Report: Libya Orders Syrian Diplomats to Leave

Libya has ordered Syrian diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours, just days after the main Syrian opposition group took over Damascus's mission in Tripoli, the official news agency reported Thursday.

The Libyan foreign ministry has given "72 hours for the Syrian diplomats to leave the country," the official LANA news agency reported, quoting a ministry statement.

The decision comes less than a week after the opposition Syrian National Council took control of the country's embassy in Tripoli on Saturday.

Libya's new rulers have already recognized the SNC.

Syrians staying in Libya have regularly held demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad, and in the past week have also protested outside the embassies of Russia and China.

Moscow and Beijing on Saturday used their vetoes for the second time in four months to block a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the crackdown by Assad's regime on pro-democracy protesters in Syria.