Attack on Libya's air defense system, Turkey announces 'revenge'

Turkey has expressed outrage over an attack on Libya's air defense system, saying the situation would worsen and retaliation would follow.

According to a Middle East Eye report, a Turkish official said: "The only thing I can say is that whoever did this has made a big mistake," adding that he "took revenge." Will go

Another official said the planes that hit the airbase were Dassault Mirage, which is owned by the United Arab Emirates.

The United Arab Emirates is thought to be part of a coalition that is backing Commander Khalifa Haftar, who is fighting against the United Nations-recognized government in Libya (GNA).

The coalition includes Egypt and Russia, which are providing military support to Caliph Haftar.

"There were no casualties," a Turkish official said of the attack on the airbase.

Referring to the Turkish air defense system destroyed in the attack on Libya's Al-Watia airbase, independent sources said that Turkey had added MIM-23 missile system to the region last week.

Earlier, there were reports that Turkey was planning to build a permanent airbase in Al-Watia, which was attacked after Turkish Defense Minister Helusi Akar's visit to Libya.

According to a Middle East Eye report, there are further indications that the UAE may be involved in the attack against Turkish forces.

Abdul Khaliq Abdullah, a professor of political science in the UAE and part-time adviser to the royal family, tweeted that "the UAE has taught the Turks a lesson."

BAE Veliaht Prensi Bin Zayed'in danışmanlarından @Abdulkhaleq_UAE, Vatiyye Hava Üssü'ne düzenlenen saldırıyı BAE'nin düzenlediğini itiraf etti.

▪️Darbecilere destek veren ve kendisine verilen talimatlarla hareket etmek zorunda olan BAE'nin onurdan bahsetmesi ise alay konusu oldu pic.twitter.com/MbiJrcJdTO

— EHA MEDYA (@eha_medya) July 5, 2020

He later deleted the tweet.

Read also: Turkey-Tripoli agreement: Arab League urges to stop 'foreign intervention' in Libya

It should be noted that on July 5, unidentified warplanes destroyed Turkey's air defense system at Libya's Al-Watia airbase.

Al-Watiya was recaptured by GNA forces in May with the help of Turkey.

Libyan military sources said that the bombing of Al-Watia military base by the warplanes completely destroyed the Turkish air defense system.

Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Lebanese National Army (LNA), an anti-GNA group, said the airbase was attacked by unknown fighter jets.

Residents of the town near the airbase said there were explosions coming from the airbase.

In response to the attack, Britain said foreign intervention in Libya had hampered the resolution of the political conflict and undermined ceasefire efforts between the warring parties.

A statement from the British embassy said Libya's "forced drop in oil production, continued closure of oil ports and reports of foreign intervention were a matter of concern."

It should be noted that after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for a long time, the atmosphere of chaos in the country had further increased.

Muammar Gaddafi's long-ruling Libyan government was overthrown during the 2011 Arab Spring campaign.

Western nations took part in operations against Muammar Gaddafi, but after his fall, tensions in Libya escalated and civil war broke out, with militants strengthening on the one hand and General Khalifa Haftar forming his own militia on the other. Established his government on one side.

General Khalifa Haftar's militia laid siege to Tripoli in April this year and disrupted the system of government with the support of key countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.