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Libyan National Army: Turkey Building Secret Military Base in Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport

A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)
A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)
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Libyan National Army: Turkey Building Secret Military Base in Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport

A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)
A convoy vehicle is seen after reopening of the Mitiga airport in Tripoli, Libya October 29, 2019. (Reuters)

Turkey has started building a military base inside Mitiga International Airport in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, an informed source revealed.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Turkish military and intelligence officials were present at the base.

Mitiga is the only functional airport in western Libya. Fighting forced the closure of Tripoli International Airport in 2014 and it has been shut ever since.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said Ankara is planning to bolster its military presence in Libya through a secret military base. Turkish officers are also assisting at the operations command center affiliated with militias that are loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA).

The source’s comments coincided with reports that said Turkey was seeking to bring in more mercenaries and fighters from Kenya and Somalia to back the GNA.

Meanwhile, Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari released on Thursday video footage from inside a Turkish vessel that had unloaded modern weapons and military equipment at Tripoli port on Tuesday night.

Mismari deemed the development a Turkish “invasion” that violates all international laws and norms, as well as the ceasefire in the western region.

The spokesman also released photos of the military shipment.

France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier this week spotted a Turkish frigate escorting a cargo ship delivering armored vehicles to Tripoli in defiance of a UN embargo, a French military source said Thursday, according to AFP.

The cargo ship Bana, sailing under a Lebanese flag, docked in Tripoli port on Wednesday, said the source, who asked not to be named.

According to the Marine Traffic specialist website, the vessel was recorded Thursday off the coast of Sicily.

The claim came a day after President Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of failing "to keep his word" to end meddling in the north African country.

Specifically, Macron said Turkish ships had in recent days been seen taking ships laden with pro-Ankara Syrian mercenaries to Libya.

Meanwhile, United Nations envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame was set to meet with LNA commander Khlifa Haftar in the eastern city of Benghazi to persuade him to join the ten-member committee that would oversee the fragile truce in Libya.

The formation of the committee was agreed during last month’s Berlin conference. It will be comprised of five members from each of the LNA and GNA.

The committee is set to meet in Geneva on Tuesday, but that has been put to doubt over Haftar’s failure to name his candidates to the body.

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Arab World

Egypt Seeks Regional, International Support for Political Solution in Sudan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in New Alamein. (Egyptian Presidency) 
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in New Alamein. (Egyptian Presidency) 
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Egypt Seeks Regional, International Support for Political Solution in Sudan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in New Alamein. (Egyptian Presidency) 
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in New Alamein. (Egyptian Presidency) 

Egypt is seeking stronger regional and international efforts to advance a political solution to the war in Sudan, saying an end to the conflict is essential to easing the suffering of the Sudanese people and restoring stability.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reiterated that position during talks with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, on the sidelines of the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting.

Al-Sisi stressed the need to “exert all efforts at the regional and international levels to advance a political solution to the internal war,” while reaffirming his country’s longstanding support for Sudan and its people, according to the Egyptian presidency.

Since fighting erupted in mid-April 2023, Cairo has backed Sudan’s legitimate state institutions, foremost among them the army, while pressing for an end to the war and an inclusive political process bringing together the various components of Sudanese society.

During the meeting, al-Sisi pledged to continue Egypt’s regional and international efforts to promote a political settlement that could end the fighting and alleviate the humanitarian crisis. Such a solution, he noted, would allow Sudan to regain security and stability and begin the process of reconstruction and development.

Egypt has been involved in several diplomatic initiatives since the war began. It backed the Jeddah talks between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and, in July 2023, hosted a summit of Sudan’s neighboring countries aimed at advancing political solutions to the crisis.

A year later, Cairo hosted Sudanese political forces for talks aimed at developing a road map for an intra-Sudanese dialogue and overcoming the country’s internal divisions.

Al-Burhan, for his part, praised Egypt’s support for Sudan, including its political and humanitarian assistance and its hosting of large numbers of Sudanese forced to flee the war.

About 1.2 million Sudanese have fled to Egyptian cities because of the conflict, according to official figures, joining thousands of others who had already been living in the country for years.

Turning to prospects for a political settlement, al-Burhan stressed that Sudan’s legitimate state institutions should not be equated with “rebel militias or parallel entities,” and praised Egypt’s “clear and consistent” position on the issue.

Egypt considers the RSF an “armed militia” and has repeatedly rejected accusations that it is intervening in Sudan’s internal conflict.

The talks also covered bilateral ties, with al-Sisi reaffirming Egypt’s commitment to supporting Sudanese citizens in various fields and expanding cooperation between the two countries to serve their shared interests and development goals.

Cooperation on Sudan’s eventual reconstruction has also featured in recent bilateral discussions.

A joint statement issued after talks between Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and his Sudanese counterpart Kamil Idris in February said Cairo had welcomed Khartoum’s request to draw on Egyptian expertise in establishing a new administrative city.

The project would be modeled on Egypt’s experience in the field and form part of efforts to support Sudan’s reconstruction, the statement said.

 

 

 

 

Arab World

Israeli Army Takes Logistical Steps to Entrench Presence in South Lebanon

Israeli soldiers on an operational mission in a village in South Lebanon (Israeli military) 
Israeli soldiers on an operational mission in a village in South Lebanon (Israeli military) 
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Israeli Army Takes Logistical Steps to Entrench Presence in South Lebanon

Israeli soldiers on an operational mission in a village in South Lebanon (Israeli military) 
Israeli soldiers on an operational mission in a village in South Lebanon (Israeli military) 

The Israeli army is taking logistical steps to prepare for a prolonged presence in South Lebanon, fortifying positions and improving road networks while expanding scorched areas north of what it calls the “Yellow Line.”

Israeli strikes have also extended deeper into Lebanon, reaching Wadi Zibqin in the western sector and the vicinity of Mayfadoun in the east, in what local sources described as an expansion of depopulated areas through gunfire, artillery shelling, airstrikes and drone activity.

The expansion comes amid operational challenges reported by Israeli media, particularly fiber-optic-guided explosive drones. Ynet reported that the Israeli military has yet to find a comprehensive solution to the threat and is testing various systems, focusing on protection, early detection and warning.

Long-term preparations

The measures offer no indication that Israeli forces intend to withdraw from South Lebanon in the foreseeable future.

Ynet reported that the military was fortifying positions and improving access roads even after the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade completed its mission and handed over its positions to replacement forces.

The brigade completed about 100 days of mobilization, including 80 days of operations in Lebanon, concentrated between the border and what the Israeli military calls the “Yellow Line,” reaching depths of about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).

Forces from the Bislamach Brigade and the Gefen Battalion of the officers’ course are replacing the 55th Brigade, conducting drills and improving positions that provide observation and fire control over areas farther inside Lebanon.

Israeli security officials cited by Ynet indicated that troops would spend the winter in protected compounds inside villages. Buildings were equipped over the summer with generators, air conditioning, and sanitary facilities, while access routes were prepared in advance.

The report also cited concerns that limiting operations to securing the deployment line could erode readiness and increase the risk of attacks on Israeli forces in South Lebanon.

Second line of villages

Alongside fixed military positions established by the Israeli army since May, now numbering 17, according to southern Lebanese security sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat, Israeli forces are expanding their fire zone toward a second line of villages bordering the “Yellow Line,” with the aim of turning them into depopulated, hazardous areas.

Local sources reported intensified gunfire and artillery shelling in recent days, accompanied by persistent drone flights. The attacks have reached the outskirts of Wadi Zibqin and Mayfadoun, southeast of Nabatieh, where residents remain, and some displaced people have returned over the past three months.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported an Israeli airstrike on Kfar Tibnit after artillery shelling between Arnoun and Kfar Tibnit. Israeli artillery also struck near the public school in Mayfadoun and Dawhat Kfar Roummane, as well as the outskirts of Haris and Haddatha.

A Merkava tank fired several shells at Houla, while Israeli fire targeted the outskirts of Shaqra and Kounine woodland. A series of strikes hit Kfar Tibnit and Wadi al-Hujair, with explosions heard in Sidon and surrounding areas.

In the western sector, Israeli artillery intermittently shelled Mansouri from Bayyada and Tayr Harfa, south of Tyre, with fire extending to Wadi Hassan near Majdal Zoun. Israeli forces also carried out a powerful explosion in Mansouri that was heard as far as Mount Lebanon, following another blast near Baraachit in the Bint Jbeil district. A suspicious object left from previous Israeli attacks also exploded on the outskirts of Srifa.

Soldiers injured

Separately, the Israeli military announced Sunday that a soldier was seriously wounded and an officer moderately injured Friday in Majdal Zoun after a grenade was improperly thrown.

Eight other Israeli soldiers were injured Friday in a separate incident in South Lebanon involving a collision between two vehicles.

 

 

Arab World

Yemeni Army Continues Strikes Against Houthis

Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)
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Yemeni Army Continues Strikes Against Houthis

Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)

Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid Al-Nazili said the Yemeni armed forces carried out 1,122 operations targeting the Houthi militias as part of a campaign to “liberate” the country, restore state institutions and end the Houthi coup.

In a statement posted on X he said that the armed forces were “continuing military operations across various fronts and battlefields in line with approved plans.”

He added that the Yemeni army carried out 1,122 precision strikes against Houthi targets, including weapons positions, fortifications, supply routes, reinforcements and command-and-control centers, across the Saada, Jawf, Taiz and coastal fronts.

He said the strikes involved fighter jets, drones, artillery, missiles, rocket launchers and snipers.

According to field figures, the operations resulted in the neutralization of 1,747 militia members and the destruction or disabling of 364 military vehicles, equipment, and transport and supply assets.

He said the armed forces would continue military operations to liberate state territory, restore state institutions, assert national sovereignty, and fulfil their assigned missions.