World
Islamic State suffered a major setback in Libya after forces loyal to the country’s U.N.-backed government recaptured a key district in the city of Sirte on Tuesday. The pro-government fighters claimed that the liberation of “District Two” was a big step towards seizing the entire Sirte from the jihadist group.
A spokesman for the pro-government forces said that IS snipers and car bombs presented a fierce opposition in the battle, reports Al Jazeera. In May, Libyan forces launched a major operation to retake the coastal city of Sirte, which fell to IS in 2015. The campaign by the local forces has been bolstered by U.S. air strikes on IS vehicles, weapons and fighting positions.
In a separate development, Russian warplanes for the first time, used Iran as their base to launch air raids against IS militants in Syria on Tuesday, writes Reuters. In a move that reflects the warming relationship between Moscow and Tehran, Russia supplied Iran with its S-300 missile air defense system, which the U.S. described as “unfortunate.”
State Department spokesman Mark Toner expressed concern that the move may have breached U.N. Security Council resolution 2231, which prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran.
