On 4 December in the evening, armed clashes broke out in Zawiyya after a convoy from the 103rd Infantry Battalion aka Al-Sila’a Brigade (led by Othman al-Lahab) was attacked by the First Support Force (led by Muhammed Bahroun aka al-Far) at a checkpoint at the al‑Harsha gate along the coastal road. A prominent leader of the 103rd Battalion was killed, several others wounded. Several civilians were caught in crossfire.
Militias loyal to al-Far and to Othman al-Lahab mobilized rapidly, deployed armoured vehicles and closed the coastal road. Fighting, including with heavy infantry weapons, continued until after midnight, when the Stability Support Agency (SSA) intervened and managed to mediate a ceasefire and to separate the warring parties. The 52nd Infantry Brigade of the Libyan Army, which is based in Zawiyya, reported that that suspects in the initial incident had been handed over to authorities. In the morning, calm was restored, and the coastal road was reopened.
The Ambulance and Emergency Service announced that a civilian was wounded during the clashes in Zawiyya. According to the service, the injuries occurred when a high explosive projectile landed nearby, causing multiple wounds. The Service once again urged residents to avoid conflict zones and to exercise the highest levels of caution and vigilance to safeguard their safety. Altogether, four people were killed and about a dozen wounded.
In a statement, the First Support Force declared that their actions at the checkpoint were in self‑defense only, after an irregular armed group driving military vehicles without markings attacked its security personnel. They responded as required by the situation. The statement accused elements linked to the GNU of deliberately trying to inflame tensions and sow division among Libyans, but insisted such efforts would fail. It stressed that conditions are now moving toward calm, with no active clashes or mobilizations, except for what is being spread on social media by Walid al‑Lafi, a minister in what they described as a corrupt government seeking to prolong its rule, steal public funds, and serve foreign agendas.
On 8 December in the late afternoon, a number of people protesting against milia violence in Zawiyya blocked the Coastal Road with burning tires.