110 Abductees Held by Armed Gangs Freed in Libya

The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)
The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)
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110 Abductees Held by Armed Gangs Freed in Libya

The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)
The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)

The Tripoli Military Region freed on Tuesday 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in the northwestern Libyan city of Bani Walid.

In a statement, the Tripoli Military Region’s 444 Brigade said it raided on Tuesday 16 hideouts belonging to gangs that are implicated in kidnapping and theft in Bani Walid. It discovered the 110 abductees during the operation.

It added that the criminal gangs had attempted to negotiate with the families of the victims to pay a ransom for their release. It assured them that their loved ones were well and that they will be turned over to the concerned authorities.

A migrant crossing point that leads to the west coast, Bani Walid has become notorious for the kidnapping and trafficking of the asylum-seekers.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned of the dangerous trafficking operations taking place in the city.

In March, the same brigade announced that it had freed 120 hostages, mostly Egyptian, who had been held by traffickers.



Egypt Reopens Embassy in Libya’s Tripoli After 12-Year Closure

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during the reopening ceremony of Egyptian embassy in Libyan capital Tripoli on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during the reopening ceremony of Egyptian embassy in Libyan capital Tripoli on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Egypt Reopens Embassy in Libya’s Tripoli After 12-Year Closure

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during the reopening ceremony of Egyptian embassy in Libyan capital Tripoli on November 7, 2026. (AFP)
Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during the reopening ceremony of Egyptian embassy in Libyan capital Tripoli on November 7, 2026. (AFP)

Egypt ‌reopened its embassy in Libya's capital Tripoli on Saturday after a 12-year absence, marking a rapprochement with the country's western-based administration, the foreign affairs ministry in Cairo said in a statement.

Egypt closed its ⁠Tripoli embassy in 2014, when many foreign missions there closed amid an escalating conflict that saw rival governments set themselves up in the capital and in the east of the ⁠North African country.

Egypt's ‌foreign affairs minister ‌Badr Abdelatty was quoted in the statement ‌as saying at the reopening ceremony ‌that the historical significance of the embassy building "aligns with the deep-rooted human and cultural ties that characterize Egyptian-Libyan relations".

This picture shows the Egyptian embassy building in Tripoli on November 7, 2026. (AFP)

Oil producer Libya ‌has been plunged into chaos since the fall of Moammar al-Gaddafi ⁠in ⁠a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

In Benghazi in eastern Libya there is the Libyan National Army under military commander Khalifa Haftar and the House of Representatives, and a government led by Osama Hammad. In the west there is the Government of National Unity headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah and the High Council of State in Tripoli.

The embassy's reopening comes weeks after Libya's eastern-based parliament ratified a long-disputed maritime agreement with Türkiye, angering Cairo which said it infringed upon its maritime zone.


Fighting in Yemen’s Al-Jawf and Marib Intensifies

Government forces fire artillery at Houthi positions in Taiz. (AFP)
Government forces fire artillery at Houthi positions in Taiz. (AFP)
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Fighting in Yemen’s Al-Jawf and Marib Intensifies

Government forces fire artillery at Houthi positions in Taiz. (AFP)
Government forces fire artillery at Houthi positions in Taiz. (AFP)

Fighting in Yemen intensified over the past few hours amid widespread clashes between government armed forces and the Houthi movement across the governorates of Taiz, Marib, Al-Jawf, and Lahj.

The Yemeni army launched more than 1,200 strikes targeting Houthi positions, gatherings, and reinforcements, while coalition airstrikes hit Sanaa and Saada, and interceptors downed missiles and drones fired toward Saudi Arabia.

These developments coincide with a worsening humanitarian and health crisis in the city of Taiz, where hospitals are on the verge of shutting down due to acute fuel shortages, amid the ongoing siege imposed by the Houthis.

On the ground, military sources said that the Southern Giants Forces and the Popular Resistance made new field advancements on Saturday in the Al-Madaribah front in Lahj. Following fierce clashes with the Houthis, the forces seized control of several strategic hills and positions, and succeeded in capturing a number of Houthi fighters.

Clashes in Al-Jawf extended to fronts southeast of Al-Hazm city. The Yemeni armed forces engaged in battles supported by fighter jets and drones, while successfully repelling multiple combat lines in the south and southeast of the governorate, according to army statements.

The clashes involved the use of artillery and rocket launchers along the front lines, with the Yemeni army stating that its forces engaged Houthis and inflicted casualties among them.

The army added that fighter jets conducted five airstrikes targeting Houthi military mobilizations and vehicles, which resulted in the destruction and disabling of several pieces of equipment and vehicles, as well as deaths and injuries among the group's ranks.

Field military sources in Marib said that government forces are closing in on securing the strategic Mas camp, following the recapture of several vital positions in the nearby and amid a retreat by the movement's fighters.

In Taiz, the armed forces confirmed that, with the support of the Popular Resistance, they managed to thwart a Houthi attack that lasted for hours on the Al-Aqroud front, affirming that they inflicted casualties and losses on the attackers.

On the Tur Al-Baha front in Lahj, the army announced that the Nation's Shield and Giants forces managed to seize control of new positions and repel Houthi attacks and infiltration attempts.

Meanwhile, the official spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili, announced the execution of 1,211 operations against Houthi positions, gatherings, reinforcements, vehicles, and firing sources as part of the Dawn of Yemen Operation.

The operations spanned the fronts of Taiz and Marib, alongside the Tur Al-Baha front. The armed forces continue to carry out their combat missions and take necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects, he stressed.

On the humanitarian front, hospitals in the city of Taiz face the risk of shutting down as fuel reserves needed to run electrical generators near depletion, in a crisis that threatens the continuity of medical services, particularly in dialysis units, intensive care, and neonatal incubators.

Health officials in the governorate warned that the remaining diesel reserves at the Al-Thawra General Hospital are only sufficient for 48 hours, threatening to halt vital departments, including emergency, dialysis, intensive care, and the burn center.


Rains Mark Return of Winter Misery for Gaza's Palestinians

A displaced Palestinian man attempts to clear a water puddle outside his flooded tent amid heavy rainfall in Gaza City's Al-Remal neighbourhood on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A displaced Palestinian man attempts to clear a water puddle outside his flooded tent amid heavy rainfall in Gaza City's Al-Remal neighbourhood on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Rains Mark Return of Winter Misery for Gaza's Palestinians

A displaced Palestinian man attempts to clear a water puddle outside his flooded tent amid heavy rainfall in Gaza City's Al-Remal neighbourhood on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A displaced Palestinian man attempts to clear a water puddle outside his flooded tent amid heavy rainfall in Gaza City's Al-Remal neighbourhood on November 7, 2026. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Displaced families spent a sleepless night in the Gaza Strip as heavy rain flooded their fragile tents, soaking mattresses and belongings, and turning camp pathways into pools of muddy water.

The rain marks the start of another difficult winter for the more than 1.6 million Palestinians living in tents or other makeshift shelters in the territory, where nearly the entire population has lost its homes during Israel’s campaign triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.

Majed Al-Omari, who lost a limb during the war, struggled to make his way between tents on crutches after the rains tore down the wooden frame and plastic sheeting of his shelter.

“We will have to sleep in the street tonight, or find somewhere else to stay,” he told The Associated Press.

The UN humanitarian office has said 294,250 families need shelter assistance for the rainy season, but available supplies are enough to provide only partial assistance to 18% of those in need.

It said a lack of funds, slow procurement procedures and delayed approvals by the Israeli authorities mean additional supplies may not reach Palestinians until more than halfway through winter.