The Jerusalem Post
June 29, 2019
https://www.meforum.org/58853/libya-proxy-war-comes-out-in-the-open
Since Libya’s eastern military commander Khalifa Hifter launched his April offensive against the capital Tripoli in the west, little progress has been made, while continuing attempts at peace have failed.
Moscow seemingly embraced the new proposal on Libya peace put out by the head of the Government of National Accord but this doesn't necessarily mean Russia has given up on strongman Khalifa Hifter.
- The war for Tripoli will likely last months, worsening the conditions that are allowing Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked militants to increase activity in Libya.
- For more, read Emily Estelle's take on the renewed civil war;
Tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Iran's growing uranium stockpiles. Ongoing U.S. sanctions. And this morning, reports that Iran shot down a U.S. drone.
Tensions between the United States and Iran are rising. Even if the two countries can avoid a military clash, there are still long-term costs for U.S. interests and regional stability. That's according to RAND's Dalia Dassa Kaye. Washington's maximum pressure campaign has led to angry U.S. allies and energized adversaries (including Russia), a more dangerous Iran, and the continued risk of military conflict. What's more, she says, these trends may be difficult to reverse. Read more »
by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness
In May 2018, the Donald Trump Administration withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, popularly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
By Charles V. Peña, RealClearDefense: “The operational difficulties, cost, and human toll are not reasons not to go to war—if U.S. national security and survival were at stake. But that is not the case with Iran."
(Reuters) Iran is on course to breach a threshold in its nuclear agreement within days by accumulating more enriched uranium than permitted, although it had not done so yet by a deadline it set for Thursday, diplomats said, citing U.N. inspectors’ data.
Egypt's plans to host rival Libyan factions in Cairo next week are up in the air after allies of the UN-recognized government in Tripoli refused to sit down with eastern-based lawmakers supportive of strongman Khalifa Hifter's assault on the capital. Egypt, which is close to Hifter, had hoped to host rival members of the House of Representatives in Cairo for three days, starting Saturday. The deputies were elected in June 2014 but almost immediately split into rival blocs, with the majority decamping from Tripoli to Tobruk later that year.
But the Tripoli-based lawmakers have refused to attend, the Libya Herald reported this week, leaving Egypt's diplomatic surge in flux. They cited three main reasons: the agenda and aim of the Cairo meeting were thought to be unclear; most of them felt Egypt could not be a neutral facilitator; and some bristled at being contacted by the Egyptian ambassador to Libya, Mohamed Abu Bakr, insisting instead that Cairo recognizes and respect the leadership of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
Know more:
— Can Egypt help end Tripoli offensive?