Egypt launches fresh airstrikes on militia sites in Libya’s Derna

Egypt and Libya launched renewed raids, at dawn on Monday, targeting sites at al-Qaeda’s Shura Council of Mujahideen in the Libyan city of Derna and its suburbs, Al Arabiya sources reported.

The head of Libya's national army, Khalifa Hafter, called on Sunday all military units in western and southern Libya to prepare to support what he called the national forces, which fight extremism in Tripoli.

The Libyan army confirmed on Sunday that the Egyptian air raids in Libya were coordinated with the Libyan forces in order to hit the headquarters of al-Qaeda’s Shura Council of Mujahideen and Bishr camp which is linked to Al Shura Council of Mujahideen.

The Egyptian fighter jets launched a number of air raids on the sites of extremists in Libya since Friday in response to an attack on a bus carrying Copts in the city of Minya and killing 29 people including children.

This followed the televised address by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Friday said that Cairo will not “hesitate” to strike “terrorism” anywhere whether it is inside or outside his country after masked gunmen killed 29 Coptic Christians, mostly children.

“Egypt will not hesitate at all to strike terrorist camps anywhere,” Sisi said during the TV address, adding that Cairo does not “conspire” against any country, and is keen to full protect its national security.

Sisi did not specify any country, however, he said since the fall of the Libyan regime in 2011, Egypt was watching its borders carefully.