Turkish Air Force Activity Linked to Libya Exposed over Mediterranean

Turkish aircraft have flown fighters and cargo to western Libya. (Reuters)
Turkish aircraft have flown fighters and cargo to western Libya. (Reuters)
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Turkish Air Force Activity Linked to Libya Exposed over Mediterranean

Turkish aircraft have flown fighters and cargo to western Libya. (Reuters)
Turkish aircraft have flown fighters and cargo to western Libya. (Reuters)

Turkish aircraft have been active over the eastern Mediterranean as the defense ministry announced Friday that its vessels and fighter jets will perform drills in the area.

The Turkish itamilradar website reported that three jets were detected as they flew towards western Libya in what was described as a “major mission”.

In a series of tweets, the website said the aircraft may have been transporting fighters or weapons from Turkey to Libya where Ankara supports the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).

The defense ministry only declared the drills after news of the unusual aircraft activity circulated on social media, said itamilradar.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s general prosecution recommended that a lawmaker be stripped of his immunity for revealing details of how Turkish intelligence officers were killed in Libya.

Opposition MP Umit Ozdag had held a press conference at parliament in February when he revealed the death of the officers in military operations in Libya.

The general prosecution said he had violated intelligence agency regulations when he disclosed the information.

The prosecution had previously arrested six journalists and lifted the immunity of another MP for the same reason.



Macron Tours Egypt Aid Outpost for Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Dr Amal Emam, CEO of the Egyptian Red Crescent (C), visit Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses storing aid for Gaza, in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish, on April 8, 2025. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Dr Amal Emam, CEO of the Egyptian Red Crescent (C), visit Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses storing aid for Gaza, in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish, on April 8, 2025. (AFP)
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Macron Tours Egypt Aid Outpost for Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Dr Amal Emam, CEO of the Egyptian Red Crescent (C), visit Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses storing aid for Gaza, in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish, on April 8, 2025. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Dr Amal Emam, CEO of the Egyptian Red Crescent (C), visit Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses storing aid for Gaza, in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish, on April 8, 2025. (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Egyptian city of El-Arish, a key transit point for Gaza-bound aid, on Tuesday to call on Israel to lift its blockade of aid deliveries to the war-battered Palestinian territory.

Alongside his Egyptian host Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Macron toured a hospital in the port city, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the Gaza Strip, and met with medical professionals and sick and wounded Palestinians evacuated from Gaza.

Carrying a bouquet of red roses to give to patients, the French president visited several wards as well as a play area for children.

His office said the trip was aimed at piling pressure on Israel for "the reopening of crossing points for the delivery of humanitarian goods into Gaza".

Israel cut off aid to Gaza in early March, during an impasse over next steps in a ceasefire with Hamas. Later in March, Israel resumed intense bombardment across the territory and restarted ground operations.

Emergency department doctor Mahmud Mohammad Elshaer said the hospital had treated around 1,200 Palestinian patients since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

"Some days we can receive 100 patients, others 50," Elshaer said, adding that many had sustained limb amputations or eye or brain injuries.

In Cairo, Macron, Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II called for an "immediate return" to the ceasefire.

The three leaders met on Monday to discuss the war and humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of Gaza's 2.4 million people, the vast majority of whom have been displaced at least once during the war.

In a joint statement on Monday, the heads of several UN agencies said many Gazans are "trapped, bombed and starved again, while, at crossing points, food, medicine, fuel and shelter supplies are piling up, and vital equipment is stuck" outside of the blockaded territory.