from Sabha to Qurayyat.

“The next battle is in Tripoli and it won't be easy,” admitted the military officer.

LNA's victories in the South have prompted Sarraj’s government to begin preparations for a possible battle in Tripoli.

Intelligence and military sources told Asharq al-Awsat that commander of the western military zone of Sarraj’s troops, Major General Ousama al-Juwaili, received about twenty containers, which are likely to contain weapons to be used in coming clashes.

Commander of Karama Operations Room Major General Abdul Salam al-Hassi said no military expert can predict the timing of the army's push into Tripoli.

“We are still in the South, and we are in the process of liberating it, helping citizens restore their normal lives, establishing stability and security, and chasing terrorists and mercenaries,” he indicated, adding that Tripoli will be dealt with at the right time.

The Council of Ministers of the Presidential Council government held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the situation facing the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA).

Earlier, the Libyan Office of Public Prosecutor in Tripoli issued an arrest warrant for the Chairman of the Authority, Ali Mahmoud Hassan Mohamed.

Mahmoud was detained over financial corruption and embezzlement.

Sarraj chaired the meeting of the Board of Trustees of LIA at the Presidential Council’s headquarters in Tripoli. The meeting was attended by Minister of Planning Tahir al-Jahimi, Finance Faraj Boumtari and Economy and Trade Ali al-Issawi.

The Authority’s board of directors had promised earlier this month to directly supervise the investment funds within the framework of a series of reform measures.



49 Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza over 24 Hours, as Mediators Scramble to Restart Ceasefire

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)
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49 Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza over 24 Hours, as Mediators Scramble to Restart Ceasefire

Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect the damage at Al Farabi school following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, 25 April 2025. (EPA)

 

At least 49 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, according to health officials, as Arab mediators scrambled to restart a ceasefire.
An airstrike in a neighborhood in western Gaza City early Saturday morning, flattened a three-story house, killing 10 people, according to a cameraman cooperating with The Associated Press. The number was confirmed by Gaza’s Health Ministry, along with three more people who were killed in the Shati refugee camp along the city's shoreline.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the strikes.
The attacks come as Hamas said on Saturday that it sent a high-level delegation to Cairo to try and get the stalled ceasefire back on track.
Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas last month and has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is destroyed, or disarmed and sent into exile. It says it will hold parts of Gaza indefinitely and implement President Donald Trump’s proposal for the resettlement of the population in other countries, which has been widely rejected internationally.
Hamas has said it will only release the dozens of hostages it holds in return for Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire, as called for in the now-defunct agreement reached in January.
Hamas said Saturday that the delegation will discuss with Egyptian officials the group's vision to end the war, which includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and reconstruction.
Earlier this week, other Hamas officials arrived in Cairo to discuss a proposal that would include a five-to-seven year truce and the release of all remaining hostages, officials said.
Egypt and Qatar are still developing the proposal, which would include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official and a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued its nearly two-month blockade on Gaza even as aid groups warn that supplies are dwindling.
On Friday, the World Food Program said its food stocks in Gaza had run out, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory. The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.
About 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told The Associated Press.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 of the Hamas group, without providing evidence.
The war began when the Hamas-led group stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. The militants still have 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.