Politics
Egypt has called on the international community to intervene against Islamic State (I.S.) militants in Libya. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that what was happening in Libya was a threat to world peace and security, according to a BBC report. His remarks came as Egyptian jets bombed I.S. targets in response to a militant video of the apparent beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians.
Libya has been in chaos since 2011, with militias battling for control of territory and two rival governments. But the BBC's Jim Muir says there is little international appetite for military involvement and the emphasis remains on trying to find a political and diplomatic solution to the country's problems.
Sisi spoke by phone to French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi about the Libya situation. He has also sent Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri to New York for consultations with U.N. officials.
"What is happening in Libya is a threat to international peace and security," the president said.
Meanwhile, at least seven civilians, including three children, have been killed in Egyptian air strikes in northeast Libya, Al Jazeera reports. The bombings came as Cairo vowed to find those responsible for the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped by fighters pledging allegiance the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Libya's Sirte.
Sources told Al Jazeera on Monday that at least seven people were killed in air strikes in the coastal city of Derna after Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi vowed to "punish" those responsible for the beheadings.
Egypt's military said it carried out the raids early on Monday against ISIL camps, training sites and weapons storage areas. In a statement aired on state television, the military said "the air strikes hit their [ISIL] targets precisely, and the falcons of our air forces returned safely to their bases".
However, photos published on social media purpotedly showed several damaged residential areas in Derna. Omar al-Hassi, the head of Libya's legally-installed government in Tripoli, called the Egyptian raids "terrorism" and denounced them as a "sinful aggression".
"This horrible assault and this terrorism that's been conducted by the Egyptian military represents a violation of sovereignty in Libya and is a clear breach of international law and the UN charter," Hassi said.
