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HNEC Says Libya’s Stability Linked to Staging Elections

The head of Libya's National Elections Commission, Emad Al-Sayeh met with President of Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council Ahmed Yener in Ankara (HNEC)
The head of Libya's National Elections Commission, Emad Al-Sayeh met with President of Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council Ahmed Yener in Ankara (HNEC)
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HNEC Says Libya’s Stability Linked to Staging Elections

The head of Libya's National Elections Commission, Emad Al-Sayeh met with President of Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council Ahmed Yener in Ankara (HNEC)
The head of Libya's National Elections Commission, Emad Al-Sayeh met with President of Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council Ahmed Yener in Ankara (HNEC)

The head of Libya's National Elections Commission, Emad Al-Sayeh, said on Saturday that staging Libya’s elections was “an important and crucial issue for the political future of Libya.”

Sayeh visited Ankara this week to learn about the Turkish experience in holding and organizing elections.

There, he met with members of Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council and its president, Ahmed Yener.

“We followed the course of the elections in Türkiye and all the technical details related to it,” Al-Sayeh said, adding that all Turkish parties had accepted the results of the latest elections due to the positive work of the Supreme Election Council.

“There is no room for peaceful deliberation on power except through the ballot boxes,” he said.

At the Council’s headquarters, Al-Sayeh noted that he inspected in Türkiye the equipment used in the field of election management and listened to presentations explaining the institutional structure of the Council, its legislations, and the systems and technical procedures by which the electoral process was managed.

In a separate development, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, the head of Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), pledged on Saturday to support the victims of the flood-affected areas in the east of the country.

On Saturday, the GNU and the General Electric Company (GEC) said they had completed the maintenance of the electrical network in the industrial zone within the city of Derna and restored full power to the area.

They also noted that teams from the Libyan Emergency Medicine and Support Center (EMSC) have recovered six bodies from the Wadi Umm al-Barakat area east of the city. The bodies are victims of the floods that swept through the city where a hurricane-strength storm lashed the area on September 10, devastating entire neighborhoods and sweeping thousands of people into the sea.

Meanwhile, Authorities in eastern Libya announced that six Libyan National Army (LNA) troops were killed, and eight others were wounded in an attempt to foil a “foreign-backed plot” to destabilize the city of Benghazi.

Libyan media reported that the LNA was clashing with an armed group affiliated with Mahdi al-Barghathi, who once led a brigade fighting alongside Khalifa Haftar's LNA forces before joining a Tripoli government that Haftar did not recognize.

The health minister from Libya's eastern government, Othman Abduljalil, said in a press conference on Friday that 15 people were killed during the clashes, including six LNA members and nine terrorist militants. He explained that the clashes erupted in the Salmani neighborhood between LNA members and militants of former Defense Minister Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi.

Later, the Libyan Military Prosecutor in the eastern region, Faraj Al-Sosae, said that Al-Barghathi was seriously injured during the clashes.

“A convoy of 40 armed militants accompanying Al-Barghathi had infiltrated to Benghazi,” he said, adding that when a police unit was sent to arrest the former Defense Minister, the unit was confronted by the militants accompanying Al-Barghathi.

 

 

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Arab World

Al-Zindani to Asharq Al-Awsat: Govt to Move to Aden Soon, Foreign Ministry Retained to Complete Reforms

Yemen’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Dr. Shaya Al-Zindani 
Yemen’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Dr. Shaya Al-Zindani 
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Al-Zindani to Asharq Al-Awsat: Govt to Move to Aden Soon, Foreign Ministry Retained to Complete Reforms

Yemen’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Dr. Shaya Al-Zindani 
Yemen’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Dr. Shaya Al-Zindani 

Yemen’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Dr. Shaya Al-Zindani, has signaled the first concrete move by his newly sworn-in government, announcing that it will relocate to Aden in the near future, just 24 hours after taking the constitutional oath.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Zindani said his decision to retain the foreign affairs portfolio was driven by the need “to complete the work already begun,” stressing that a return to Yemen is essential to restoring effective governance.

He noted that the move inside the country is a necessary step to activate performance, adding that a presence in Aden must be linked to a genuine ability to manage state files and restore regular institutional functioning.

The comments came during a special episode of the Asharq Al-Awsat Podcast, recorded at Asharq TV studios at the Saudi Research and Media Group headquarters in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District.

Al-Zindani spoke at a time of acute economic pressure and heightened political expectations. He said the current phase does not allow for expansive rhetoric, but rather requires gradual, practical work to rebuild confidence, noting that stabilizing institutional rhythm must precede any expansion of objectives.

Addressing questions on the composition of his cabinet, Al-Zindani highlighted that ministers were selected on purely professional criteria, based on competence, specialization, and experience, away from partisan dictates. He emphasized that weak institutional foundations had been a central cause of past failures, underscoring the need to rebuild state structures and strengthen oversight.

He pointed to relative improvements in some public services, particularly electricity, with Saudi support, while noting that the real challenge lies in sustaining economic reforms and managing resources effectively. On accountability, he argued that unifying political decision-making has opened the door to enforcing the rule of law. When authority is unified, reward and punishment become possible, he underlined.

On economic policy, Al-Zindani avoided quick promises, instead focusing on resource management and reprioritization. Recovery, he said, cannot be achieved through piecemeal decisions but requires restructuring public finance, enhancing transparency, and activating oversight mechanisms. He stressed that financial stability is the foundation for any tangible improvement in citizens’ lives and for restoring domestic and international confidence.

He continued that working from within Yemen will enable the government to better understand societal priorities and reassert the state’s presence in public life, an influence eroded by years of conflict. He described taking the oath in Riyadh as a constitutional and security necessity dictated by circumstances, arguing that attention should focus on the substance of government action rather than symbolism.

On security, Al-Zindani adopted a cautious, realistic tone, acknowledging that years of accumulated challenges cannot be erased quickly. Still, he said coordination among security agencies and unified political leadership have led to relative improvements. While recognizing protests as part of transitional phases, he stressed the need for adherence to legal frameworks to preserve stability and avoid derailment of recovery efforts.

According to the Yemeni official, reorganizing the armed forces requires unified command and redeploying units outside cities to consolidate state authority and reduce overlap between military and security roles. He noted that multiple loyalties in previous phases weakened institutions and must be overcome to restore stability.

Internationally, he said unified political representation strengthens Yemen’s legal and diplomatic standing. He justified retaining the foreign ministry to complete reforms already underway, including restructuring the ministry and overseas missions, describing diplomatic normalization as integral to rebuilding the state.

He further described relations with Saudi Arabia as having evolved from traditional support into a multi-dimensional partnership impacting vital sectors, with scope to expand cooperation in development and economic stability.

On the Houthis, Al-Zindani said the government showed flexibility in peace efforts but faced repeated noncompliance, adding that recent military and economic developments have weakened the group’s position. Any future negotiations, he stressed, must rest on clear references, with unified anti-Houthi forces giving the government a stronger negotiating hand amid rapid regional and international shifts.

 

 

 

Arab World

US Forces Withdraw from Syria's Al-Tanf Base

An American soldier shakes hands with a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Al-Tanf region - December 28, 2024 (US Army)
An American soldier shakes hands with a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Al-Tanf region - December 28, 2024 (US Army)
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US Forces Withdraw from Syria's Al-Tanf Base

An American soldier shakes hands with a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Al-Tanf region - December 28, 2024 (US Army)
An American soldier shakes hands with a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the Al-Tanf region - December 28, 2024 (US Army)

US forces have withdrawn to Jordan from Syria's Al-Tanf base, where they had been deployed as part of the international coalition against the ISIS group, two Syrian military sources told AFP on Wednesday.

One source said "the American forces withdrew entirely from Al-Tanf base today" and decamped to another in Jordan, adding Syrian forces were being deployed to replace them.

A second source confirmed the withdrawal, adding the Americans had been moving equipment out for the past 15 days.

The second source said the US troops would "continue to coordinate with the base in Al-Tanf from Jordan".

During the Syrian civil war and the fight against ISIS, US forces were deployed in the country's Kurdish-controlled northeast and at Al-Tanf, near the borders with Jordan and Iraq.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had been a major partner of the anti-ISIS coalition, and were instrumental in the group's territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.

However, after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad over a year ago, the United States has drawn closer to the new government in Damascus, recently declaring that the need for its alliance with the Kurds had largely passed.

Syria agreed to join the anti-ISIS coalition when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House in November.

As Sharaa's authorities seek to extend their control over all of Syria, the Kurds have come under pressure to integrate their forces and de facto autonomous administration into the state, striking an agreement to do so last month after losing territory to advancing government troops.

Since then, the US has been conducting an operation to transfer around 7,000 suspected extremists from Syria -- where many were being held in detention facilities by Kurdish fighters -- to neighboring Iraq.

Following the withdrawal from Al-Tanf and the government's advances in the northeast, US troops are mainly now based at the Qasrak base in Hasakeh, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Despite ISIS's territorial defeat, the group remains active.

It was blamed for a December attack in Palmyra in which a lone gunman opened fire on American personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian.

Washington later conducted retaliatory strikes on ISIS targets in Syria.

Arab World

UN: Syria's President and 2 Top Ministers Were Targets of 5 Foiled Assassination Attempts

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa gestures speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2026. MAXIM SHIPENKOV/Pool via REUTERS
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa gestures speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2026. MAXIM SHIPENKOV/Pool via REUTERS
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UN: Syria's President and 2 Top Ministers Were Targets of 5 Foiled Assassination Attempts

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa gestures speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2026. MAXIM SHIPENKOV/Pool via REUTERS
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa gestures speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2026. MAXIM SHIPENKOV/Pool via REUTERS

Syria’s president, interior minister and foreign minister were the targets of five foiled assassination attempts last year, the UN chief said in a report on threats posed by ISIS militants released Wednesday.

The report said President Ahmad al-Sharaa was targeted in northern Aleppo, the country’s most populous province, and southern Daraa by a group assessed to be a front for the ISIS group.

The report, issued by Secretary-General António Guterres and prepared by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, gave no dates or details of the attempts against al-Sharaa or Syrian Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani.

The assassination attempts are more evidence that the militant group remains intent on undermining the new Syrian government and “actively exploiting security vacuums and uncertainty” in Syria, the report said.

It said al-Sharaa was “assessed to be a primary target” of the ISIS. And it said the front group provided ISIS with plausible deniability and "improved operational capacity.”

Al-Sharaa has led Syria since his opposition forces ousted longtime Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, ending a 14-year civil war.

In November, his government joined the international coalition formed to counter the ISIS group, which once controlled a large part of Syria.

The UN counter-terrorism experts said the militant group still operates across the country, primarily attacking security forces, particularly in the north and northeast.

In one ambush attack on Dec. 13 on US and Syrian forces near Palmyra, two US servicemen and an American civilian were killed and three Americans and three members of Syria's security forces were wounded. President Donald Trump retaliated, launching military operations to eliminate ISIS fighters.

According to the UN counter-terrorism experts, the ISIS group maintains an estimated 3,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria, the majority of them based in Syria.

The US military in late January began transferring ISIS detainees who were held in northeastern Syria to Iraq to ensure they remain in secure facilities. Iraq has said it will prosecute the militants.

Syrian government forces had taken control of a sprawling camp housing thousands of ISIS detainees following the withdrawal of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces as part of a ceasefire with the Kurdish fighters.

The report released Wednesday to the UN Security Council said as of December, before the ceasefire deal, more than 25,740 people remained in the al-Hol and Roj camps in the northeast, more than 60% of them children, with thousands more in other detention centers.