The head of the National Oil Corporation in Libya, Mustafa Sanallah, said that foreign forces entered the oil port of Sidra in the east of the country yesterday, Sunday, while the internationally recognized government of Al-Wefaq pledged to respond to the bombing of foreign aircraft by al-Wattia base in the west of the country.
And San'a Allah said in an interview yesterday, Sunday, with a Libyan channel, that the foreign forces - whose identity has not been established - that entered Sidra port are working on its military. Sidra Port is one of the main ports for the export of Libyan oil, and is located 180 km east of Sirte, which is controlled by the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar.
The head of the National Oil Corporation added that the mercenaries of the Russian Wagner Company entered the Sharara oil field in the southeast of the country 25 days ago, with the facilitation of the Haftar Forces ’oil facilities guard.
watched The head of the National Oil Corporation "Mustafa Sana Allah": The presence of mercenaries of the Wagner Company is proven by us with audio and video and no one can deny this. The mercenaries entered the oil fields was facilitated by the Facilities Guard Service # Libya # Tripoli # pic.twitter.com/rM9DB9nn5v
- February channel (@FebruaryChannel) July 5, 2020
Two days ago, Britain announced its refusal to militarize the Libyan energy sector, saying that it was "unacceptable and threatening further harm." The London embassy in Tripoli stressed in a statement that the energy sector should not be used as a political bargaining chip, noting the presence of foreign mercenaries in the Sharara field.
Britain renewed its support to the National Oil Corporation, "as the only independent institution in Libya in charge of managing energy resources."
On the other hand, San'a Allah said that "during the past days, an attempt to smuggle oil and fuel from the Harika oil port (east)" was foiled, without giving further details. Libyan oil fields and ports have been under siege since last January from the loyalists of Haftar, which prompted the National Oil Corporation to declare a state of force majeure there.
Al-
Wattaya bombing On the other hand, Salah Al-Namroush, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense said that their forces will respond to the bombing of the Al-Wattayah military base, hours after the targeting of an unidentified foreign aerial bombardment.
The air strikes on the elements of the Turkish air defense and electronic warfare at the Al-Wattia Air Force Base west of Libya, during the early hours of Sunday morning, were a direct message to Ankara that the "red line" is not just statements for media consumption that
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- EslAm OthmAn🦅🇪🇬 (@EsllGladii) July 5, 2020
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Tripoli, Ahmed Khalifa, stated that the bombing of the patriot was carried out by two planes, the first is a fighter and the second is a pilot, adding that the two planes took off from the military base of Jafra, which is controlled by Wagner militants fighting alongside Haftar's forces.
Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted a source in the Turkish Defense Ministry as saying that some defense systems were affected by the bombing of the Al-Wattia base in Libya.
Al-Namroush added in his statements yesterday that the foreign aircraft supporting Haftar "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 brigade in its aggression against the legitimate government and with the blessing of the countries supporting it."
Anadolu Agency quoted a source in the Libyan army, who preferred not to be named, that the bombing of the Al-Wattia base did not result in casualties, but rather targeted some of the equipment for the base, which was recently brought in to strengthen the base, including an air defense system.
The bombing yesterday was the first of its kind since the Al-Wefaq forces seized the strategic base on May 18, which was one of the last strongholds of Haftar's forces in the Libyan West.
The bombing of the Al-Wattayah base came two days after the visit of Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Turkish Chief of Staff Yasir Guler to the capital, Tripoli, who spoke about Ankara's readiness to intervene directly in the conflict in Libya.
The Egyptian army
In a related context, the Egyptian presidency said that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was briefed on the plans and efforts of the army's signal 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).
It is noteworthy that the Al-Wefaq forces, with Turkish military support, have achieved qualitative military progress in the past weeks over the forces of Haftar, by expelling the latter from the entire administrative borders of the capital, Tripoli, and recovering all the cities of the western coast, and towns in the western mountain. And Al-Jafra, which Sisi described as the red line that should not be crossed.