A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Monday, August 15, 2011

New Momentum for Libyan Rebels?

Following a weekend in which Libyan rebels disputed control over Zawiya with the Qadhafi forces and claimed to have taken Gharyan in Jebel Nefusa, there are reports today that they may be on the verge of taking Brega, the key oil0-shipping port.

While some of these reports may seem premature, they do suggest that, despite the internal stresses recently on display, the rebels are gaining some momentum once again. (This at a time when Bashar al-Asad has reportedly become the second Arab leader, after Qadhafi, to send his Navy to shell one of his own cities.

2 comments:

The Familiar Strange said...

Here's a great map of the Tripoli as of yesterday:

http://www.twitpic.com/66cdqg/full

David Mack said...

While it is unlikely that the rebels could sustain a successful military operation against Tripoli in the near term, the Qadhafi regime is clearly losing the long term political battle.