LNA Says Turkish Battleship Strikes Area in Western Libya

GNA members carry weapons in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
GNA members carry weapons in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
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LNA Says Turkish Battleship Strikes Area in Western Libya

GNA members carry weapons in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
GNA members carry weapons in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

A Turkish battleship has fired missiles on a region west of Libya, causing no casualties, the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by commander Khalifa Haftar announced.

This is a dangerous military escalation and an indication that the intervention of Turkish maritime forces hasn't stopped, LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said Wednesday.

In a terse statement, the Military Information Division revealed that for the second day in a row, the LNA carried out airstrikes on militia targets in Abugrein, east of Misrata.

The LNA also downed a Turkish drone in Misrata, the fourth in two days.

In a press conference he held on Tuesday, the spokesman stated that more than 500 mercenaries were killed in Tripoli last week. While the death toll of Misrata militias stood at more than 60.

Mismari added that LNA forces seized several key points on the border with Tunisia.

In another context, the High Council of State in Tripoli called on the Government of National Accord to demand an explanation from the European Union on the launch of a new naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea aimed at enforcing a UN arms embargo on Libya.

The Council is protesting what it said were the selective standards of the EU.

The Council, which isn’t internationally recognized but is loyal to the government, said the mission is biased to Haftar.

It added that the EU insists on only inspecting vessels on the high seas, raising doubts on the mission’s objectives.



Syrian Police Impose Curfew in Homs after Unrest

Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrian Police Impose Curfew in Homs after Unrest

Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Syrian police have imposed an overnight curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported, after unrest there linked to demonstrations that residents said were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shiite communities.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the demands of the demonstrators nor the degree of disturbance that took place.

Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to pressure and violence in recent days aimed at members of the Alawite minority, a sect long seen as loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled by opposition fighters on Dec. 8.

Spokespeople for Syria’s new ruling administration led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the curfew.

State media said the curfew was being imposed for one night, from 6pm (1500 GMT) local time until 8am on Thursday morning.

The country's new leaders have repeatedly vowed to protect minority religious groups.

Small demonstrations also took place in other areas on or near Syria’s coast, where most of the country’s Alawite minority live, including in the city of Tartous.

The demonstrations took place around the time an undated video was circulated on social networks showing a fire inside an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo, with armed men walking around inside and posing near human bodies.

The interior ministry said on its official Telegram account that the video dated back to the opposition offensive on Aleppo in late November and the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding that whoever was circulating the video now appeared to be seeking to incite sectarian strife.

The ministry also said that some members of the former regime had attacked interior ministry forces in Syria’s coastal area on Wednesday, leaving a number of dead and wounded.