Salah Al-Namroush, Undersecretary of the Libyan Ministry of Defense said that their forces will respond to the bombing of the Al-Watiyah military base, hours after they were targeted by a warplane, and this comes as Egypt mobilizes to secure its common borders with Libya.
Al-Namroush confirmed in his statements today, Sunday, that the foreign aircraft supporting retired Major General Khalifa Hifter are trying to disrupt the victory of the Al-Wefaq government forces on the ground, considering that the bombing of the Al-Watiyah base confirms the retirement of the retired Major General Khalifa Hifter in his aggression against the legitimate government and with the blessing of the countries that support him.
Foreign aviation supporting the war criminal came as a failed attempt to interfere with the victory of our valiant forces on the ground. Targeting any vital installations within the borders of Libya is the confirmation of some countries continuing to bet on the aggression against the legitimate government. The response to this aggression will be at the right time and place.
- Salahedin Al namroush (@Namroush) July 5, 2020
Al-Nimroush stressed that the response to this aggression will be at the appropriate time and place, as he put it, noting that foreign aircraft supporting "war criminals" carried out dozens of air strikes since the aggression against the Libyan West in April 2019 and targeted civilian facilities and caused Civilians, citizens and foreigners were killed.
Base targeting
A warplane had targeted locations inside the Al-Wattia military base, which is part of the Al-Wefaq government in western Libya. Official sources said to the island that the bombing resulted in the destruction of an air defense system without causing casualties.
According to Al-Jazeera correspondent in Tripoli, Ahmed Khalifa, these raids are the first of their kind that targeted Al-Wattia base, after its control by the Al-Wefaq government on May 18.
Sources were reported to have been bombed by two planes, the first being warship and the second being driven.
Bombing and details
Khalifa explained that the war plane was the one that targeted the air defense system, noting, quoting the same sources, that the two planes took off from the military base of Al-Jafra, which is controlled by the militants of the Russian Wagner Company, who support Haftar.
He said that the government of Al-Wefaq today directed a formal accusation by Haftar of carrying out these raids, but it confirmed that these raids will not hinder it from its goals to control the entire Libyan soil.
This comes in conjunction with the flight of Russian and Emirati planes over Sirte during the past 48 hours, which means an expected escalation in the coming days, according to the same reporter.
Securing borders
In a context related to these field developments, the Egyptian presidency said that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was briefed about the plans and efforts of the army's signaling weapon to secure Egypt's western depth and its borders with Libya.
According to a statement by the Middle East News Agency, Sisi also reviewed the plans to secure the north-eastern and southern directions and all strategic directions to the international borders of Egypt, as well as the conditions and conditions of the border outlets and fully secure them.
Al-Sisi said on June 20 that any direct intervention by Egypt in Libya would have international legitimacy, whether for self-defense or based on the only legitimate elected authority in Libya, which is the parliament (in Tobruk).
"Our goals will be to protect the western borders and quickly support the restoration of security and stability on the Libyan scene, as it is part of the Egyptian national security," Sisi added.
He also affirmed that "Sirte and Al-Jafra crossed a red line for Egypt," and that he would defend Libya except its sons, expressing Egypt's readiness "to arm and train the tribesmen (the Libyan)."
Website and warning
The Al-Wattia air base - formerly known as "Uqba bin Nafi" base, which is approximately 40 square kilometers - is near the "Beautiful" and "Al-Asa" regions (west of the country), and its fall is a resounding blow to Haftar after losing the cities of the West Coast.
The base is one of the largest air bases in Libya, as it includes weapons depots, a fuel station, an airstrip, a residential city, and warplanes, including Emirati drones used by Haftar forces to launch attacks on Tripoli.
The base is strategically located, as the warplanes and the path that flies from them cover the entire western regions of Libya, and can accommodate about 7,000 military personnel.
These developments come as Algerian President Abdel Majid Taboun warns of Libya's transformation into a new Somalia.
During an interview with the French government TV, Taboun said that the situation in Libya is similar to what is happening in Syria, due to the multiplicity of foreign interference, which reflects negatively on the security of the region.