INTERNACIONAL
Tras intensas jornadas de enfrentamientos, un alto el fuego restableció parcialmente la paz en Libia
Las intensas jornadas de enfrentamientos en Libia parecieron calmarse -al menos parcialmente- este miércoles, luego de que el Gobierno anunciara un alto el fuego y medidas concretas para restablecer el orden y la calma.
“Las fuerzas regulares, en coordinación con las autoridades de seguridad competentes, han empezado a tomar las medidas necesarias para garantizar la calma, incluido el despliegue de unidades neutrales”, informó el Ministerio de Defensa, aunque sin detallar qué unidades forman parte de estas facciones neutrales ni sus zonas de operación.
“Afirmamos que hacemos frente a los recientes acontecimientos en el marco del deber nacional y de forma que se garantice la preservación del orden público y se eviten los intentos de explotar las circunstancias para agendas que contradicen la legitimidad del Estado y sus instituciones”, sumó el comunicado, que enfatizó en que “la unidad, el refuerzo del Estado de derecho y el desmantelamiento de las armas indiscriminadas son una prioridad inamovible”.
“No se permitirá que se imponga una realidad por la fuerza de las armas, al margen de los marcos oficiales”, insistió el Ministerio.
El anuncio restableció el orden casi por completo, con algunas excepciones en Trípoli, donde los vecinos denunciaron enfrentamientos cerca de una hora después de la noticia.
Según reportó el medio Libyan Observer, se trató de choques entre la Brigada 444, alineada con Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, primer ministro del dividido Gobierno de Unidad Nacional del país y aliado de Turquía, y la Fuerza Especial de Disuasión (Rada), la última gran facción armada de la capital.
“Es aterrador presenciar todos estos intensos combates. Tenía a mi familia en una habitación para evitar bombardeos aleatorios”, dijo un residente del barrio de Dahra, mientras que otro vecino de Saraj dio cuenta de las pausas momentáneas en los enfrentamientos.
“Cada vez que se detienen nos sentimos aliviados, pero luego volvemos a perder la esperanza”, dijo, aún con temor del alcance de la tregua.
Los peores combates en varios años en Libia, más precisamente en la capital, estallaron a última hora de lunes, luego del asesinato de Abdel-Ghani al Kikli, comandante de la Autoridad de Apoyo a la Estabilización (SSA, por sus siglas en inglés) por parte de otra milicia rival. Según un funcionario del Gobierno, el incidente ocurrió en una instalación gestionada por la Brigada 444, bajo el mando de Mahmoud Hamza, cercano a al-Dbeibah.
La SSA es uno de los grupos con mayor poder en el oeste del país, con un historial de atrocidades y abusos de derechos humanos; inclusive, Al-Kikli contaba con una denuncia de Amnistía Internacional por crímenes de guerra y otras violaciones graves.
Tras el asesinato, Hamza y sus aliados atacaron las oficinas de la SSA en toda la capital, incautaron sus activos y detuvieron a decenas de sus combatientes, obligando a cientos de familias a evacuar en medio de los enfrentamientos.
“Fue una pesadilla”, declaró uno de los vecinos de la capital.
Los choques se calmaron el martes por la mañana y llevaron cierta esperanza de calma, aunque se reanudaron por la noche, con importantes batallas en distritos de toda la ciudad.
La misión de la ONU para Libia, UNSMIL, manifestó su profunda preocupación por “la escalada de violencia en barrios densamente poblados de Trípoli” y los “intensos combates con armamento pesado en áreas densamente pobladas por civiles” que, advirtió, podrían “constituir crímenes de guerra”.
Es por ello que exigió un alto el fuego inmediato que permita, en el corto plazo, el establecimiento de “corredores seguros para la evacuación de los civiles atrapados en zonas de intenso conflicto”, y, en segunda instancia, el restablecimiento de la calma total.
Libia lleva años inmerso en un clima de inestabilidad. En 2011, un levantamiento respaldado por la OTAN derrocó al autócrata Muamar Gadafi y derivó, en 2014, en la fragmentación del país entre facciones rivales orientales y occidentales.
Los brotes de guerra, sin embargo, se detuvieron con una tregua, en 2020.
(Con información de Reuters)
Africa,Civil Unrest,TRIPOLI
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Senate Republicans and Democrats advanced the first set of spending bills through the upper chamber, despite signals from Democrats that they may block the government funding process.
In the days and weeks leading up to the vote, Senate Democrats warned that Republicans’ passage of highly partisan bills, like President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package, had eaten away at the trust that girds the appropriations process.
DEMS SEEK RETALIATION OVER GOP CUTS AS THUNE CALLS FOR ‘COOPERATION’ ON FUNDING VOTE
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., heads to the Senate Chamber to vote on a bill on Jan. 22, 2025, in Washington. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Still, after meeting behind closed-doors Tuesday afternoon, Democrats ultimately provided enough votes to advance the bill, which would fund military construction and the VA. The vote allows for lawmakers to make amendments and debate the bill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the meeting that Democrats were still gunning for a bipartisan spending deal, effectively opening the door for his conference to back the spending bill package for now.
«We’re working together to get one,» Schumer said. «But the bottom line is, Republicans are making it much harder. Rescissions, impoundment, pocket rescissions directly undoes this.»
The bill advanced on a 90 to 8 vote, with Schumer and the majority of Senate Democrats joining every Republican to open debate on the bill.
Democrats were largely frustrated with the passage of Trump’s rescissions package last week, which slashed funding from foreign aid and public broadcasting, arguing that doing so dissolved trust between the parties when it came to crafting spending bills.
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Reuters)
They argued that reaching an agreement on a funding bill, only to see their priorities later stripped out through rescissions, shattered confidence in their Republican colleagues to stick to their word.
«There’s no doubt,» Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a high-ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital. «I mean, someone does one thing one day and undoes it the next day, that obviously creates issues with trust.»
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., opted to call his counterparts’ bluff, and put the bill on the floor. Failure to advance the the legislation could have signaled a rocky road ahead for funding the government and beating the Sept. 30 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown.
«Democrats have indicated that they’re so upset over a rescissions bill last week, which, by the way, cut one tenth of 1% of all federal spending, that somehow they could use that to shut down the appropriations process and therefore shut down the government,» Thune said.
«We think that would be a big mistake, and hopefully they will think better of it and work with us, and we’re trying to give them what they’ve been asking for, [which] is a bipartisan appropriations process,» he continued.
Prior to the vote, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged passage of the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that when she and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel, took the helm of the committee, they «committed to working together» on spending bills.
She noted that when Democrats controlled the chamber, lawmakers didn’t get the same opportunity to consider spending bills, but acknowledged that it was still a «challenging legislative environment.»
«This is a fundamental responsibility of Congress, and I want to express my gratitude to Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Thune, for giving us the opportunity to bring the first of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills to the Senate floor,» she said.
‘ALL THE OPTIONS’: GOP EYES CUTTING AUGUST RECESS TO MOVE DOZENS OF TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY DEMS
Sen. John Fetterman during the sixth installment of The Senate Project moderated by FOX NEWS anchor Shannon Bream at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on June 2, 2025, in Boston. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
But, passage of the first bill, and the ensuing amendment process leading to a final vote, does not guarantee that the appropriations process will go smoothly before the deadline hits in the next couple of months.
Congress has not passed spending bills through a process called regular order since the late 1990s and has typically relied on short government funding extensions, known as continuing resolutions, and year-end, colossal spending packages, known as omnibuses, to keep the lights on in Washington.
Disagreements over funding levels between the Senate and House, coupled with lingering questions about whether Schumer will continue to play ball with Republicans, could tee up another showdown around the September deadline.
Schumer said that he would have a confab with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Murray, «to discuss the appropriations process in both the House and the Senate in the weeks ahead.»
«With so much hard work ahead, the government funding deadline only less than 25 legislative days away, Republicans should be focused on working with us to deliver for American families,» he said.
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Sen. John Fetterman, who earlier this year voted with Republicans and a handful of his Democratic colleagues to thwart a partial government shutdown, had a stern message for Senate Democrats that may want to obstruct the government funding process.
«I will never, ever vote to shut our government down,» the Pennsylvania Democrat told Fox News Digital. «That’s a core responsibility. And now we may not like a lot of these changes to things, and I don’t, but I’m saying that’s the way that democracy works.»
«And now shutting the government down, how could you do that and plunge our country into chaos,» he continued.
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Syrian jihadists reportedly executed a 35-year-old Syrian American – a member of the religious minority Druze community – last week as government-backed forces viciously attacked members of the Druze community in the country.
The State Department confirmed on Tuesday to Fox News Digital that an American, who has been identified as Hosam Saraya from Oklahoma, was killed in Syria. A State Department spokesperson said, «Time and time again, Secretary Rubio has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the safety and security of U.S. citizens. We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Sweida region of Syria last week. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them.»
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla, wrote on X, «Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria. We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss.»
WHY SYRIA PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN TRUMP’S PLANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE
Hosam Saraya was visiting family in Syria when he was killed by suspected jihadists due to his being a member of the Druze community. (Instagram/Hosam Saraya)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, wrote on X that an «American citizen from Oklahoma» was «brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria,» adding, «I’m working with partners in the region to learn more, and we’re in touch with @GovStitt on this devastating situation. Our prayers are with the family at this time.»
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa had reportedly taken the side of the jihadi-influenced Bedouin tribes who executed Druze residents in southern Syria, declaring they carried out «heroic actions.»
Al-Sharaa, who used a nom de guerre «Abu Mohammed al-Golani,» was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in terrorism. Critics accuse al-Sharaa of seeking to violently repress the struggling ethnic and religious minority populations in Syria – Christians, Druze, and Kruds.
Last week Israel launched military strikes against the jihadi forces on their way to the southern city of Sweida, where there is a large Druze population, to stop the massacre. Israel also attacked the Syrian Defense headquarters in Damascus to halt the bloodshed in Sweida.
Syrian security forces walk together along a street after clashes between government troops and local Druze fighters in Sweida, July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Karam al-Masri)
An Israel Defense Force spokesman told Fox News Digital during a Zoom call that it «learned its lesson» from the Hamas invasion of the Jewish state in 2023 and has two goals in southern Syria: border security and the rescue of Syrian Druze.
The bulk of the world’s Druze community lives in Syria. There are also sizable Druze populations in Israel and Lebanon.
WHO ARE THE DRUZE? RELIGIOUS GROUP AIDS SYRIAN MEMBERS UNDER ISLAMIST ATTACK, ISRAELI MEMBERS OFFER SUPPORT
Arizona GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh, who is of Druze background, told Fox News Digital, «The barbaric violence against the Druze community in Syria must end immediately. Under the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Barrack, the United States took bold steps to ease sanctions and extend goodwill to the Syrian government and its people in the hope of seeing real reforms.»
Hamadeh, whose mother is from Sweida, added, «Now is the time for the Syrian government to turn their words into real actions, if they want to maintain legitimacy: restore order, protect all of its citizens, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace and long-term stability. The only way is to build a new Syria that is reflective of its ethnic and religious mosaic. The United States wants Syria to succeed, but bloodshed, senseless violence, and division is not the path forward.»
Israeli Druze cross the border near Majdal Shams in a show of support for the Druze community in Hader on the Syrian side on July 16, 2025. (Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The Arizona congressman said, «My staff and I are engaged in interagency efforts to ascertain what is, and is not, happening on the ground in Syria amid the fog of this conflict. We will not rest until all American remains and victims are returned. Justice and accountability must be served. We are praying for the victims and for peace.»
Al-Sharaa’s rule since he toppled the pro-Iran regime of Bashar al-Assad in December has experienced massacres of Alawites, Christian and Druze. Critics argue that Al-Sharaa refuses to rope in the jihadi forces who seek to impose a Taliban-style rule on Syria.
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After Al-Sharaa’s forces executed Syrian Christians in March, Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital: «This is a warning that the Syrian government is not ready for prime time if it can’t protect a handful of vulnerable Christians who had absolutely nothing to do with this violence except being its victims,»
The death toll involving the clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters, which includes government forces and Israel, topped 1,000, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Washington helped implement a fragile ceasefire. SOHR noted, «Reaching an agreement including ceasefire and sponsored by Washington coincided with threats to keep Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, in case that the agreement’s terms were violated.»
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