A military source in the forces of the Libyan National Accord government confirmed the arrival of military reinforcements to the fighting hubs west of the city of Sirte, central Libya, while a recent appeal was made to the city's sheikhs to spare them the scourge of war, amid warnings and international calls to return to the negotiating table.
The Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted the military source as saying that the princes of the central military areas, Tripoli and the West, had agreed to support fighting axes west of Sirte to launch an attack on the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar with various types of weapons.
The warplanes and helicopters of the Haftar forces had circled heavily in the area of Abu Qirin, east of the city of Misurata, without striking the locations of the reconciliation forces in the area.
At the same time, the Libyan army, affiliated with the Al-Wefaq government, announced at dawn today, Wednesday the targeting of Hifter militia and its mercenaries, at the entrances to the city of Sirte.
In a statement published by the Al-Wefaq government, "Operation Knife Volcano" of the Al-Wefaq government, the army spokesman, Muhammad Qanunu, said that his forces continue to carry out the operations by beating forcefully and firmly all the rebel hotspots in Sirte, according to the operations room plan.
He added that for months, we have been calling on sheikhs and dignitaries who have gone to Sara to arbitrate the mind and spare the city the horrors of war.
He continued, "Today we send the last call ... We will not retreat from re-establishing state control over Sirte."
A military source had said that Al-Wefaq forces had re-positioned in the area of Al-Nakhla Junction, west of Sirte, and this came amid resistance by Haftar forces, which is supported by foreign jet and marching aircraft, according to Libyan officials.
Al-Wefaq government forces took control of the areas of Al-Washaka and Buwarat Al-Hassoun west of Sirte, Jarif and Qubaiba in the south, but they were attacked by jet fighters, reportedly Russian, and another march in which the UAE supplied its ally Haftar, and those raids killed soldiers in addition to seven civilians.
Mass graves
And Libyan media monitored today, Wednesday, the displacement of dozens of families from the area west of the city of Sirte in the central Libyan north, as a result of the indiscriminate shelling carried out by the forces of General Haftar.
She said that this displacement came against the backdrop of the militia's continued bombardment of indiscriminate shelling for the second day in the Jarif Valley.
On the other hand, the local February channel broadcast a video clip of a mass grave that was found today in the city of Tarhuna, which is located about eighty kilometers southeast of Tripoli.
International positions
On the international level, the United States Embassy in Libya expressed fears of another humanitarian crisis in the city of Sirte, in the north of Libya.
The embassy warned that what it called extremist parties may take advantage of the ongoing escalation, and called on the parties to the conflict in Libya to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
In this context as well, a joint statement by the European Union's foreign policy and security official, Josep Borrell, and the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Italy, called on the Libyan and international parties to immediately halt all military operations and constructively engage in "5 + 5" negotiations.
The statement issued yesterday urged the withdrawal of all foreign forces, mercenaries and military equipment supplied to the Libyan scene.
He also called for constructively engaging in the UN-led Libyan dialogue, to pave the way for a comprehensive political agreement in accordance with the criteria agreed at the Berlin conference.
split
In this context, the French website, Intelligence Online, said that there has been a big rift between supporters of Haftar, especially the UAE, Egypt and France.
The site that deals with intelligence revealed that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, is tired of seeing that UAE money is being spent on Haftar’s forces without success, as Haftar’s three sons take charge of the money exchange while his forces continue to request more military equipment.
He pointed out that the differences between the Emirati officers and the leaders of Haftar's forces amounted to a physical clash in the recent period.
The site, known for its reliable sources, also pointed to Cairo's annoyance at Haftar's recent retreat, and its conviction to focus its efforts on eastern Libya and rely on the man of her trust, Aqila Saleh.
France also audited its accounts, as it stopped the operation to assist in the operation of French military helicopters received by Haftar forces from South Africa.
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the plans of Haftar and his supporters to occupy Tripoli and Libya had been foiled.
He added in a press conference that the Al-Wefaq government had succeeded in defeating the so-called mercenaries who worked for countries, to occupy Libya.
The Egyptian Initiative
Last Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced an initiative that includes a cease-fire in Libya, starting from Monday morning.
While Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Russia and Jordan announced their support for the initiative, Libyan officials considered it an attempt to save Haftar, stressing that political dialogue can only be resumed after the restoration of the city of Sirte and the base of Jafra.
Today, Turkey responded to the Egyptian initiative, in the words of its Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoوlu, that she was stillborn.
The Turkish Hurriyet newspaper quoted Gawishoglu that the aim of this initiative is to save Haftar after the recent Al-Wefaq government victories.
He also described the call that made the Cairo statement for the cease-fire without being sincere and which cannot be trusted.
The Turkish minister said that Haftar escaped the signing of the cease-fire in Moscow and Berlin and that he had no place in any future agreement for a political solution.
He stressed that the permanent cease-fire must be under the umbrella of the United Nations and with the participation of all Libyan parties.
He stated that Ankara will hold talks with Moscow on Libya in the coming days, especially after sending fighters to eastern Libya.