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Turkey May Send S-400 System to Back GNA in Libya

The S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system on display in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow. (Getty Images)
The S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system on display in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow. (Getty Images)
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Turkey May Send S-400 System to Back GNA in Libya

The S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system on display in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow. (Getty Images)
The S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system on display in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow. (Getty Images)

Italy’s itamilradar website revealed that Turkey was continuing its military cargo plane flights to western Libya, amid reports that Ankara may send the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord the Russian S-400 air defense system.

Itamilradar reported that a Turkish Lockheed C-130E (63-13188) and an Airbuys A400M (16-0055) departed Istanbul, carrying weapons and ammunition, and landed in Tripoli’s Mitiga airport on Wednesday.

Their arrival coincided with Libyan activists’ posting on social media of military vehicles traveling towards western Tripoli, speculating that they were transporting air defense systems to the al-Watiya airbase, which was attacked by unknown jets last week.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Sabah newspaper, which is close to the Ankara government, reported that the military may deploy the Russian S-400 system inside Libya. Turkey had purchased the system from Moscow in July 2019.

Sabah reported, however, that Turkey would rather avoid such a provocative move and instead prefers to maintain relations with Russia and the United States. It would not risk jeopardizing ties with one country at the expense of the other.

It said that one of the best options, which the three parties could agree on, was deploying the system in the North African country according to the security and military memorandum of understanding signed between Ankara and the GNA in November 2019.

Experts said that Russia would reject such a proposal because it opposes the re-export of its weapons. Moscow is also a backer of the Libyan National Army, the GNA’s main rival. The US, in turn, will also reject the move because it would be ceding influence to Russia in the region.

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Syria Is at a Crossroads: It Can Return to Violence or Transition to Peace, Says UN Envoy 

A member of Syria's security forces mans a gun in the back of a truck during the funeral of three people killed in Israeli strikes a day earlier, in the southern town of Daraa on March 18, 2025. (AFP)
A member of Syria's security forces mans a gun in the back of a truck during the funeral of three people killed in Israeli strikes a day earlier, in the southern town of Daraa on March 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Syria Is at a Crossroads: It Can Return to Violence or Transition to Peace, Says UN Envoy 

A member of Syria's security forces mans a gun in the back of a truck during the funeral of three people killed in Israeli strikes a day earlier, in the southern town of Daraa on March 18, 2025. (AFP)
A member of Syria's security forces mans a gun in the back of a truck during the funeral of three people killed in Israeli strikes a day earlier, in the southern town of Daraa on March 18, 2025. (AFP)

Three months following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria is at a crossroads, the top UN envoy for the country said Tuesday.

Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council that Syria can return to violence or start an inclusive transition and end decades of conflict.

He said the road back to conflict, fragmentation and violations of Syrian sovereignty by external powers "must not come to pass." The other road, which would restore Syria’s sovereignty and regional security, is "viable," but "requires the right Syrian decisions" and international support, Pedersen said.

Syria’s civil war had gone on for 13 years when a lightning insurgency led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) overthrew Assad in December, ending his family’s more than 50-year rule.

Former HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was announced as the country’s interim president after a meeting of armed groups that took part in the offensive.

Pedersen spoke weeks after clashes between Sharaa's security forces and armed groups loyal to Assad - sparked by an ambush by regime remnants on the security forces - spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks that killed scores of civilians, most of them Alawites, a minority sect to which Assad belongs. It was the worst violence since December.

Pedersen told the council that while the situation was "comparatively calmed" after several days, the UN continues to receive reports "of harassment and intimidation, including with heavy sectarian overtones."

He said the interim authorities announced an independent investigation. Pedersen said he stressed that it must be transparent, in line with international standards, and its findings made public.

The UN special envoy, who will be returning to Damascus shortly, highlighted several priority areas for action and attention.

The latest violence, he said, "laid bare the urgent need for credible and efficient accountability for crimes" committed over decades.

He said the UN and the international community will be watching whether the soon-to-be-announced transitional government and transitional legislative council reflect Syria’s diversity and include both men and women.

Pedersen said his team was consulted on a temporary constitution and gave advice on international best practices and norms. "Some of this was taken on board, some was not," he said.

In mid-March, Sharaa signed a temporary constitution that promises to protect the rights of all Syrians for five years during a transitional phase.

"Some Syrians have commended the effort to fill the constitutional vacuum, and noted the incorporation of international human rights norms," Pedersen said. "But others have expressed reservations about the non-transparent process of its drafting and the substance itself — particularly a very strong presidency with unclear checks and balances between state powers and ambiguity regarding the transition steps."

Pedersen also cited other issues that demand action, including dealing with armed groups and foreign fighters, and reviving the economy.