Libyan air force bombarded sites of extremists in Benghazi

Libyan military leader Fadel Al Hassi revealed that the Libyan air force carried out combat missions targeting the terrorist organizations in the axis of "Sabri" and "Hout market" in the city of Benghazi. He added that that Libyan air force fighter jets targeted Friday night terrorist groups and mechanisms in Al-Sharif Street and near the municipal hotel.

He clarified that the military operations did not begin officially until this moment, and the forces are fully prepared to follow the orders and instructions. He added that they launched an Intensive air and artillery bombardment to target the sites of terrorist organizations in preparation for military operations and the advance of ground forces.

A spokesman for the Libyan navy that its forces seized two ships on suspicion of smuggling oil from the Libyan coast, after clashes with firearms lasted a few hours west of the capital Tripoli. "The tanker was flying the flag of Ukraine and there was another ship flying the flag of an African country that was seized Friday off the coast," Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qasim said. "The clashes lasted for three hours but the forces succeeded in seizing the two carriers."

In Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed NATO's readiness to support the internationally-recognized national accordance government, headed by Prime Minister Fayez Al Sarraj, in Libya and help it establish institutions that would restore stability to the country, especially in the Defense Ministry, the General Staff and intelligence forces.

Stoltenberg added, during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gantelloni, that Italy once again confirms that it is a valuable ally because it helps solve problems in Libya. He said: “I spoke last week with the head of the Libyan government Fayez Al-Sarraj. A team of NATO experts will meet with the Libyan authorities in the coming weeks to discuss how NATO can help establish institutions such as the Defense Ministry, the staff and intelligence forces, as well as institutions that will help stabilize Libya.”

On the other hand, UN special envoy Martin Kobler is to make his first visit to Khartoum on Sunday for talks on Libya with Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour.

“He will discuss efforts made by Arab League and African Union to solve the Libyan crisis,” a statement by Sudan’s foreign ministry said.

Whilst it is his first visit to Sudan since becoming special envoy, Kobler has previously held talks with Ghandour in Addis Ababa.

Both men will also be present at the next neighbouring countries’ Libya conference on 8 May in Algiers.

Sudan is fully supportive of the UN-backed Presidency Council whose head, Faiez Serraj, was last in Khartoum in March. That visit resulted in a political agreement to form a consultation committee between the two foreign ministries.

Kobler, who has just been reappointed to the post by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres after two other possible replacements were blocked by the Americans and Russians respectively, heads to Khartoum for talks with Ghandour having had similar Libya discussions earlier this week in Algiers with Abdelkader Messahel, Algeria’s minister of Maghreb, African and Arab affairs. He is currently leading his country’s efforts to help solve the Libyan crisis.