A vessel carrying at least 700 migrants has been intercepted off the eastern coast of Libya. It said in a statement that the migrants hail from different nations and that those who illegally entered Libya would be handed over to their home countries. In August last year, Italian military vessels aided a boat crammed with 539 migrants off the southern island of Lampedusa. Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants seeking a better quality of life in Europe. A crowded boat capsized on September 21 off the coast of Tartus, Syria, just over a day after departing Lebanon.

Source: Libya Today December 31, 2022 14:48 UTC