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Libyan National Army Destroys Plan to Build Turkish Base in Misrata

Forces loyal to the GNA are seen in Misrata, Libya. (Reuters)
Forces loyal to the GNA are seen in Misrata, Libya. (Reuters)
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Libyan National Army Destroys Plan to Build Turkish Base in Misrata

Forces loyal to the GNA are seen in Misrata, Libya. (Reuters)
Forces loyal to the GNA are seen in Misrata, Libya. (Reuters)

The Libyan National Army intensified Sunday its airstrikes against pro-Government of National Accord militias in Tripoli and Misrata.

In a statement, the LNA said that its raids destroyed a plan to build a Turkish base near the air force academy in Misrata.

“The construction of a military base for a foreign country such as Turkey with its poor history with the Libyan people is great treason against the independence of the nation,” it added.

The development is another crime committed by the Misrata militias and their backers, the Muslim Brotherhood, it stated.

The LNA will not tolerate such actions, it warned.

The army struck hangars used by Turkish drones, saying: “Misrata city’s contribution to the war effort against the operation to liberate Tripoli makes it a legitimate aerial target.”

The LNA had launched an operation to cleanse Tripoli of pro-GNA militias in April.

The army said Misrata will no longer be a target once it abandons its support to the militias.

Images circulated online showed a Turkish military base in Misrata that was housing drones. Sources said the facility, which was neutralized, was being set up as a possible permanent Turkish base similar to its positions in Syria.

Separately, the United Nations mission in Libya condemned on Sunday the LNA strikes against the airport of Zuwara, a town west of Tripoli.

“The mission renews its condemnation of the attacks conducted by the LNA forces against Zuwara airport, which cause serious damage,” it said, adding that the runway had been damaged.

Earlier this month, the LNA said it had twice bombed the airport, saying it had targeted hangars used by Turkish drones.

The UN mission said it had visited Zuwara airport and found no military infrastructure or assets.

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Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
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Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 

Hours after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed that those involved in a “heinous” suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, Syria’s Interior Ministry said authorities had arrested several suspects in connection with the attack.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Mar Elias church in the Dweila district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and injured 63 others, according to the Health Ministry.

“In coordination with the General Intelligence Service, the Ministry carried out security operations against ISIS-linked terrorist cells in the Damascus countryside, arresting a cell leader and five members, and killing two others affiliated with the terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus,” the Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

“During the raid, quantities of weapons and ammunition were seized, in addition to explosive vests and mines. A motorcycle bomb that had been prepared for detonation was also found,” it said.

On Monday, the Syrian President expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the church bombing.

He said “this heinous crime that targeted innocent people in their worship places reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity –government and people- in confronting threats to our security and the stability of our country.”

Sharaa added, “Today, we all stand united, rejecting injustice and crime in all its forms. We pledge to the victims that we will work day and night, mobilizing all our specialized security services, to apprehend all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and bring them to justice to face their just punishment.”

The attack is the first such bombing in Damascus since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. It raised fear among the people.

Commenting on the attack, a man in his 70s described the attack as “a huge and horrible strike,” stressing the need for “the authorities to tighten security measures on churches, all places of worship, and busy places.”

On Monday, Asharq Al-Awsat spotted heavy deployment of local security agents in the capital’s neighborhoods and major roads, amid heightened security measures.

Adbdulrahman Alhaj, a researcher in Islamic studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Interior Ministry statement that linked the attack to an ISIS suicide attack is a suggestion that the ministry’s spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba had mentioned in his Sunday press briefing.

Alhaj said he supports the ministry’s conclusions as ISIS had recently issued several threats signaling plans to confront the new regime in Damascus particularly, al-Sharaa.