The forces of the National Accord government announced on Wednesday evening to regain control of Tripoli International Airport after fierce battles with the forces loyal to retired Major General Khalifa Hifter, at a time when the past few hours have witnessed rapid developments at the political and military levels.
"Our forces have completely liberated Tripoli International Airport," said Colonel Mohamed Kanounou, spokesman for the al-Wefaq government forces.
In a tweet on Twitter, the media center for Operation Volcano of Anger declared, "The liberation of Tripoli Airport and our heroic forces are hunting the remnants of the Haftar militia fleeing from it towards Qasr Bin Ghashir."
Anadolu Agency quoted a spokesman for the media center for the operation of the anger volcano, Mustafa Al-Mujai, as saying that their forces had fully taken control of Tripoli International Airport, a year after the militia took control of Haftar.
He added that the government forces began combing the airport, after which the Military Engineering Company began to scan it to deal with mines left by the Haftar militia.
Al-Mujai said that the militia of Haftar, which was holed up in the airport, fled towards the Qasr Bin Ghashir area, south of Tripoli, to go later to the city of Tarhuna.
On the other hand, the Al-Jazeera correspondent in Libya, quoting a military source from the National Accord Government, said that the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar are bombing Tripoli International Airport with heavy artillery and mortar shells.
The military source said that Al-Wefaq forces were stationed in the vicinity of Tripoli International Airport to avoid the indiscriminate shelling of Haftar's forces.
During the past hours, the forces of the Al-Wefaq government seized control of Khalah bin Aoun and most of the Ramle axis, and secured the vicinity of the Yarmouk camp south of Tripoli.
In conjunction with the airport battles, Al-Wefaq forces took control of the northern and northeastern regions of Qasr bin Ghashir, where violent clashes take place.
Al-Jazeera correspondent Nasser Shedeed said that Al-Wefaq forces launched violent raids and used heavy artillery in an attempt to restore full control of this area. The Qasr Bin Ghashir area is about 26 km from Tripoli, and it is one of the main areas that Haftar forces relied on to supply its elements in the fighting axes south of Tripoli.
A military source said that Al-Wefaq forces seized weapons and ammunition after an attack on Haftar forces in Qasr Bin Ghashir Island, south of the capital, and that they succeeded in destroying a mortar company belonging to Haftar forces in the Wadi Al-Rabi'a axis.
Al-Wefaq forces announced that they had counted 48 bodies of Haftar fighters after the confrontations in the fighting hubs south of Tripoli.
These forces also launch a parallel attack on the city of Tarhuna, and are trying to paralyze the Russian air defense system used by Haftar forces.
The correspondent said that the attack on Tarhuna weakened Haftar's forces, and limited its ability to counter the attacks by Al-Wefaq forces on Qasr bin Ghashir.
Five axes
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Libya quoted a military source as saying that Al-Wefaq forces opened five axes north of the city of Tarhuna, southeast of the capital, Tripoli, and added that the reconciliation forces advanced in the Al-Sharidat axis, north of Tarhuna, after heavy artillery and air strikes, confirming the continued clashes in the axes of Al-Shafin, Qarat Bulley and Al-Quwaya, north of Tarhuna .
The source pointed out that Al-Wefaq forces monitored African mercenaries fighting alongside Haftar forces in the axes north of Tarhuna.
Over the past weeks, Haftar's forces incurred losses as a result of harsh strikes in axes south of Tripoli and the cities of the western coast, all the way to the border with Tunisia, in addition to the base of the strategic patriotism.
Turkish support for the Al-Wefaq government has changed the balance of power on the ground in the face of Haftar's forces backed by Egypt, the Emirates, France and Russia.
Political developments
Politically, leaders from both sides of the conflict in Libya reportedly traveled abroad today, Wednesday, for talks on a ceasefire. The United Nations announced on Monday that the two sides agreed to resume ceasefire talks.
It is expected that Prime Minister of the National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj will arrive in Ankara later on Wednesday, Turkish media reported.
"Now that the legitimate government has the upper hand now, this should be seen as an opportunity to find a political solution," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoوlu said in a television interview.
In a related context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said - on Wednesday - that the presence of Russian prisoners in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, represents the main obstacle to cooperation between the two countries.
Lavrov made the remarks after talks in Moscow with Ahmed Mutaiq, deputy head of the internationally recognized Libyan National Accord government. Mutaiq and Foreign Minister Mohamed Siala had earlier arrived in the Russian capital, Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Russian side stressed during the talks the importance of launching a constructive and comprehensive dialogue, with the participation of all political forces and social movements active on the ground in Libya.
to Cairo
According to Egyptian media sources, retired Major General Khalifa Hifter arrived in Cairo today, Wednesday, to discuss developments in Libya.
Those sources said that Haftar is scheduled to meet a number of Egyptian officials to coordinate and consult on developments in the current situation in his country.
The Egyptian authorities have not officially announced Haftar's visit to Cairo, or details of the meetings and files of the talks.
With the support of Russia, Arab and European countries, Haftar's forces have launched a faltering offensive since April 4, 2019, to take control of Tripoli, the seat of the internationally recognized government, killing and injuring civilians, and causing extensive material damage.