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Dbeibah Kicks off Visit to Tunisia amid Dispute over His Govt's Legitimacy

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah attends the graduation ceremony of a batch of Libyan army cadets, in Tripoli, Libya, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP)
Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah attends the graduation ceremony of a batch of Libyan army cadets, in Tripoli, Libya, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP)
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Dbeibah Kicks off Visit to Tunisia amid Dispute over His Govt's Legitimacy

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah attends the graduation ceremony of a batch of Libyan army cadets, in Tripoli, Libya, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP)
Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah attends the graduation ceremony of a batch of Libyan army cadets, in Tripoli, Libya, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP)

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah arrived in Tunisia on Tuesday for a one-week official visit amid a dispute back home over the legitimacy of his government.

Dbeibah is leading a high-level delegation that includes chief of staff of western Libya forces Mohamed Haddad, Interior Minister Khaled Mazen, Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Shoubi, Minister of Marine Resources Adel Sultan, Minister of Economy and Trade Ali Al-Abed, deputy head of the Internal Security Agency Lotfi al-Harari and the Counter-Terrorism Force Commander Major General Muhammad Al-Zein.

This is Dbeibah’s second visit to Tunisia. He had visited the North African nation on September 9, accompanied by the Ministers of Health and Interior and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs.

"The Libyan delegation will meet with Tunisian President Kais Saied and Prime Minister Najla Bouden," Libyan sources close to Dbeibah said.

Bilateral meetings will be held between several Libyan ministers and their Tunisian counterparts.

The delegation will discuss several files, including the political situation in Libya.

In February, Libya's east-based House of Representatives named a new prime minister, former interior minister Fathi Bashagha, to lead a new interim government. The lawmakers claimed the mandate of Dbeibah, who is based in the capital, Tripoli, expired when the election failed to take place.

But Dbeibah insists he will remain prime minister until elections are held, and the High State Council, which advises the interim government, criticized the parliament’s decision to name a new prime minister before holding elections.

Talks in Tunisia will also discuss the joint border crossings, in addition to strengthening economic relations, commercial exchanges and opening Libyan markets to Tunisian labor.

Observers believe the elections file will dominate the Libyan delegation’s visit to Tunisia, which comes few days after Dbeibah visited Algeria.

In Algiers, he met with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who expressed his support for holding the elections.

Tunisia has in recent years sought a neutral stance and avoided taking sides in the Libyan conflict.

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Arab World

Iraq Suspects Drone Attack Destroyed Tank Ammunition Stockpile Amid ‘Silent Battle’ With Militias

The Iraqi army takes part in a previous parade featuring US-made Abrams tanks (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office) 
The Iraqi army takes part in a previous parade featuring US-made Abrams tanks (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office) 
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Iraq Suspects Drone Attack Destroyed Tank Ammunition Stockpile Amid ‘Silent Battle’ With Militias

The Iraqi army takes part in a previous parade featuring US-made Abrams tanks (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office) 
The Iraqi army takes part in a previous parade featuring US-made Abrams tanks (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office) 

Iraqi authorities suspect a drone attack caused an explosion at a strategic ammunition depot at Camp Taji military base north of Baghdad in early August, security and intelligence sources said, inflicting extensive damage on stocks of ammunition for Iraqi army tanks and armored vehicles. Authorities had initially attributed the blaze to high temperatures.

Investigators now believe an unidentified drone was flying over the base shortly before an ammunition depot belonging to the 9th Armored Division exploded, destroying large quantities of ammunition for armored vehicles and US-made Abrams tanks, the sources said.

Two officers told Asharq Al-Awsat that investigators reviewed thermal-camera footage from the base showing a flying object approaching from the south shortly before the depot exploded.

“We lost most of our tank ammunition,” one officer said. “The 9th Armored Division now has no stockpile of shells — not even a single round — apart from the ammunition currently inside the tanks.”

Another intelligence officer said the depot was “most likely targeted by a drone.”

Iraq’s official news agency had quoted Defense and Interior Ministry officials on Aug. 2 as saying that high temperatures had caused a fire at an ammunition depot inside Camp Taji.

Although the initial account ruled out an attack, a senior military official told Asharq Al-Awsat that intelligence agencies were conducting a technical investigation to establish the circumstances.

Officials now view the incident as one of several signs that armed factions are attempting to “strip official security institutions of their weapons advantage.”

The targeted depot contained about 50,000 rounds, according to the sources, forming the main ammunition stockpile for one of the Iraqi army’s most important combat divisions. The full extent of the losses remains unclear.

The 9th Armored Division, based in Taji, is one of the army’s principal intervention units. A significant part of its arsenal is US-made, notably Abrams tanks and M113 armored personnel carriers.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that Iraq recently sought urgent procurement contracts to replenish ammunition shortages, including rounds for US-made tanks and armored vehicles. The request is believed to be linked to losses from the Taji incident.

Neither the Defense Ministry spokesman nor the head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell responded to requests for comment.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Miqdad Miri, however, told a news conference Monday that “any drone launched without authorization will be treated as terrorism,” stressing that “all weapons must be under state control.”

‘Silent Battle’

An intelligence official told Asharq Al-Awsat that preliminary investigations found that an armed group had used a location south of Baghdad to launch the drone toward Taji.

Security and political officials said the attack pointed to efforts by factions resisting disarmament to deprive regular forces of military assets that give them an advantage over irregular groups.

The sources said armed factions were making contingency plans for any confrontation with Iraqi security forces, seeking to eliminate assets — including tank ammunition — that could tip the balance in favor of government forces.

An official in the Coordination Framework said the Iraqi government was engaged in a “silent and sensitive battle with hard-line groups” but wanted to avoid an open confrontation because of the domestic and regional risks.

A political official quoted the leader of an armed faction opposed to the government’s weapons-control plan as saying his group and others were prepared for a military confrontation if the government or the United States used force to disarm them.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has set Sept. 30, 2026, as the deadline for US forces to withdraw from Iraq and for armed factions to place their weapons under state control.

Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Harakat al-Nujaba, all aligned with Iran, continue to reject handing over their weapons. Activists close to the groups say the Axis of Resistance will not disarm even after US forces leave, while some have openly called, in a defiant reversal of the government’s policy, for “the state’s weapons to be placed in the hands of the factions.”

 

 

 

 

 

Arab World

Colombia Recognizes Israeli Claim Over Syria's Golan Heights

Colombia's new President Abelardo de la Espriella delivers a speech at the Pichincha Battalion after swearing in, in Cali, Colombia, on August 7, 2026. (AFP)
Colombia's new President Abelardo de la Espriella delivers a speech at the Pichincha Battalion after swearing in, in Cali, Colombia, on August 7, 2026. (AFP)
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Colombia Recognizes Israeli Claim Over Syria's Golan Heights

Colombia's new President Abelardo de la Espriella delivers a speech at the Pichincha Battalion after swearing in, in Cali, Colombia, on August 7, 2026. (AFP)
Colombia's new President Abelardo de la Espriella delivers a speech at the Pichincha Battalion after swearing in, in Cali, Colombia, on August 7, 2026. (AFP)

Colombia's newly appointed hard-right government on Monday recognized Israel's claim over the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria in 1967.

The United States was until now the only country to recognize Israel's annexation of the territory in 1981.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella took power on Friday, following a bombastic campaign during which he promised tight relations with the US and Israel as a way to combat armed groups in his own country.

His foreign ministry announced recognition of Israel's claim on the same day that a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, killing at least 111 people and injuring dozens more.

"The Government of Colombia recognizes Israeli sovereignty over this territory, as well as that State's right to protect itself against external threats," read a statement published on X.

"Colombia recognizes that maintaining Israel's control and sovereignty over the Golan Heights is an essential component of its national defense," it added.

The United Nations maintains that the plateau is Syrian territory under Israeli military occupation.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked his "good friend" De la Espriella for the recognition.

The pair had agreed on the move in the Colombian city of Barranquilla, he said, one day before De la Espriella's inauguration.

"Defensible borders are essential to guarantee the continued existence of the Jewish people in our historic homeland," Saar, who attended the swearing-in, posted on X.

Last month, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated that the Golan Heights were part of Syria, describing Israeli occupation as "totally unacceptable."

De la Espriella's leftist predecessor Gustavo Petro had ardently criticized Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, severing diplomatic relations and halting Israeli arms imports into Colombia.

The US-backed millionaire now in office has promised to restore ties.

Last month, he said he planned to open a Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, which Israel regards as its capital, including the occupied Palestinian part.

This is not recognized internationally, however, and most countries conduct their diplomatic missions from Tel Aviv.

Arab World

Return of Displaced Syrian Kurds to Hometown Suspended After Violence

Onlookers take pictures of Syrian Kurds, who were living in displacement camps in the city of Hasakeh, heading back to the northeastern border town of Ras al-Ain on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
Onlookers take pictures of Syrian Kurds, who were living in displacement camps in the city of Hasakeh, heading back to the northeastern border town of Ras al-Ain on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Return of Displaced Syrian Kurds to Hometown Suspended After Violence

Onlookers take pictures of Syrian Kurds, who were living in displacement camps in the city of Hasakeh, heading back to the northeastern border town of Ras al-Ain on August 10, 2026. (AFP)
Onlookers take pictures of Syrian Kurds, who were living in displacement camps in the city of Hasakeh, heading back to the northeastern border town of Ras al-Ain on August 10, 2026. (AFP)

The return of displaced Syrian Kurds to their northeastern hometown of Ras al-Ain was suspended on Monday after a first group of returnees was attacked, prompting protests in other Kurdish-majority parts of Syria.

Hundreds of people had gone back to the town on Monday, months after a January agreement with the Syrian government on merging Kurdish forces and civil institutions into the state that included provisions for the return of displaced Kurds.

Jawan Isso, from a committee representing displaced people from Ras al-Ain, told AFP that a "first batch" of around 2,500 people were headed home but were later attacked by "armed groups".

Mahmud Khalil Ali, deputy head of security forces in Syria's Hasakeh province where Ras al-Ain is located, said several of those involved in the attacks were arrested, but return trips were "temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of residents".

"These trips will resume as soon as the situation stabilizes and full protection is provided for the returnees."

A second batch of Kurds was supposed to head to the town in the coming days, according to Isso.

Tens of thousands of Kurds were uprooted when Türkiye and allied Syrian fighters seized an Arab-majority strip of territory along the Turkish border, including Ras al-Ain, from Kurdish control in 2019 during Syria's civil war.

The attacks on Monday sparked a demonstration in nearby Kurdish-majority Qamishli, where an AFP correspondent saw angry protesters try to break into the security forces' headquarters, with Syrian officers pushing them back.

In Kobane, a Kurdish-majority town in the north, Syrian state television said people attacked government offices and took down the Syrian flag in front of the local security forces headquarters.

Quoting a security source, state television then said authorities imposed a curfew on Kobane while looking for the perpetrators.

"We condemn the assault to which the displaced Kurdish families were subjected during their return," Mazloum Abdi, leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who signed the January deal with Damascus, said on X.

"We understand the angry reactions in the Kurdish street in response to this assault, and at the same time, we call on our people to exercise self-restraint, refrain from being drawn into any irresponsible acts, and preserve our civil and security institutions," he added.

Ahmad al-Hilali, deputy governor of Hasakeh condemned both the attacks on returnees and on state institutions in other areas like the multiethnic Hasakeh city.

"A number of rioters have already been arrested in several areas," he added, vowing that there will be "no leniency" towards those who threaten "civil peace".

- 'Waiting for this moment' -

Earlier in the day, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of trucks loaded with furniture and other belongings waiting to set off from near the city of Hasakeh, with men, women and children eager to depart.

"I've been waiting for this moment... It's like a dream for a person to return to their home," said returnee Nora Khodor, 37.

Isso said that around 100,000 people from the Ras al-Ain area had applied to return.

Human rights groups say residents' homes and belongings there were seized or looted after the offensive.

Some of the fighters subsequently settled in the area with their families, with some reportedly still living in the formerly ethnically mixed region, known as Sari Kani in Kurdish.

Türkiye launched successive cross-border offensives against Kurdish-led forces in the country's north before Syria's new authorities ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Since then, the authorities have been extending central government control across the country, including formerly Kurdish-held areas.

"We are very happy about returning," said Rawda Mohammed, 39, before the violence erupted.

"I asked about my home. They told me it is totally destroyed, but we did not get pessimistic because we're happy to return, and when we get there we'll see what we can do."

Some 5.5 million people remain internally displaced in Syria following the more than 13-year civil war, according to the United Nations.