Heavy artillery strikes in Tripoli; Israeli soldiers shot at children; UAE wants sanctions on Turkey
PANAGYURISHTE, (BM) – Your briefly report on December 18 in last six hours from BulgarianMilitary.com:
Libya: Heavy artillery heard in Tripoli amid offensive
The sound of heavy artillery ranged in southern Tripoli on Wednesday amid an offensive by eastern Libyan forces on the capital.
A local source said mortar shells struck Salahuddin neighborhood in southern Tripoli, causing material damage.
No injuries were reported.
The artillery shelling came shortly after forces aligned with East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar fired a barrage of rockets on residential areas in Tripoli, according to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).
Meanwhile, GNA forces said they had destroyed a Haftar’s vehicle loaded with ammunition in Yarmouk district, south of Tripoli.
In April, Haftar’s forces launched a military campaign to capture Tripoli from the internationally recognized government, but have so far failed to progress beyond the city’s outskirts.
However, on Dec. 12, Haftar announced that he had ordered his militants to launch a “decisive battle” to capture the capital.
According to UN data, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the operation and more than 5,000 injured.
NGO: Israel soldiers ‘wantonly’ shot at Palestinian children, injuring two
Israeli forces “wantonly” shot at Palestinian children in Al-Jalazun refugee camp, injuring two, according to an investigation by human rights group B’Tselem.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of 17 November, when Israeli occupation forces entered Al-Jalazun to chase Palestinian children who had been throwing stones at them at the camp entrance.
After reinforcements arrived in an Israeli military jeep, uniformed soldiers and “at least one armed person in civilian clothing” began “firing live rounds toward the fleeing children and teens”, as well as rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters.
Thirteen-year-old Rami Abu Nasrah and 11-year-old Amir Zbeideh were both hit with live ammunition; Rami suffered “an open fracture in the arm and underwent surgery to stabilize the bone”, while Amir “had surgery to reattach his right index finger and remove shrapnel from his chest”.
Leak: UAE hired lobby group to push US to put sanctions on Turkey
The UAE hired a US lobbying firm to convince Senators to impose sanctions on Turkey, the Anadolu Agency revealed.
The news agency said it had obtained an email sent by Charles Johnson, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP lobbying group, that was sent a week after the House of Representatives passed its own sanctions legislation on Turkey.
Sent on 7 November, the email said: “Andrew & Matt – I am reaching out on behalf of our client, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, to underscore the UAE’s condemnation of Turkish aggression in Syria and support for sanctions measures against Turkey such as the House-passed Protect Against Conflict by Turkey Act.”
“I hope this information is helpful as you continue to monitor developments in Syria, and as the Senate considers potential sanctions measures,” he added.
The email also contained a number of links to support the claim that Qatar had supported the Turkish military operation in Syria.
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BulgarianMilitary.com
Editorial team
Source: Yeni Safak, MEMO