Foreign Airforce Strikes in Libya

On July 5th, the al-Watiya Air Base was bombed by an unknown air force. This is the same airbase that Turkey is aiming to turn into a Turkish drone base. Several Turkish MiM-23 HAWK air defense systems were destroyed. The LNA claimed responsibility, but the LNA itself doesn’t have that capability. The LNA also claimed to have killed several Turkish personal, but Turkey denies any loss of life. The below satellite imagery shows three spots struck at the airbase.

GNA spokesman al-Mujei said “we know the identity of foreign aircraft that bombed al-Watiya air base” and that the attack was “a flagrant violation of Libyan sovereignty.” Turkey and the GNA have not blamed a specific country. We can assess the most likely countries behind the airstrike were either Russia, Egypt, or the UAE. It is likely Russia (with their unmarked jets) due to the GNA and Turkey have not yet crossed the Egyptian red line for Egyptian military intervention. The UAE also has a case to be made. On twitter, an advisor to the Emirati Royal family stated that “On behalf of all Arabs, the UAE has taught a lesson to the Turks.” This tweet is the only evidence that the UAE may have been behind the airstrikes. France denied any involvement in the airstrikes.