Middle East & North Africa

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government captured the last major stronghold of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar near Tripoli on Friday, capping the sudden collapse of his 14-month offensive on the capital.

Military sources in Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) said their forces had withdrawn from the town of Tarhouna. They headed towards Sirte, far along the coast, and the airbase of al-Jufra in central Libya. The LNA made no immediate official comment.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey jailed three opposition lawmakers late on Thursday after parliament stripped them of their status as deputies, their two parties said, a move criticised by the country’s Western allies and rights groups.

Leyla Guven and Musa Farisogullari from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and Enis Berberoglu of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), had their status removed after convictions against them became final.

DAMASCUS, June 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least nine fighters loyal to the Syrian government, including four Syrians, were killed during Israeli air raids late Thursday in the Hama province a central region controlled by the Syrian army and Iranians, a monitor group said.

Those killed were either “part of the regime forces or (allied) Iranian forces,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The toll of nine dead could rise as some people were seriously injured in the raids, it added.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Eyad Hallaq liked to watch cartoons. He loved dressing up and wearing cologne. He even dreamed of getting married. But his favorite activity was walking to school, where he volunteered in the kitchen, preparing meals for his fellow special-needs students.

BEIRUT (AP) — On a summer day last year, presidential guards drove out of the charity organization founded by Syria’s wealthiest businessman and a close cousin of President Bashar Assad, carting away boxes of documents and computers. At the same time, the charity’s director was being questioned at the palace on suspicion of corruption.

04 June 2020; MEMO: Libya’s eastern-based military leader Brigadier General Khalifa Haftar visited Cairo yesterday and met with Egypt’s deputy defence minister hours before the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) announced that it had taken over Tripoli International Airport from his forces.

04 June 2020; MEMO: Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, said the United States has trained and equipped “terrorist elements” in neighbouring countries to attack the Islamic Republic and destabilise it.

04 June 2020; MEMO: Turkey has warned the Syrian opposition groups in the north-west province of Idlib to prepare for a potential military offensive by the Assad regime and its allies Iran and Russia in the coming days, according to a former senior opposition official.

The information was revealed by the former spokesman of the New Syrian Army – now rebranded as the Revolutionary Commando Army – which is part of the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve against Daesh.

04 June 2020; MEMO: Protestors in Iraq’s Dhi Qar province yesterday stormed the office of the head of the local Health Ministry forcing him to resign over his handling of the coronavirus outbreak amid the biggest rise in the number of cases over a 24-hour period.

ANKARA, June 4 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey and Azerbaijan, on Wednesday, announced on the official gazette, mutual visa exemption of three months for their citizens, who hold passports with validity of at least six months.

The decision was agreed upon by the two governments on Feb 25.

With the new visa agreement, the exemption period between the two countries is increased from 30 days to 90 days.