In Tajoura, an airstrike by Khalifa Haftar’s forces hit civilian houses in the early hours of Monday. The strike hit a residential area in Ghout Al-Rumman and its shrapnel injured a woman and two kids, among other civilians.
In Tripoli, a shipment of Turkish weapons and armored vehicles have been unloaded at seaport. They arrived Saturday on board a Moldovan-flagged ro-ro vessel, named Amazon. Libyan National Army fighters, headed by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, targeted positions of forces belonging to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Azizia area, south of the capital.
In Zillah, the terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on an oilfield in the southern town of Zillah, according to statement by the group’s propaganda platform. The Libyan National Army (LNA) managed on early Saturday morning to repel the terrorist attack on an oilfield gate of Zueitina Oil Company.
On the international level, US House Representative Tom Malinowski said the House Foreign Affairs Committee members will send a letter to the US Attorney General and FBI Director asking for investigating Khalifa Haftar for war crimes.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met with the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar on Thursday morning in Rome. Conte described the meeting as “lengthy”, during which he was briefed on the developments in Tripoli, where he expressed Italy’s position on the situation that Libya is currently living.
AL-JUFRA
- Photos showed the reconnaissance drone of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) militias, shot down by the Libyan National Army (LNA), was made in Turkey, proving its government involvement in supporting terrorists in Libya. LNA air defenses shot down a Turkish-made reconnaissance drone on Tuesday in the vicinity of Al-Jufra area in the Central Region of Libya. The drone took off from the Air Force College in Misrata. LNA Spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmad al-Mesmari said in a press conference on Wednesday that Turkey is also involved in the transfer of terrorists to Libya [Address Libya, 16.05.2019].
MISRATA
- a plane of Afriqiyah Airways has arrived from a Turkish military base to the city of Misrata carrying on board weapons and ammunition, sources told The Address. According to data provided by Flightradar24 website, the Airbus A330 plane took off from Tripoli on Wednesday midnight and landed in Ankara at 2 a.m. The plane left Ankara after three hours and headed to Misrata. Sources told The Address there were four individuals on board, one of whom is Mokhtar Al-Mahmoudi, a leading figure of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood [Address Libya, 17.05.2019].
SABRATHA – SORMAN
- the Presidency Council’s local Ministry of Local Governance admitted on Thursday that the western towns of Sabratha and Sorman were no longer under its control. In a letter to the PC’s Interior Ministry, it said the two municipalities were now taking orders from what it described as “the parallel government in the eastern region” – in other words, the Beida-based Interim Government headed by Abdullah al-Thani [Address Libya, 17.05.2019].
TAJOURA
- an airstrike by Khalifa Haftar’s forces hit civilian houses in Tajoura district in eastern Tripoli in the early hours of Monday. The strike hit a residential area in Ghout Al-Rumman and its shrapnel injured a woman and two kids, among other civilians, let alone the damage caused to the houses [Libyan Express, 13.05.2019].
TRIPOLI
- a shipment of Turkish weapons and armored vehicles have been unloaded at Tripoli seaport. They arrived Saturday on board a Moldovan-flagged ro-ro vessel, named Amazon. Libya is under an arms embargo by the United Nations Security Council since 2011. Photos and videos of the received 40 or so armored vehicles and weapons were posted by the hardline Samoud Brigade led by Misratan militant Salah Badi on its Facebook page. Salah Badi is listed on the United Nations and the United States sanctions list for his role in the 2014 Operation Libya Dawn that let to burning down the Tripoli International Airport [Address Libya, 19.05.2019];
- forces of the Libyan Army under the Presidential Council government’s command thwarted on Saturday morning a heavy-artillery-backed advance by Khalifa Haftar’s forces on Tripoli International Airport frontline, blocking their attempt to enter Tripoli’s downtown [Libya Observer, 18.05.2019];
- Libyan National Army fighters, headed by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, targeted positions of forces belonging to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Azizia area, south of the capital, Tripoli. The General Command’s media said Wednesday the artillery forces of the 9th brigade are preparing to move from the city of Terhouna, near the capital, to the fighting hubs [Address Libya, 15.05.2019];
- many militia fighters in southern Tripoli have retreated following LNA airstrike on their positions and weapons depots, according to Maj.Gen. Fawzi al-Mansuri, the commander of the Ain Zara front in the battle for Tripoli. Al-Mansuri said in statements to the publication Alitihad newspaper that the LNA air force would continue to hit targets in Tripoli. The air strikes have been continuing nightly, with little action or movement during day time [Address Libya, 14.05.2019];
- clashes intensified on Monday between forces under the command of the Government of National Accord and those attacking Tripoli under Khalifa Haftar’s command on southern Tripoli frontlines. The fierce fighting was reported on frontlines of Airport Road, Al-Sawani, Al-Twaisha and Qasr Bin Ghashir, all of which are near the Tripoli International Airport [Libyan Express, 14.05.2019];
- sources from the Government of National Accord (GNA) confirmed that the Libyan Air Force carried out about 8 airstrikes on positions for Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Tripoli Airport Road, Qasr Bin Ghashir and near Gharyan as well as in Sooq Al-Khamis. Meanwhile, Haftar’s airstrikes hit Zawia city to the west of Tripoli, causing a massive material damage [Libyan Express, 13.05.2019].
ZAWIA
- the Address Journal learned from sources that two terrorist elements, one linked to ISIS and the other to Al-Qaeda, were killed in an aerial bombing carried out by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and targeted the headquarters of Farouq terrorist battalion in the city of Zawia west of Tripoli. The first man, Musab Mohammed Kamuka, belongs to Al-Qaeda and is one of the most wanted to LNA, and who fled Sabratha after its liberation in 2016. The second element was Safwan Abdel Hamid Jabir Hamouda, a member of ISIS, which attacked Sabratha security headquarters and killed a number of police and civilians on 22 Feb 2016 [Address Libya, 16.05.2019];
- air Force of the Libyan National Army (LNA) targeted one of the headquarters of al-Farouq extremist battalion in the outskirts of Zawia west of Tripoli. The air strike resulted in destruction in the building and some vehicles in addition to disabling the communications room inside, contrary to what announced by Libya Panorama TV channel that the bombing targeted a civilian site [Address Libya, 13.05.2019].
ZILLAH
- the terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on an oilfield in the southern town of Zillah, according to statement by the group’s propaganda platform. The Libyan National Army (LNA) managed on early Saturday morning to repel the terrorist attack on an oilfield gate of Zueitina Oil Company. No official reports of any casualties were released yet [Address Libya, 19.05.2019];
- media outlets loyal to Khalifa Haftar reported Saturday morning that three people were killed as gunmen attacked a security checkpoint near Zillah oilfield of Zueitina Oil Company in southern Sirte; central Libya. The reports also added that the security checkpoint personnel managed to kill five of the attacking gunmen before they had fled to desert areas. According to the media outlets, loyal to Khalifa Haftar, the gunmen are linked to ISIS. However, no claim has been made yet by ISIS or any other group, and according to some reports, the gunmen are still unidentified [Libyan Express, 18.05.2019].
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, renewed the call for all States to implement the arms embargo in Libya. Preventing the proliferation of weapons is important to calm the current fighting and restore stability in the country, Guterres said. Guterres expressed his deep concern in a report to the Security Council, which was distributed Friday, stressing that the current military operations in Libya were strengthened through the transfer of arms to the country, including those transferred by sea. Guterres’s statement coincided with the arrival of a ship carrying weapons and military equipment on Saturday from the Turkish port of Samsun on the ninth of May before arriving in Tripoli[Address Libya, 19.05.2019];
- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov has called for an end to the armed confrontation in Tripoli and the establishment of a national dialogue between the Libyans, in order to end the crisis, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry [Libya Observer, 18.05.2019];
- spokesman of the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric called on parties to conflict in Libya to refrain from using explosive weapons, such as aerial and artillery bombardment in densely populated areas [Libya Observer, 18.05.2019];
- the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini said that the EU position towards Libya is clear and unified, stressing that the only solution to the crisis is to adopt a political solution through negotiations[Libya Observer, 18.05.2019];
- US House Representative Tom Malinowski said the House Foreign Affairs Committee members will send a letter to the US Attorney General and FBI Director asking for investigating Khalifa Haftar for war crimes he and his subordinates committed in Libya since Haftar is a US citizen [Libya Observer, 16.05.2019];
- French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian has expressed concern about the situation in Libya, due to what he called “the failure of the solution proposed by the United Nations to the conflict parties” [Libya Observer, 16.05.2019];
- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met with the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar on Thursday morning in Rome. Conte described the meeting as “lengthy”, during which he was briefed on the developments in Tripoli, where he expressed Italy’s position on the situation that Libya is currently living. “I have called for a ceasefire and we are confident that it is possible to move towards a political solution,” Conte told reporters on the sidelines of a public administration forum in Rome following the two-hour meeting [Address Libya, 16.05.2019];
- Reuters reported Wednesday the senior United Arab Emirates Minister official Anwar Gargash as saying that Libya’s Khalifa Haftar did not consult with the Gulf Arab state before his move on the capital Tripoli. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash also told reporters that Tripoli remained controlled by factions that include “thugs and gangs” [Libyan Express, 15.05.2019];
- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that they will continue to encourage all parties to conflict in Libya to end the fighting and revert to the political process. Stoltenberg said in a statement on Monday that NATO is ready to help Libya build effective security institutions, including a modern Ministry of Defence and security organs under civilian control [Libya Observer, 14.05.2019];
- the President of the European Council Donald Tusk said Khalifa Haftar’s military attack on Tripoli and the subsequent escalation in and around the capital constitutes a threat to international peace and security as well as it further threatens the stability of Libya [Libya Observer, 13.05.2019].
