ROME: A Sea-Watch migrant rescue ship came under fire from a Libyan patrol vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, the organization said on Friday, highlighting escalating threats during recent operations.
Sea-Watch, which comes to the aid of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, said there were no injuries.
The volunteer organization said the attack happened overnight from Thursday to Friday, shortly after its ship, the Sea-Watch 5, had rescued 66 people.
“The so-called Libyan coast guard fired live ammunition,” it said in a statement on its website, demanding an immediate investigation and action from the European Union.
Sea-Watch said the Libyan Ubari 660 Corrubia Class patrol boat had ordered the crew via radio to turn north while the rescue operation was ongoing.
To do so would have meant aborting the rescue, it said.
“The militia then approached the ship and eventually fired live ammunition at it. The crew and those rescued were unharmed,” it added.
“After being fired upon, the crew of the Sea-Watch 5 sent out a Mayday relay and informed the relevant authorities and the German federal police.”
Sea-Watch said the number of attacks by Libyan “militia” has intensified in recent months.
On August 24, the rescue ship Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Mediterranee, was fired at. The NGO said “hundreds of bullets” were used and the attack happened after it had rescued 87 people in international waters.
Sea-Watch said the Libyan patrol boat was given to the Libyan coast guard in 2018 as part of a deal the previous year in which Rome and the EU provided financial, technical and material support to intercept migrants and return them to the north African country.
The organization’s spokeswoman, Giorgia Linardi, said the Libyan attacks were a “direct consequence” of European policies.
“It’s unacceptable that the Italian government and the EU allows criminal militia to fire on civilians,” she added.
Charities supporting migrants regularly criticize the situation in Libya, claiming that those seeking to leave are victims of discrimination, racism and violence.
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NGO says Libyan patrol vessel shot at migrant rescue ship in the Med
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NGO says Libyan patrol vessel shot at migrant rescue ship in the Med
- Sea-Watch, which comes to the aid of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, said there were no injuries
- “The so-called Libyan coast guard fired live ammunition,” it said in a statement
Iranian hardline clerics seek swift naming of new supreme leader
- Calls by the clerics suggest that at least some in the clerical establishment are uncomfortable with leaving a three-man council in charge
DUBAI: Two influential and hardline Iranian clerics have called for the swift selection of a new supreme leader to help guide the nation amid a new wave of US and Israeli strikes, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
The calls by the clerics suggest that at least some in the clerical establishment are uncomfortable with leaving a three-man council in charge, even temporarily under constitutional rules, after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US President Donald Trump has said the US should have a role in choosing the new leader, a demand Iran has rejected.
Naser Makarem Shirazi, a grand ayatollah, which means he commands a broad following for his religious rulings, said an appointment was needed swiftly to “help better organize the country’s affairs,” state media reported.
Last week, two senior Shi’ite religious authorities also issued fatwas, or religious decrees, calling on Muslims around the world to avenge the killing of Khamenei. Makarem Shirazi said it was a religious duty for Muslims “until the evil of these criminals is eradicated from the world.”
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani also urged members of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body charged with choosing the new leader, to accelerate the process of picking Khamenei’s successor, state media reported.
Following rules laid out in Iran’s constitution, a three-man council comprising the president, a senior cleric and the head of the judiciary, has taken on the supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts decides.
The constitution states a supreme leader should be chosen within three months, although with war raging, it is not immediately clear how quickly the 88-member Assembly of Experts can convene. Sources have said some clerics have held some consultations online.
The calls by the clerics suggest that at least some in the clerical establishment are uncomfortable with leaving a three-man council in charge, even temporarily under constitutional rules, after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US President Donald Trump has said the US should have a role in choosing the new leader, a demand Iran has rejected.
Naser Makarem Shirazi, a grand ayatollah, which means he commands a broad following for his religious rulings, said an appointment was needed swiftly to “help better organize the country’s affairs,” state media reported.
Last week, two senior Shi’ite religious authorities also issued fatwas, or religious decrees, calling on Muslims around the world to avenge the killing of Khamenei. Makarem Shirazi said it was a religious duty for Muslims “until the evil of these criminals is eradicated from the world.”
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani also urged members of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body charged with choosing the new leader, to accelerate the process of picking Khamenei’s successor, state media reported.
Following rules laid out in Iran’s constitution, a three-man council comprising the president, a senior cleric and the head of the judiciary, has taken on the supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts decides.
The constitution states a supreme leader should be chosen within three months, although with war raging, it is not immediately clear how quickly the 88-member Assembly of Experts can convene. Sources have said some clerics have held some consultations online.
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