A member of the municipal council and a resident reported that eight people have died since Sunday in fighting in the Libyan mountain town of Gharian, and that forces allied with the Tripoli government regained control of the situation on Tuesday. Residents stated that clashes began in the town, located 90 kilometers south of Tripoli, earlier this week between a local leader who had previously allied with eastern Libyan forces and other fighters aligned with the government. Mona El-Megam, a council member, noted that two people were initially killed in the clashes, but airstrikes targeting three sites in the town later raised the total number of deaths to eight.
Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Prime Minister of the National Unity Government in Tripoli, announced on Monday that he had established an operations room to deter what he called “outlaw groups” around Gharian. Dbeibeh's government, supported by Turkey, has previously used drones to target competing factions in the fighting in western Libya.
Libya has experienced very little peace since the NATO-supported uprising in 2011 that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, and the country has been divided since 2014 between competing eastern and western factions, leading to the involvement of regional powers. Eastern factions are demanding Dbeibeh's resignation before any move towards elections, which the United Nations considers the only solution to years of conflict. Dbeibeh has refused to step down until after elections.
Disputes over control of the government in Libya have led to repeated outbreaks of fighting since early 2022, although most major fighting has ceased since a ceasefire in 2020. Footage circulated online purportedly showing Gharian depicted armed vehicles exchanging fire in the town center while other vehicles burned on the roadside, though Reuters was unable to verify this immediately.
Mona El-Megam, the local council member, stated that the town is now under the control of the National Unity Government forces and the situation is under control. The strategic importance of Gharian has been evident for years, as it was used by Khalifa Haftar, commander of the eastern Libyan forces (Libyan National Army), in 2019 to launch a failed offensive to seize Tripoli.
Additionally, loud explosions were reported today around Ramon Airport near Eilat in southern Israel, amid discussions of missile interception.
