Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in cities across Lebanon amid escalating protests as the country faces a collapse in its currency. Anger has surged as the Lebanese pound tumbled to record lows, having lost 70% of its value since October. The prime minister has called an emergency …
Read More »Libya’s Haftar to Accept Ceasefire in Cairo Today: Diplomats
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has accepted an Egyptian-sponsored ceasefire and a political initiative to end the war he launched more than a year ago to take the capital Tripoli, two Western diplomats said. Haftar is expected to take part in a ceremony attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and …
Read More »Libyan government says it has entered Haftar stronghold Tarhouna
Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government said on Friday they had entered Tarhouna, the last major stronghold of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar near Tripoli, capping the sudden collapse of his 14-month offensive. There was no immediate comment from Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) on whether its forces remained in …
Read More »Libya’s UN-backed government announces taking over Tripoli
The spokesman of the UN-backed Libyan government’s forces, Mohamed Gonono, on Thursday announced taking over the entire capital Tripoli and expelling the rival eastern-based army. “Our brave forces have taken control of all of Tripoli, after regaining control of southern Tripoli from the militias of Haftar (eastern-based army commander),” Gonono …
Read More »Watch Haftar’s army ambushed by GNA (graphic video)
The social network got a video of the destruction of the column of the Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) by fighters of the Government of National Accord (GNA) and pro-Turkish militants near Tripoli. The video shows the fire of military personnel of the GNA on military transport following the road, …
Read More »Tripoli airport shelling hits fuel tanks, passenger plane-ministry
Shelling of Tripoli’s Mitiga airport early on Saturday, part of an intensified barrage of artillery fire on the capital in recent days, hit fuel tanks and damaged passenger planes, the Transport Ministry said in a statement. Mitiga is the last functioning airport in the Libyan capital, though civilian flights stopped …
Read More »Tripoli airport shelling hits fuel tanks, passenger plane – ministry
Shelling of Tripoli’s Mitiga airport early on Saturday, part of an intensified barrage of artillery fire on the capital in recent days, hit fuel tanks and damaged passenger planes, the Transport Ministry said in a statement. Mitiga is the last functioning airport in the Libyan capital, though civilian flights stopped …
Read More »Lebanon Adopts Economic Reform Plan to Tackle Financial Crisis
The Lebanese governments endorsed an economic reform plan on Thursday aimed at dealing with the nation’s deepening financial crisis, President Michel Aoun said. “Today is a historic day because for the first time an economic and financial plan has been endorsed after a lack of planning and prospects almost brought …
Read More »Videos: Banks targeted in Lebanon’s ‘night of the Molotov’
At least a dozen Lebanese banks across the country were torched and vandalized during the second consecutive night of angry protests fuelled by frustration over the national currency’s unfettered depreciation. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets from Beirut to southern Sidon along with Nabatieh, the Bekaa Valley, and Tripoli …
Read More »Lebanon’s central bank governor defends his role amid financial crisis
Lebanon’s central bank governor defended himself Wednesday against scathing criticism by the government, claiming there is a “systematic campaign” meant to hold him responsible for the country’s recent financial crisis and the collapse of the national currency. Speaking in an hour-long video conference, Gov. Riad Salameh, who has held the …
Read More »Protester killed as unrest rocks Lebanon’s Tripoli
Violent protests against growing economic hardship erupted again in the Lebanese city of Tripoli on Tuesday, with banks set ablaze after a night of rioting that left one demonstrator dead, according to security and medical sources. A collapse in the currency, soaring inflation, and spiraling unemployment are convulsing Lebanon, which …
Read More »Libyan sides declare a ceasefire, ending nine-month attack on the capital
Libya’s renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar has declared a ceasefire, ending a nine-month campaign to seize the capital, Tripoli. The conditional ceasefire in the western region of the country — including Tripoli — started at 12:01 a.m. local time Sunday, according to the general’s spokesman, Ahmed al-Mismari. That’s provided that the …
Read More »U.S. launches strike in southern Libya as U.N. warns of escalation
U.S. forces said on Wednesday they killed 11 suspected militants in their second air strike in a week near the southern Libyan town of Murzuq, as the U.N. envoy warned of a growing risk of armed escalation and rights abuses in the country. The strike comes as rival factions have …
Read More »Missile hits Tripoli airport car park, grounding flights for three hours.
A missile hit the car park of Libya’s only functioning airport in Tripoli on Saturday, forcing flights to be grounded for almost three hours before operations resumed, the airport and a witness said. The airport said on its website that Mitiga airport “was exposed to a missile, coinciding with the …
Read More »French missiles found on the pro-Haftar base.
France has denied breaching a UN arms embargo after four of its anti-tank missiles were found on a base loyal to a rogue Libyan general. Libya defense ministry says the “unusable” US-made Javelin missiles were never intended to be passed to any group and were due to be destroyed. However, …
Read More »Airstrikes on migrant center kill at least 40.
At least 40 people have been killed and another 80 injured after an airstrike hit a migrant center east of the Libyan capital of Tripoli early Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry’s emergency service Field Medicine and Support Center. Images from the ground showed piles of rubble left where the …
Read More »Haftar vows attacks on Turkish assets in Libya.
Khalifa Haftar has threatened to attack Turkish interests in Libya after suffering a serious setback in his push to take the capital Tripoli, accusing Ankara of backing his rivals. Anti-Haftar forces supporting Libya’s internationally recognized government announced Wednesday they had retaken the strategic town of Gharyan in a surprise attack, …
Read More »Mediterranean will be ‘sea of blood’ without rescue boats, UN warns.
The risk of migrants and refugees becoming shipwrecked in the Mediterranean and dying at sea is the highest it has ever been due to a lack of NGO rescue ships and the conflict in Libya hastening departures at an alarming rate, the UN has warned. “If we do not intervene …
Read More »Turkey denies two citizens held in Libya are spies
Two Turkish restaurant workers have been detained in Libya by forces of eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, and the Turkish authorities have denied that they were spies, a Turkish newspaper reported on Wednesday. Haberturk newspaper said Volkan Altinok and Mehmet Demir, who worked in a restaurant in the south of …
Read More »Blasts, airstrikes rock Libyan capital amid fierce fighting.
Several airstrikes and explosions have reportedly shaken the Libyan capital of Tripoli as fierce fighting continues between Libya’s UN-backed government troops and forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar. Reuters cited Tripoli residents as saying late Saturday that they had seen and heard aircraft opening fire and launching missile strikes …
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