The UAE has sent additional military support - including aircraft - to retired Libyan Major General Khalifa Hifter, while Washington has confirmed that it does not support the attack on Tripoli, which has witnessed a renewed bombardment targeting the residence of Italian and Turkish ambassadors and caused casualties.
A high-ranking source in the Libyan National Accord government confirmed that the UAE has awarded warplanes and cargo planes.
The source said to the island that the planes that arrived in the past days to the air base of Jafra (central Libyan south) under the control of Haftar, were carrying weapons and ammunition placed in the warehouses of the base.
The source pointed out that the Al-Jafra base has been witnessing major movements for days, in preparation for an air operation that may depart from the coming days, according to the source.
The official spokesman for the forces of Haftar Ahmed Al-Mismari spoke on Wednesday of the intention of the air force of Haftar to launch an air operation in the coming days under the name of "Operation Ababil".
Recently, the UAE announced again its support for Haftar, and it previously provided him with great military support that included advanced weapons and mercenaries, but the shipment of new equipment comes after his forces suffered losses, the most important of which was the loss of the cities of the West Coast.
| Jeffrey pointed to the cooperation between the Russians and Assad to transport fighters to Libya in support of Haftar (Reuters) |
On the other hand, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Henry Worcester said that his country does not support the attack of Haftar's forces since April 2019 on Tripoli.
Worcester - in a conference call yesterday - added that the attack on the capital is diverting resources away from what is a priority for Washington, which is fighting terrorism.
At the same news conference, Jim Jeffrey, the US special envoy to Syria, said the battlefield in Libya could be further complicated.
In this context, he indicated that Russia is working with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to transport Syrian fighters or from a third country to Libya, in addition to military hardware.
A secret United Nations report indicated that Haftar used Syrian fighters, in addition to the spread of about 1,200 members of the Russian "Wagner" security company, some of whom were fighting on the front lines against the forces of the National Accord government in the southern outskirts of Tripoli.
The US embassy in Libya, on its Twitter account, quoted the State Department as saying that Washington will continue to press Russia, Turkey, the UAE and others to encourage the reconciliation government and Haftar's forces to return to the negotiating table under the auspices of the United Nations.
The embassy added that it was looking for a permanent ceasefire that the two parties agreed upon in Geneva in February.
| 6154798680001 | b7f749f2-f263-4733-8602-26e41b8f3f56 | e42df177-3133-438e-9528-43249f171014 | |
| video |
On the ground, yesterday evening, Haftar forces targeted Grad rockets surrounding the residence of the Italian and Turkish ambassadors in the Zawiyah Dahmani area in Tripoli, killing two members of the security forces charged with protecting diplomatic headquarters.
Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed El-Taher Siala had contacted the Italian ambassadors, Giuseppe Puccini and the Turkish Serhat Axin to check on them.
The Libyan Foreign Ministry said that the bombing of Haftar's forces was close to the residence of the Italian and Turkish ambassadors, which violates international law and international humanitarian law, which call for the protection of diplomatic missions.
For its part, the Italian Foreign Ministry condemned at dawn Friday the missile attack launched by Haftar forces on a number of areas in Tripoli. It added that the attack killed at least two people in the area where the Italian ambassador resides.
The bombing of Haftar forces had previously targeted areas near the Maitika International Airport in Tripoli, as well as the Tripoli seaport, and the bombing of these areas did not cause any casualties.
Grad rockets also hit residential areas in the Abu Salim and Tajura suburbs, killing and injuring civilians.
For his part, a spokesman for the Al-Wefaq government forces announced that its air force carried out 12 air strikes yesterday, targeting nine of them at Al-Wattia Air Force Base, killing 13 militants loyal to Haftar and destroying five vehicles. A spokesman for the Al-Wefaq forces later announced that six of The militants holed up with al Qaeda surrendered to it.