nato batters tripoli ahead of russian envoy visit
Sunday 22 December 2024
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

'Sliding toward a land operation'

NATO batters Tripoli ahead of Russian envoy visit

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today NATO batters Tripoli ahead of Russian envoy visit

Smoke billows from Tajura, a suburb of the Libyan capital Tripoli
Tripoli - AFP

Smoke billows from Tajura, a suburb of the Libyan capital Tripoli NATO warplanes battered Muammar Gaddafi's command network in Tripoli, it said Monday ahead of a visit to Libya by an envoy from Russia, which has raised concerns about the military campaign. Five powerful blasts rocked Tripoli late Sunday after three waves of explosions during the day, as warplanes overflew the city which has been the target of intense NATO raids for the past two weeks.
In a statement, the military alliance said it conducted "intensive and sustained strikes against pro-Gaddafi facilities in Tripoli throughout the day and night," including command and control centres.
"We will continue to erode (the Gaddafi regime's) foundations until the violence against the Libyan population ends," it quoted Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, commander in chief of the NATO mission, as saying.

The latest salvos came as Russian mediator Mikhail Margelov prepared to head the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Monday after Moscow voiced concerns at the weekend about the NATO operation sliding towards a land campaign.
Margelov, President Dmitry Medvedev's special representative on Africa, said he plans "to meet leaders of Libya's National Transitional Council," Interfax news agency reported.
Russia, which is calling for a negotiated solution to the conflict, expressed alarm at the weekend as NATO's air war entered a new phase with the deployment of British and French attack helicopters.
"We consider that what is going on is either consciously or unconsciously sliding towards a land operation," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"That would be very deplorable," Lavrov, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency, added of the British and French decision.
It was a concern reiterated on Sunday by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, who expressed doubt that NATO's use of helicopters was an acceptable way to impose a no-fly zone set out under a UN resolution.
"(NATO is) using attack helicopters on land targets, which is in my view the last but one step before the land operation," said Lavrov.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Sunday defended the use of the helicopters and ruled out putting forces on the ground, saying NATO would stick to the terms of UN Resolution 1973 passed in March to protect civilians.

Hague admitted the NATO operation was "intensifying" and that there was no deadline, but denied any "mission creep" for the aerial bombing campaign launched nearly three months ago.
"We're not going to set a deadline. You're asking about Christmas and who knows, it could be days or weeks or months, (but) it is worth doing," he told BBC television.
"This is not mission creep, changing the nature of the mission, this is intensifying what we are doing in order to make this mission a success," he added.
Hague made the remarks a day visiting Benghazi where he met the head of the opposition National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, and toured a medical centre treating war wounded.
Jalil had praised the decision by Britain and France to deploy the attack helicopters, saying: "We welcome any action that could precipitate the end of (Muammar) Gaddafi's regime."
Britain said on Sunday its Apache helicopters destroyed a multiple missile launcher operated by Kadhafi forces near the eastern oil hub of Brega.
"At sea, HMS Ocean launched her British Army Apaches against a multiple rocket launch system positioned on the Libyan coast near Brega," Major General Nick Pope, spokesman for the Chief of Defence Staff, said in a statement.
"The attack helicopters used Hellfire missiles to destroy their target before returning safely to the ship."
British Tornado strike warplanes separately joined other NATO aircraft in a "major strike on a large surface-to-air missile depot" in Tripoli, Pope added.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said meanwhile that it was only a matter of time before Gaddafi's aides abandoned him.
"It's only a matter of time (before he falls)," Gates said. "I don't think anyone knows how long. But I think you see signs the regime is getting shakier by the day.
"It's just a question when everybody around Gaddafi decides it's time to throw in the towel and throw him under the bus," he said on a visit to Afghanistan.
Neighbouring Tunisia, meanwhile, kept up the grim task of attempting to recover the bodies of more than 200 migrants fleeing Libya's conflict after their boat capsized, a coastguard said.
And Iman al-Obeidi, who grabbed world headlines after accusing Gaddafi's soldiers of torturing and raping her, left Benghazi for the United States, her sister told AFP, after she was deported without explanation by Qatar on Saturday.

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

nato batters tripoli ahead of russian envoy visit nato batters tripoli ahead of russian envoy visit

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

nato batters tripoli ahead of russian envoy visit nato batters tripoli ahead of russian envoy visit

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 12:58 2017 Wednesday ,09 August

Israel ‘guilty of war crimes’ for Jerusalem

GMT 11:13 2017 Wednesday ,29 March

Seoul approves North Korea women's hockey visit

GMT 05:11 2017 Monday ,20 March

Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry dead at 90

GMT 08:41 2017 Monday ,11 December

Christian Louboutin releases

GMT 11:15 2017 Monday ,14 August

Amir Karara decides to spend holiday in N.Coast

GMT 11:58 2017 Thursday ,02 March

Oman celebrates Crafts Day

GMT 12:15 2012 Wednesday ,25 July

New KIA Carens to debut at Paris motor show

GMT 13:56 2017 Saturday ,21 October

judged harshly because of success

GMT 20:46 2012 Saturday ,30 June

Brussels euro crisis summit fruitful

GMT 17:52 2017 Tuesday ,28 November

Tokyo stocks snap three-day winning streak

GMT 19:21 2017 Tuesday ,02 May

Infiniti Q60 Coupe: Born to perform

GMT 18:56 2012 Monday ,12 March

Geneva Motor Show

GMT 09:07 2017 Sunday ,30 April

Zafer Al Abdeen is ready for Ramadan
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday