Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar said that the fight against Turkish aggression will not stop as a battle loomed on the horizon in Sirte amid ongoing reinforcements by the Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj, like reported by aawsat.com.

In a speech at the Military College in the city of Tocra, Haftar said that international quests for a political and fair settlement shouldn’t be exploited for bringing invaders and mercenaries in addition to reinforcing the enemy’s capabilities.

Haftar further hailed friendly and brotherly states, mainly the UAE and Egypt, that support the Libyans and the armed forces against Turkish greed.

His speech came as pro-Sarraj local media reported new military reinforcements were sent to the forces of the Turkey-backed GNA in locations near Sirte.

Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly said “the UK is deeply concerned at the ongoing conflict, fueled by reckless international interventions, and the unacceptable humanitarian and human rights cost.”

“It is shocking that the World Health Organization ranked Libya first in the world, ahead of Afghanistan and Syria, in numbers of attacks on health facilities and staff from January to May 2020,” he said.

US Permanent Representative Kelly Kraft also stressed that there is no place for foreign mercenaries or proxy agents, especially forces fighting on behalf of Russia.

Kraft expressed concern about what is going on in the cities of Sirte and Jafra close to the Libyan Oil Crescent, and stressed having reports that weapons and mines are transferred to Libyan areas for control, in clear violation of Libyan sovereignty.

“It is more urgent than ever that foreign interferences in the Libyan conflict cease,” France’s UN ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said.

“The risks of regional escalation and a “Syrianization” of Libya are real. Despite the relative calm and the stabilization of the front line on the Sirte-Joufra axis, the continued military reinforcement of both camps is worrying,” he added.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col this week handed out annual environmental awards to seven Mission entities for initiating and implementing innovative projects to preserve environment.

UNIFIL’s Indian Battalion (INDBATT) was adjudged first for a project seeking to increase awareness and decrease waste generation by planting seedlings in their positions and areas of responsibility, preventing littering, reusing plastic bottles, building green houses and building compost pits.

The Mission’s Sector West Headquarters and Irish-Polish Battalion (IRISHPOLBATT) shared the second-placed award. The Sector West Infrastructure Management Centre (IMC) project aimed at turning food waste into compost and donating to the host communities. The IMC mechanical organic composting machine has the capacity to produce 20 tons of compost every day.

IRISHPOLBATT project supported host communities by reducing environmental hazards within their area of responsibility.

Other UNIFIL units receiving awards and recognitions were French-led Force Commander’s Reserve, Indonesian Battalion, Republic of Korea Battalion and Italian Battalion.

UNIFIL had launched “Annual Environment Awards” on 4 December 2019 in recognition of environmental achievements within the Mission’s area of operations.

The awards commend individuals, UN positions, branches, contingents, sections, units that have demonstrated leadership, innovation or exceptional activities in protecting or enhancing the state of environment.

SOURCE: https://unifil.unmissions.org/indian-battalion-bags-unifil-environment-award

Pro-Turkey Syrian mercenaries continue to arrive in Libya, while the death toll in their ranks as a result of military operations in the Libyan territories has reached about 459 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The number of recruits who were sent to Libya so far has reached about 15,300 Syrian mercenaries, of whom about 5,250 have returned to Syria, while Turkey continues to bring more faction elements to its camps for training.

According to the Syrian Observatory, among these mercenaries are about 300 children, aged between 14 and 18 years, the majority of whom are from the “Sultan Murad” division. They were recruited to fight in Libya for about two thousand US dollars a month.

There are also 400 other mercenaries who have used Libya as a platform to reach Europe, and entered Europe illegally through Italy, according to the observatory.

Warplanes struck overnight at an air base that was recently recaptured by Libya’s internationally recognized government from eastern forces with help from Turkey, a military source with the eastern forces and a resident nearby said according to arabnews.com.

The strikes were carried out by “unknown aircraft,” the military source with the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said.
A resident at the nearby town of Zintan said explosions were heard from the direction of the base.

Al-Watiya’s recapture in May by the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli marked the start of a sudden collapse of the LNA’s 14-month assault to seize the capital and its retreat along the coast to the new frontlines.

Turkish support was vital to the GNA in turning back the LNA offensive with advanced air defenses and drone strikes that targeted Khalifa’s supply lines and troop buildups.

A Turkish source said last month that Turkey was in talks with the GNA to establish two bases in Libya, one of them at Watiya, the most important air base in western Libya.

Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was in Tripoli for meetings with the GNA on Friday and Saturday and Akar swore to do all that was necessary to help it, a Turkish Defense Ministry statement said.

Last month, the US said Russia had sent at least 14 MiG29 and Su-24 warplanes to an LNA base via Syria, where their Russian airforce markings were removed.
Turkish involvement in Libya has also angered France and Greece and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has warned of new sanctions on Ankara.
The GNA and LNA are now mobilizing forces at the new frontlines between the cities of Misrata and Sirte.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col chaired a second special Tripartite meeting since the COVID-19 outbreak with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at a UN position in Ras Al Naqoura.

Discussions focused on the situation along the Blue Line, air and ground violations as well as other issues within the scope of UNIFIL’s mandate under UN Security Council resolution 1701.

Major General Del Col called on the parties to fully utilize UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination channels to notify about any activities they plan close to the Blue Line, so that UNIFIL could undertake the necessary coordination to prevent potential misunderstandings.

“I ask you to continue to focus your efforts at maintaining stability,” he said. “You have the ability and responsibility to prevent unwanted escalations in tension along the Blue Line.”

He underlined UNIFIL’s confidence-building and conflict mitigation efforts and asked that the parties fully avail of “the opportunities to deconflict and enhance stability along the Blue Line.” To this end, he called on the parties to “avoid activities that could be deemed provocative by the other side, or that otherwise have the potential to escalate with uncontrollable consequences.”

Tripartite meetings have been held regularly under the auspices of UNIFIL since the end of the 2006 war in south Lebanon as an essential conflict management and confidence building mechanism.

SOURCE: https://unifil.unmissions.org/unifil-head-stresses-tripartite-efforts-preserve-stability-along-blue-line

As part of its great power exertions Russia seeks more access and freedom of movement in the Mediterranean region, and is bolstering its military footprint to achieve this objective, like reported by rand.org. To address this rising challenge the United States and NATO could develop a more robust southern strategy with a reinforced air and naval presence, respectively.

Not since Egypt ordered out Soviet forces in 1972 has Moscow had a major military base in the Mediterranean. This is changing. By upgrading its military posture in the region, Russia seems to believe it can be more successful in projecting power and minimizing the influence of the United States and NATO.

In 2015 Russian air power rescued Syria from a growing insurgency that threatened to topple the Assad regime. Now, Damascus is returning the favor. In 2017 Russia announced formation of a “permanent group of forces” at the port of Tartus and nearby Khmeimim air base.

Previously, Russia had use only of a modest naval logistics facility at Tartus. Under a new 49-year lease, Moscow is funding a $500 million expansion. It will provide Russian warships with greater capacity for sustained and more distant operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Russia has deployed dozens of combat aircraft at Khmeimim and possibly the long-range S-400 air defense system. But the base, which is being expanded, could be vulnerable. It may have faced drone swarm attacks and a missile attack from al-Nusra.

In eastern Libya, Moscow may hope that its air power and mercenary forces, including the Wagner Group, will gain sway with future rulers there. This could involve Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar or other powerbrokers. Last May U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said 14 unmarked MiG-29 fighter jets and SU-24 fighter bombers were deployed to eastern Libya. AFRICOM warned that if Russia secured a “permanent position” and deployed long-range missiles, this would be a “game changer for Europe, NATO, and many nations.”

Russia may see potential for access to an energy bonanza in the eastern Mediterranean. Perhaps partly for this reason the Kremlin has increased support for the beleaguered Libyan National Army (LNA). But it has suffered setbacks due in part to Turkish-supplied unmanned aerial systems used by the United Nations–backed Government of National Accord based in Tripoli.

Russia has increased its access and influence in Egypt. In 2017 Cairo and Moscow agreed on the use of Egyptian bases for Russian combat aircraft, and last year Russia carried out the largest air defense drill there ever. Russia has begun producing $2 billion worth of Su-35 fighter jets for Egypt.

These Mediterranean activities complement Russia’s much larger military buildup in Crimea. It will give Moscow greater capacity to strike targets in the Black Sea and even the Middle East. Ten additional warships now based in Crimea can launch the Kalibr cruise missile, which has a range of over 1,500 kms. Russian submarines have launched these missiles in the Mediterranean.

Following Russia’s armed intervention in Ukraine in 2014, the United States and NATO reinforced (PDF) the Alliance’s eastern flank. In an October 2019 report former NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said the Alliance has fallen short, however, in its “southern strategy.”

More U.S. and NATO air and naval presence in the Mediterranean could raise the cost to Russia of pursuing options for military intimidation, such as by installing integrated advanced air defense systems. A greater U.S. and NATO presence might also reassure allies in the Mediterranean, which could help by buttressing their own southern-facing postures.

U.S. naval presence in the Mediterranean could be strengthened without major impact on overall U.S. Navy ship management. Warships could spend more time there as they go to and from the Middle East, and they could make limited rotational deployments. At moderate cost enhanced U.S. and NATO air and naval exercise programs in the Mediterranean could leverage existing Alliance facilities and forces, and communicate a message of interest and determination.

Some critics contend that Syria and Libya are not critical to U.S. security interests. U.S. involvement would only bog down an American military that should be countering a rising China, or U.S. forces could be stymied in unwinnable conflicts lacking strategic purpose. In this vein the Trump Administration slashed support for anti-Assad Kurdish fighters, and the Obama Administration shied away from a larger role in Libya.

In U.S. absence, however, Russia, Turkey, or other regional players such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia could fill some of the void in less than helpful ways, such as in Syria, Libya, and Egypt. For this reason and because Russia may increase air and naval basing there, Western priorities could change. The United States and NATO might give more thought to a strategy that could better deter potential Kremlin risk-taking in the Mediterranean.

UNIFIL Indonesian peacekeepers donated nine varieties of critical medical supplies to the local dispensary of the south-eastern Lebanese village of Adchit Al-Qusayr last week.

The 19 June support followed a request that the village dispensary was facing “acute shortage” of certain drugs.

Civil-Military Coordination Officer of the Indonesian Battalion, Major Mar Rohmad, handed over the medicines to the Mayor of Adchit Al-Qusayr, Muhammad Sweidan.

Among the donated items included medicines for digestive problems, multivitamins, antipyretics, analgesics and balm.

In their efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the UNIFIL area of operations, the Indonesian peacekeepers also added in the handouts personal protective equipment and sanitary supplies.

Serving with UNIFIL in south Lebanon since 2006, Indonesia currently with more than 1,250 peacekeepers is the largest among the Mission’s 45 troop-contributing countries.

SOURCE: https://unifil.unmissions.org/indonesian-peacekeepers-donate-critical-medical-supplies

The Libyan National Army (LNA) is fighting an ongoing battle against terrorism and “Turkish Colonization” in Libya, said LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said according to alarabiya.net.

The LNA official said that the Libyan people comprehend and reject “Turkey’s expansionist ambitions to extend its influence over our country and the entire Arab region, with aggressive colonial motives, and to control and plunder our wealth to address its struggling economic crisis.”

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Al-Mismari said that Turkey was able to do this after “agents and traitors opened the way for them to capture our land and desecrate it, through direct military intervention, and by sending mercenaries and terrorist fighters from various global terrorist organizations, via the deal of shame and disgrace.”

Tensions have been escalating in Libya and between the countries which back the two warring parties in it, the LNA, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, and the Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez al-Serraj.

Turkey, which backs the GNA, has also been ramping up its military intervention in Libya recently. Ankara has been providing air support, weapons and allied fighters from Syria to the GNA.

In November, Turkey signed a military cooperation pact with the GNA. The two parties also signed a maritime demarcation deal, which gives Ankara exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

The maritime deal was rejected as “illegal” by many Mediterranean countries such Greece and Cyprus.

In early in June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country’s support for the GNA “will increasingly continue.”

On Thursday, Turkey said that the GNA demanded Haftar’s forces to withdraw from Sirte and Jufra region as a pre-requisite for ceasefire talks.

Egypt’s ‘national security’

Turkey’s intervention in Libya would give it a foothold in the natural-resources-rich Middle East, where its international ties to many countries are strained.

This is especially significant for Egypt, since it shares a long border with Libya, backs Haftar’s LNA and its relationship with Turkey has been tense for years.

On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that his country has a legitimate right to intervene in Libya and ordered the army to be prepared to carry out missions if necessary.

He said: “Any direct intervention from the Egyptian state has now acquired international legitimacy,” adding that Egypt had received “direct threats” from “terrorist militias and mercenaries” supported by foreign countries.

Earlier in June, Egypt had called for a ceasefire in Libya, however, in his recent speech Sisi said that Egypt has always been reluctant to intervene in Libya but “the situation now is different.”

“If some people think that they can cross the Sirte-Jufra frontline, this is a red line for us,” he said.

The LNA spokesman thanked Egypt and Sisi for standing in solidarity with the people of Libya, and saluted all the Arab countries which supported Egypt’s stance, which he said “reflected the strength of Arab solidarity in the face of terrorism, and colonization.”

What’s the worst scenario that could emerge from conflict-torn Libya for Europe and Nato? Perhaps a divided country with permanent Russian and Turkish military bases staring across the Mediterranean from its east and west, respectively, like reported by intellinews.com?

Such an outcome may still sound a little far-fetched, but it can’t be ruled out. June 14 brought a report from Reuters that related how a Turkish source had disclosed that Turkey and Libya’s internationally recognised Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) were discussing possible Turkish use of two military bases in the North African country with a view to a lasting Turkish presence in the south Mediterranean. While last week, after Russia apparently flew 14 MIG-29 and Su-24 fighter jets to desert sites controlled by the GNA’s adversary, the Libyan National Army (LNA) under Marshal Khalifa Haftar, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin now had access to two air bases in Libya and there were fears that he might want to make that, and perhaps more, a permanent arrangement. The commander of AFRICOM, Gen. Stephen Townsend, said of the Russian move: “Just like I saw them doing in Syria, they are expanding their military footprint in Africa using government-supported mercenary groups.”

Reportedly, no final decisions have been made over possible Turkish military use of the Misrata naval base and the al-Watiya air base, recently recaptured by the Turkish-backed GNA.

Boosting oil, gas claims

A more permanent air and naval presence in Libya could reinforce Turkey’s growing influence in the region. That might help boost its claims to offshore oil and gas resources and pave the way for billions of dollars in contracting work, such as energy and construction deals, once the fighting ends. If there is one thing Turkey’s Erdogan administration needs right now, it is more revenues to help stave off a calamitous economic crisis.

“Turkey using al-Watiya … is on the agenda,” added the quoted source. “It could also be possible for the Misrata naval base to be used by Turkey.”

Ankara threw its support behind the government in Tripoli last year after the GNA signed a maritime demarcation accord that it says provides Turkish drilling rights near Crete. But it is opposed by Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the European Union, with Athens complaining that the accord actually ignores the physical presence of Crete.

As things stand, it appears Russia is holding back from fully engaging with Turkey over a possible Libya ceasefire deal because of a GNA plan to attack and seize Sirte, about halfway between GNA-held Tripoli and LNA-held Benghazi, and the closest city to Libya’s main energy export terminals.

“Russia wants Turkey and the GNA to halt military operations, particularly not attacking Sirte, Jufra and the oil crescent—and Ankara has rebuffed this demand,” Galip Dalay, a fellow at Robert Bosch Academy, told Reuters. “If Turkish-Russian talks don’t bear fruit, we might then see escalation both in Libya and in Syria’s Idlib region [where Ankara and Moscow also back opposing sides],” he added.

France, Turkey in war of words

The past couple of days, meanwhile, have seen Turkey and France enter into a war of words over the situation in Syria.

In an interview with La Croix newspaper on June 16, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reiterated that Paris was not taking sides in Libya, but said that Turkey endangered European security by sending Syrian fighters to the country. “It’s a danger to ourselves, an unacceptable strategic risk, because it’s 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the Italian coast,” he said.

France has denied claims that it supports Haftar, though it previously gave him assistance in fighting Islamist militants. It has also stopped short of criticising countries that openly support him, such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while it has repeatedly criticised Turkey’s stance.

Insisting Paris has swung behind Haftar, Turkey on June 16 angrily accused France of exacerbating the crisis in Libya and violating UN and Nato decisions by supporting his forces against the internationally recognised GNA.

France has called for talks among Nato allies on what it said was Turkey’s increasingly “aggressive” role in Libya and breaching of a UN arms embargo in arming the GNA, prompting Turkey’s foreign ministry to respond angrily. “The support France has provided to the putschist and pirate Haftar… has exacerbated the crisis in Libya,” it said in a statement.

“What should actually be a cause for concern are France’s dark ties. It is unacceptable for a Nato ally to behave this way,” it added.

Ankara has sent military advisers and trainers, along with allied Syrian militia fighters, to Libya to support the GNA. Russia appears to have sent Syrian adversaries of the militia fighters to fight for the LNA in the conflict.

UNIFIL Italian peacekeepers donated 210 PCR kits for testing COVID-19 Coronavirus to the Tyre Municipality in south-western Lebanon this week, raising the number of such kits donated to the Municipality to 510 in a month.

At a ceremony at the Tyre City Hall on 8 June 2020, UNIFIL Sector West Commander Brigadier General Diego Fulco handed over the donated items to the Mayor of Tyre and Head of Union of Tyre Municipalities, Hassan Dbouk.

Brig. Gen. Fulco underlined the importance of supporting each other in the common fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

This follows a similar donation, of 300 kits, to the Municipality on 11 May 2020.

In addition to the latest donations, UNIFIL Italian peacekeepers have also handed out various personnel protective equipment, sanitary and medical supplies to the host communities. In particular, on 10 April 2020, they donated a MiC qPCR machine, which is used to scan COVID-19 cases, to the Tibnin Hospital.

Since the virus outbreak, UNIFIL peacekeepers have ramped up support to south Lebanese communities, where the Mission operates.

SOURCE: https://unifil.unmissions.org/tyre-municipality-receives-510-covid-19-pcr-test-kits-unifil