Armed forces in the Libyan capital of Tripoli mobilized a massive security presence on Friday, in a bid to prevent any further protests over the Foreign Minister’s meeting with her Israeli counterpart last week, Reuters reports.
Dozens of military vehicles, some armed with heavy weapons, lined major roads and traffic intersections while convoys belonging to powerful armed factions patrolled the city, the report said.
The security presence came after activists called for new protests against the interim Government of National Unity (GNU) and Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah following its foreign minister meeting her Israeli counterpart.
During protests on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights, more than 16 demonstrators were detained by the security forces in Tripoli though most of them are to be released on Saturday.
The protests follow the revelation by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that he met with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush in Rome last week.
Al-Dbeibah later suspended Mangoush and referred her to investigation following her meeting with Minister Cohen.
It was later reported that Mangoush left the country and boarded a private plane to Turkey.
Libya’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the meeting between the two ministers “was accidental, unofficial, and not planned in advance.”
On Thursday, Al-Dbeibah stressed that Libya opposes any normalization with Israel.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)