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Libya Court Sentences 23 to Death for ISIS Campaign

Suspects sit behind bars during a judgement sentence against 56 defendants accused of joining ISIL [ISIS], in a court in Misrata, Libya [Ayman al-Sahili/Reuters]
Suspects sit behind bars during a judgement sentence against 56 defendants accused of joining ISIL [ISIS], in a court in Misrata, Libya [Ayman al-Sahili/Reuters]
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Libya Court Sentences 23 to Death for ISIS Campaign

Suspects sit behind bars during a judgement sentence against 56 defendants accused of joining ISIL [ISIS], in a court in Misrata, Libya [Ayman al-Sahili/Reuters]
Suspects sit behind bars during a judgement sentence against 56 defendants accused of joining ISIL [ISIS], in a court in Misrata, Libya [Ayman al-Sahili/Reuters]

A Libyan court sentenced 23 people to death and another 14 to life in prison on Monday for their role in a deadly ISIS militant campaign that included beheading a group of Egyptian Christians and seizing the city of Sirte in 2015.

The Attorney General's office said in a statement that one other person was sentenced to 12 years in prison, six to 10 years, one to five years and six to three years while five were acquitted and three others died before their case came to trial.

ISIS's Libyan branch was one of the militant group's strongest outside its original territory in Iraq and Syria, taking advantage of the chaos and warfare that followed a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, Reuters said.

In 2015 it launched an attack on the luxury Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, killing nine people, before abducting and beheading dozens of Egyptian Christians whose deaths it featured in grisly propaganda films.

After gaining territory in Benghazi, Derna and Ajdabiya in eastern Libya, the group seized the central coastal city of Sirte, holding it until late 2016 as it enforced a harsh regime of public morality backed up by brutal punishments.

Mustafa Salem Trabulsi, head of an organization for bereaved families of people killed or disappeared by the group said he had hoped that all the suspects would face the death penalty but he accepted the outcome.

"My son is missing and my relative, my brother-in-law, was murdered in Sirte Square," he said.

Speaking in court on Monday, Fawzia Arhuma said she welcomed the death sentences after her son was killed by the group at a power station near Sirte.

"Today my son raised my head. Today I buried my son," she said.

 

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Arab World

Aoun: Lebanon Wants Israel Security Deal, Hezbollah Disarmament Without Confrontation

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during an interview with AFP at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on September 15, 2026. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during an interview with AFP at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on September 15, 2026. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)
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Aoun: Lebanon Wants Israel Security Deal, Hezbollah Disarmament Without Confrontation

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during an interview with AFP at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on September 15, 2026. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during an interview with AFP at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on September 15, 2026. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told AFP in an exclusive interview he wants to reach a security agreement with Israel once it withdraws from the south, and is determined to disarm Hezbollah without resorting to confrontation.

Speaking ahead of his departure to France on Wednesday, Aoun said Lebanon wanted a new force, European or otherwise, to prevent a security vacuum after UN peacekeepers leave south Lebanon when their mandate expires at the end of the year.

He called on the United States, European Union and Arab countries to support Lebanon's military as it deploys across the south.

In Paris, Aoun will attend a meeting hosted by President Emmanuel Macron and attended by King Abdullah II of Jordan to build international support for Lebanese troops as they deploy across the country.

"What matters is that there is no vacuum," Aoun told AFP on Tuesday. He added that any new force for Lebanon's south, part of which is occupied by Israel, would be "temporary until the (Lebanese) army can deploy."

"Whatever the nature of this force, that poses no problem for me: European, non-European, American, another United Nations force, Asian, or even a mix of European, Arab and Asian forces," Aoun said.

"The best and most optimal option remains extending UNIFIL's mandate," he added.

Under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to end the force's mandate on December 31, 2026.

The mission, currently involving around 8,500 peacekeepers from nearly 50 countries, has been deployed in south Lebanon since 1978.

Aoun also said he wants a security agreement with Israel "primarily to end the state of hostility and the deployment of the army on the border. This could be a prelude to a later peace agreement, but we cannot jump directly to a peace agreement."

"We have no choice but negotiations, because the alternative is war, which would be very costly for us," Aoun added.

"Our Arab and European partners, as well as the United States and our friends, must share with us the responsibility of supporting the army and strengthening the Lebanese state," he said.

Aoun reiterated Lebanon was determined to disarm Hezbollah, saying the decision was "neither negotiable nor open to discussion."

However, he said, "the objective is not a confrontation... We are determined to resolve this issue peacefully.

"This is not about building a state at the cost of a bloody conflict... or a new civil war."

Aoun said he had told Iran that after Hezbollah's disarmament, relations "must be based on mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of the Lebanese people.

"We have no problem with having a relationship with Iran, but we do have a problem with interference in our internal affairs."

Arab World

Yemeni Government Forces Regroup to Shift the Momentum

Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, inspects forces in Hajjah. (government media)
Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, inspects forces in Hajjah. (government media)
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Yemeni Government Forces Regroup to Shift the Momentum

Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, inspects forces in Hajjah. (government media)
Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, inspects forces in Hajjah. (government media)

Yemen’s army and allied forces have raised their state of alert on the Taiz and Hajjah fronts as they move to reorganize their military positions to shift the momentum, while the Houthis increase pressure on Taiz after seizing the western coast as far as Bab al-Mandab.

In northwestern Hajjah province, Presidential Leadership Council member Othman Mujalli inspected Fifth Military Region forces and affiliated fronts, reviewing their readiness, training and morale.

Mujalli said the armed forces would continue confronting the Houthis and working to restore state institutions, stressing the need to maintain morale and prepare for the battle to liberate the country.

He also praised the Fifth Military Region’s ability to develop equipment for ammunition production and the maintenance of weapons and vehicles, as well as bolster its drone unit and advanced surveillance system.

The visit included naval forces, the coast guard and several islands off Midi district. Mujalli reviewed efforts to evacuate civilians and personnel from Zubair Island after they were stranded because of recent developments along the western coast. He also inspected naval readiness to secure the islands and territorial waters and strengthen the military and security presence along the coast.

The visit comes as government forces seek to hold their positions in the northwest while reassessing their military deployment following rapid developments on the western coast.

Pressure on Taiz

In southwestern Taiz, the Yemeni army announced Tuesday that it had struck a Houthi ballistic missile launch platform at Taiz airport, east of the city. The Taiz Military Axis said warplanes targeted the platform as military vigilance increases around the city amid growing pressure from the west.

The Yemeni Armed Forces had earlier announced strikes on Houthi equipment, personnel and positions seized by the group in Dhubab in Taiz province and Al-Khawkhah in Hodeidah province, according to military spokesman Col. Majid al-Nazili.

The strikes coincided with an inspection tour by Taiz Military Axis Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Abdulaziz al-Majidi of several fronts surrounding the city.

In southern Taiz, Tur al-Bahah Axis commander and 4th Mountain Infantry Brigade commander Maj. Gen. Abu Bakr al-Gbouli inspected front lines stretching from Bani Omar to Jardad and the outskirts of Al-Wazi’iyah district.

Al-Gbouli said his forces were at a high level of combat readiness and capable of responding to developments on the ground, stressing vigilance, operational discipline and constant preparedness for Houthi movements.

Regrouping

The moves follow a major shift after the Houthis seized large parts of the western coast, including Mokha, Al-Khawkhah and Hays, before reaching Bab al-Mandab and several Red Sea islands. The developments have increased pressure on Taiz, which could become a target for Houthi attempts to expand their control and tighten their grip on the city and surrounding countryside.

Observers say government military activity in Taiz and Hajjah reflects an effort to contain the repercussions of losing the coast and prevent the Houthis from turning their recent gains into a permanent reality on the ground, while reorganizing forces and raising readiness in the most sensitive sectors.

Mujalli also urged tribes to protect their sons from Houthi recruitment and being drawn into fighting. He praised Saudi support for Yemeni forces and humanitarian and development projects and inspected efforts by the Masam mine-clearance project to remove mines planted by the Houthis in government-held areas.

The developments indicate that government forces are seeking to move beyond responding to the recent setback and build a more cohesive military posture, particularly in Taiz, where inland fronts intersect with the coast and Red Sea routes, making the province central to any attempt to shift the momentum.

Arab World

Survivors: Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills at Least 60

A group of armed defectors from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) arrive in a vehicle as they are believed to be surrendering to the Sudanese military, in the west of Omdurman on August 19, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A group of armed defectors from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) arrive in a vehicle as they are believed to be surrendering to the Sudanese military, in the west of Omdurman on August 19, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
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Survivors: Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills at Least 60

A group of armed defectors from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) arrive in a vehicle as they are believed to be surrendering to the Sudanese military, in the west of Omdurman on August 19, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A group of armed defectors from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) arrive in a vehicle as they are believed to be surrendering to the Sudanese military, in the west of Omdurman on August 19, 2026. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)

A gold mine collapsed in southern Sudan, killing at least 60 small-scale miners, two survivors told AFP on Wednesday, while many more are missing and feared dead under the rubble.

Shafts began collapsing in the Al-Zaraa mine near the town of El-Nahud in West Kordofan on Tuesday, and by the following morning 60 bodies had been retrieved.

"We don't know how many more are still inside," one of the survivors, Khair al-Sayyed Jabara, told AFP after an all-night rescue operation with fellow miners, using the same rudimentary tools they use to mine.

"Everyone's working very hard to retrieve the bodies or any survivors, but it's difficult. We need heavy machinery to clear the rock and soil."

Since war erupted in April 2023 between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces, the war efforts of both sides have been largely funded by the gold industry, in addition to foreign backers.

The conflict has devastated Sudan's already fragile economy and left much of the country out of work, pushing many into a dangerous gold rush.

Artisanal and small-scale mining, which takes place in unofficial zones or decommissioned mines, accounts for the majority of gold extracted.

Al-Amin Suleiman, another miner who was working at the rim of Al-Zaraa on Tuesday, told AFP that "the shafts here are all close together, if one collapses, it brings down all the ones next to it".

"This is what happened here. So far, 60 bodies have been pulled out but there are people still trapped underground since yesterday. I don't think they are alive."

Sudan is suffering the world's largest hunger and displacement crises, with nearly 20 million people facing crisis levels of hunger.