عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Heavy Airstrikes on Edge of Libyan Capital

Heavy Airstrikes on Edge of Libyan Capital
TT
20
TT

Heavy Airstrikes on Edge of Libyan Capital

Heavy Airstrikes on Edge of Libyan Capital

The Libyan National Army intensified on Friday its airstrikes on positions held by forces loyal to Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Government of National Accord, on the edge of the capital Tripoli, forcing thousands of civilians to flee.

The LNA which is led by Khalifa Haftar was fighting GNA troops in the southern suburbs of the capital Friday about 11 kilometers from the city center.

An LNA warplane bombed the camp of a force allied to Sarraj in Zuwara, west of Tripoli towards the Tunisian border, an LNA military source and residents said.

A fighter jet also attacked the only partly functioning airport in Tripoli, Mitiga, witnesses said.

The United Nations said the fighting had driven 8,000 people from their homes and that "displacements from areas affected by the clashes in and around Tripoli continue to surge".

The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that the fighting may result in a deadly outbreak of several infectious diseases if the displaced consume dirty water.

WHO said it has delivered trauma kits and medicines to hospitals, adding: “These supplies will last for two weeks, the acute phase.”

After a week of fighting, 75 people have been killed and 323 wounded, including seven civilians killed and 10 wounded, Dr. Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO representative in Libya, told a Geneva news briefing by telephone from Tripoli.

Meanwhile, the general prosecutor in eastern Libya issued arrest warrants against Sarraj and 23 other military and GNA officials.

He accused Sarraj and his associates of seeking to incite civil strife in the country, forming illegal organizations and carrying out terrorist acts.

Also Friday, the chairman of state oil company NOC, Mustafa Sanalla, renewed his warning that the fighting could wipe out crude production.

“I am afraid the situation could be much worse than 2011 because of the size of forces now involved,” Sanalla said.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Security Council Urges Syrian Authorities to Protect Minorities

Security personnel inspect vehicles at a checkpoint set up to confiscate stolen items, in Latakia, Syria March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Security personnel inspect vehicles at a checkpoint set up to confiscate stolen items, in Latakia, Syria March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
TT
20
TT

Security Council Urges Syrian Authorities to Protect Minorities

Security personnel inspect vehicles at a checkpoint set up to confiscate stolen items, in Latakia, Syria March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Security personnel inspect vehicles at a checkpoint set up to confiscate stolen items, in Latakia, Syria March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The UN Security Council has condemned the widespread violence in several provinces in Syria, calling on the interim authorities “to protect all Syrians without distinction.”

In a presidential statement it adopted unanimously on Friday, the Council “condemned the widespread violence perpetrated in Syria’s Latakia and Tartus provinces since 6 March — including mass killings of civilians among the Alawite community.”

The Council “condemned attacks targeting civilian infrastructure” and “called on all parties to immediately cease all violence and inflammatory activities and ensure the protection of all civilian populations and infrastructure, as well as humanitarian operations.”

It said “all parties and States must ensure full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those affected and the humane treatment of all persons. The Council also urged a rapid increase of humanitarian support across Syria.”

The Council “called for swift, transparent, independent, impartial and comprehensive investigations to ensure accountability and bring all perpetrators of violence against civilians to justice.”

It took note of the Syrian interim authorities’ establishment of an independent committee to investigate such violence and identify those responsible.

The Council also noted the Syrian decision to establish a committee for civil peace.

It renewed its call for an inclusive political process led and owned by Syrians, facilitated by the UN and based on the principles outlined in resolution 2254. “This includes safeguarding the rights of all Syrians — regardless of ethnicity or religion — meeting their legitimate aspirations and enabling them to peacefully, independently and democratically determine their futures.”

Meanwhile, the Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, hoped that the Constitutional Declaration issued by the Syrian authorities “will move Syria toward restoring the rule of law and promoting an orderly inclusive transition.”

Pedersen issued a statement on the fourteenth anniversary of the war in Syria.

“Now is the time for bold moves to create a genuinely credible and inclusive transitional government and legislative body; a constitutional framework and process to draft a new constitution for the long term that is credible and inclusive too; and genuine transitional justice,” he said.

“More than three months since the fall of the Assad regime, Syria now stands at a pivotal moment,” he added.

The Special Envoy called for “an immediate end to all violence and for protection of civilians in accordance with international law” and called “for a credible independent investigation into the recent killings and violence, and for the full cooperation of the caretaker authorities with the United Nations in this regard.”