Central Libya offensive explained

Partof:the Second Libyan Civil War
Date:6–11 June 2020
Place:Sirte, Al Jufra Airbase, Libya
Territory:Status quo ante bellum
Result:Ceasefire;[1]
Combatant1: Government of National Accord

Syrian National Army Supported by:
Turkey

Combatant2: House of Representatives

Wagner GroupSupported by:

Egypt[8]
[9]

Commander1: Fayez al-Sarraj

Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Bayt al-Mal[10]
Commander2: Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar
Strength1:Unknown
Strength2:Some MiG-29 and Su-24 fighter jets[11]
Casualties1: Unknown
130 killed[12]
Unknown[13]
2 Bayraktar TB2 combat drones lost[14]
Casualties2:Unknown killed
1 Wing Loong I lost[15]
Conflict:Central Libya offensive

The Central Libya offensive, officially known as Operation Paths to Victory, was a military offensive in Libya launched by the forces of the Government of National Accord, to take the city of Sirte and Al Jufra Airbase from the House of Representatives backed by the Libyan National Army. The city of Sirte is considered strategically important because of its close position to oil facilities, which give it control over Libya's oil and gas shipping ports. The Al Jufra Airbase is strategically important for the GNA, due to its central position to Fezzan and denying the Libyan National Army air superiority over Central Libya.[16]

The campaign began on 6 June 2020,[17] one day after the conclusion of the 2019–2020 Western Libya campaign, a failed attempt by the Libyan National Army to capture Tripoli.[18]

Background

See main article: Second Libyan Civil War, Western Libya campaign and Battle of Sirte (2020). A civil war has been ongoing in Libya since 2014, and after 2016 the country was mainly divided between the Tobruk-based House of Representatives in the east, and the Government of National Accord in Tripoli and western Libya. Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army provided military support to the House of Representatives. The rival governments both claim to be the legitimate government of Libya. The GNA is internationally recognised by the United Nations Security Council as the government of Libya, though the LNA receives support from several countries, including Russia, United Arab Emirates, and France. By 2019 the LNA controlled more than half of Libya, while the GNA mainly controlled Tripoli and a few other areas.

In April 2019, Haftar's forces launched an operation to take control of the capital Tripoli from the GNA and unite all of Libya.[19] On 6 January 2020, the LNA captured Sirte.[20] After fourteen months of fighting, the GNA held Tripoli and pushed the eastern forces out of the city by 4 June 2020. After that, the GNA military launched a counteroffensive against Haftar's forces. The town of Sirte and the nearby Al Jufra airbase are considered essential to take control of Libya's oil ports along the Mediterranean Sea, and the airbase houses MiG-29 fighters and Su-24 bombers provided by Russia to Haftar's forces.[21] The Sirte-Jufra Operations Room was established by the GNA to oversee the Libyan Army operations in the area, with Brigadier General Ibrahim Bayt al-Mal as the commander.

The campaign

5 JuneThe GNA recaptured much of the territory in northwestern Libya that was taken by the LNA during the 2019–20 offensive on Tripoli.[22]
  • 6 JuneGNA forces launched an offensive to recapture LNA–held Sirte.[17] Two GNA Bayraktar TB-2 drones are destroyed by LNA air defenses in Sirte.[23] In turn one UAE operated Wing Loong Drone was shot down in Sirte.[24]
  • 7 JuneGNA forces enter Sirte. However, an LNA counterattack using drones, aircraft and artillery drove the attackers back,[25] inflicting heavy casualties on Turkish officers and GNA fighters.[26] [27] According to Libyan and Bulgarian sources, an airstrike launched from an unknown aircraft, possibly Russian MiG-29s, destroyed a Turkish military convoy, leaving casualties (including Turkish servicemen and Syrian rebels) halting the GNA advance.[13] [28]
    • 8 JuneGNA affiliated force said they took control of two districts in the outskirts of Sirte.[29]
    9 JuneThe GNA rejected a ceasefire proposal offered by Egypt.[30]
    11 JuneThe LNA was able to slow down the advance of the GNA towards Sirte, using air power.[31]

    Aftermath

    26 JuneAccording to the country’s National Oil Corporation, foreign mercenaries led by the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group entered and seized Libya’s largest oil fields, the El Sharara oil field on 26 June and took full control of it by the 27 June. The Sidr oil port was taken as well by the mercenaries.[32]
    4 JulyOn 4 July, unidentified "foreign" warplanes aligned to the LNA targeted Al-Watiya Air Base. The airstrikes destroyed GNA military equipment brought by Turkey; including MIM-23 Hawk air defenses and a KORAL Electronic Warfare System stationed in the base.[33] [34] [35] Sources consulted from Al-Arabiya indicated that the strikes left Turkish intelligence officials wounded and a Libyan Newspaper Libya Akhbar cited 6 Turkish servicemen killed.[36]
    13 JulyOn 13 July, Turkey has warned Haftar if they do not withdraw that they will use military action against him. Meanwhile Egypt is involved in negotiations with Greece over Libya to support LNA.[37] [38]
    22 JulyEgypt starts to deploy troops after talking to parliament which could lead to an escalation of the civil war or possibly all out war between Turkey and Egypt.[39] [40]
    12 AugustThe LNA air force targeted an armed convoy of suspected Turkish-backed mercenaries affiliated with Fayez Al-Sarraj's GNA in Wadi Bey area west of Sirte. According to LNA sources, the group was trying to infiltrate the city, but it was destroyed, without providing details on the numbers involved or of casualties.[5] [6]
    21 August The GNA and the LNA both declared a ceasefire.[41]

    International reactions

    On 21 June, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that Sirte and Jufra are a "red line" for Egypt, and that Egypt will militarily intervene if the GNA and its Turkish allies take the area from the LNA.[42] [43] A Turkish government spokesman said that any permanent ceasefire requires a LNA withdrawal from Sirte. Saudi Arabia has also shown its support for Egypt's position,[44] along with Jordan.

    The GNA condemned the Egyptian president's statement, saying that it is "a hostile act and direct interference, and amounts to a declaration of war". Aguila Saleh Issa, the speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, supported the statement from Sisi and Egypt's assistance against the GNA.[45] Issa told the Egyptian media: "The Libyan people are officially asking for Egypt to interfere with military forces if the necessities of maintaining Libyan national security and Egyptian national security require this."[46] GNA Prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj vetoed an Egyptian proposal to have an Arab League meeting to discuss the situation in Libya. President Sisi inspected the troops on Egypt's western border with Libya and said that the Egyptian military is prepared to intervene.[47]

    On 22 June, French president Emmanuel Macron condemned the role of Turkey in supporting the GNA, calling it a "dangerous game".[48] On the same day, news emerged that Syrian militia would be sent to Libya to fight with LNA forces.[49] Also on the same day, United States Africa Command commander General Stephen J. Townsend and U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland met Fayez al-Sarraj and his delegation in Zuwara near the Tunisian border.[50] On 24 June, Italy's foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio, met Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli to stress "the need to resume the political process and end foreign interference".[51] On 10 July, Egypt starts raising military readiness as it prepares for a potential showdown with Turkey over Libya.[52]

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Libya's Tripoli-based government and rival parliament take steps to end hostilities. Reuters. 21 August 2020.
    2. Web site: Libya: Haftar's forces 'slow down' GNA advance on Sirte. Aljazeera. 11 June 2020.
    3. Web site: MiG-29 Fighter Jet Reportedly Appears Over Key Libyan City That Is Now Under Siege. Joseph. Trevithick. The Drive. 10 June 2020 .
    4. Web site: Russian MiG-29 And Su-24 Combat Jets Caught In-Flight At Libyan Base In New Satellite Images. Joseph. Trevithick. The Drive. 18 June 2020 .
    5. Web site: Libyan Air Force destroys mercenary convoy near Egyptian 'red line'. Arab News. 13 August 2020.
    6. Web site: LNA target GNA positions near Sirte on August 12. garda.com. 13 August 2020.
    7. Web site: Topcu . Gulsen . 2020-06-08 . Libyan Army liberates two districts in Sirte . 2023-04-10 . Andolou Agency.
    8. https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/egypt-warns-forces-fighting-libyas-tripoli-government-stay-out-sirte Egypt Warns Forces Fighting for Libya's Tripoli Government to Stay Out of Sirte
    9. https://www.libyaobserver.ly/news/sirte-jufra-operations-room-commander-no-red-lines-and-well-liberate-all-libya Sirte-Jufra Operations Room commander: No red lines and we'll liberate all of Libya
    10. https://thearabweekly.com/after-talks-gna-us-delegation-draws-ceasefire-line-beyond-sirte After talks with GNA, US delegation draws a ceasefire line beyond Sirte
    11. News: Russian Attack Jets Back Mercenaries Fighting in Libya. Eric. Schmitt. The New York Times . September 11, 2020. NYTimes.com.
    12. 481 killed since the start of the SNA deployment to Libya,https://www.syriahr.com/en/176611/ of which 351 died up until the beginning of the Central Libya Offensive (2020),https://www.syriahr.com/en/167755/ leaving a total of 130 reported killed during the offensive
    13. News: MiG-29s destroyed a huge Turkish convoy of military and GNA forces (video) . 7 June 2020 . Bulgarian Military . 7 June 2020.
    14. Web site: ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 343598. 7 June 2020.
    15. Web site: Drone Crash Database. Dronewars. 1 July 2020. 9 December 2020.
    16. News: Tastekin . Fehim . 20 June 2020 . Why is Sirte everyone's 'red line' in Libya? . en . Al Monitor . 22 June 2020.
    17. News: Libya's GNA says offensive launched for Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte . 6 June 2020 . Middle East Eye . 6 June 2020 . en.
    18. News: al-Sahili . Ayman . 2020-06-04 . Eastern forces quit Libyan capital after year-long assault . en . Reuters . 2020-06-04.
    19. Web site: Assad . Abdulkader . 4 April 2019 . Khalifa Haftar declares war on Tripoli . 5 April 2019 . . 5 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190405220334/https://www.libyaobserver.ly/news/khalifa-haftar-declares-war-tripoli . dead .
    20. News: Libya conflict: Opposition forces 'seize strategic city Sirte'. BBC News. 6 January 2020.
    21. Web site: Dalaa . Mustafa . Kalabalik . Aydogan . 2020-06-23 . Road to Libya's liberation passes through Al-Jufra base . 2023-04-10 . Anadolu Agency.
    22. News: Libya's Haftar pulls back east as Tripoli offensive crumbles . 22 June 2020 . Reuters . 5 June 2020 . en.
    23. Web site: ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 343598. 7 June 2020.
    24. Web site: ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 236739. 6 June 2020.
    25. Web site: Libya's unity forces in battle to retake strategic Sirte. Yahoo News. Rim. Taher. 7 June 2020.
    26. Web site: Libya's LNA Inflicts Severe Losses on Turkish Soldiers, GNA's Militias in Sirte. Hassanin. Tayea. Sada Elabad English. 8 June 2020.
    27. News: Turkish-backed offensive in Sirte turns disastrous despite initial success . 7 June 2020 . Al masdar . 7 June 2020 . 17 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200617024755/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-backed-offensive-in-sirte-turns-disastrous-despite-initial-success/ . dead .
    28. Web site: LNA shoots down Turkish drone west Sirte . 2020-06-23 . 2020-06-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200612043818/https://www.addresslibya.co/en/archives/56884 . dead .
    29. Web site: Topcu . Gulsen . 2020-06-08 . Libyan Army liberates two districts in Sirte . 2023-04-10 . Andolou Agency.
    30. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/libya-gna-forces-press-failed-truce-offer-egypt-200608093125455.html Libya's GNA forces press ahead after failed truce offer by Egypt
    31. Web site: Libya: Haftar's forces 'slow down' GNA advance on Sirte. Aljazeera. 11 June 2020.
    32. Web site: Faucon . Benoit . Malsin . Jared . 23 July 2020 . Russian Oil Grab in Libya Fuels U.S.-Kremlin Tensions in Mideast . Wall Street Journal .
    33. News: Magdy . Samy . 5 July 2020 . Airstrikes hit Libya base held by Turkey-backed forces . The Washington Post . live . subscription . https://web.archive.org/web/20200710082355/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/airstrikes-hit-libya-base-held-by-turkey-backed-forces/2020/07/05/edb71878-bef6-11ea-8908-68a2b9eae9e0_story.html . 10 July 2020.
    34. Web site: Soylu . Ragip . 6 July 2020 . Libya: Turkey vows 'retribution' for attack on its positions at al-Watiya airbase . Middle East Eye.
    35. Web site: Destruction of Turkish air defense systems at Al-Watiya Airbase! – IWN. 5 July 2020 .
    36. Web site: French Rafale Jets Allegedly Attack and Destroyed Turkish Air Defense System In Al-Watiya Airbase. 8 July 2020.
    37. Web site: Soylu . Ragip . 13 July 2020 . Turkey threatens military action in Libya if Haftar doesn't withdraw . 2020-07-13 . Middle East Eye . en.
    38. Web site: Widdershoven . Cyril . July 12, 2020 . Libya Is On The Brink Of A Major Military Conflict . 2020-07-13 . OilPrice.com . en.
    39. Web site: Daragahi . Borzou . 2020-07-21 . 'Too late to stop': Egypt and Turkey ramp up Libya war preparations . 2020-07-22 . The Independent . en.
    40. Web site: Duran. Burhanettin. 2020-07-22. Preparations in Libya and Egypt's difficult test. 2020-07-22. Daily Sabah. en.
    41. Web site: Libya's Tripoli-based government and a rival parliament take steps to end hostilities. Reuters. 21 August 2020.
    42. Web site: El Sisi: Egypt prepared for military intervention in Libya. The National. 22 June 2020.
    43. Web site: Egypt threatens military action in Libya if Turkish-backed forces seize Sirte. Financial Times. 21 June 2020.
    44. Web site: Hilton . Tommy . 2020-06-22 . Libya conflict: Sirte-Jufra 'red line' set to be next major flashpoint . 2023-04-10 . Al Arabiya English . en.
    45. Web site: Libya: GNA calls Egypt's military threat 'declaration of war' . 2023-04-10 . Al Jazeera . en.
    46. Web site: Libya: Aguila Saleh urges Egypt to intervene if Sirte attacked . 2023-04-10 . Al Jazeera . en.
    47. Web site: 2020-06-21 . Egypt readies army to intervene in Libya 'if necessary' . 2023-04-10 . France 24 . en.
    48. Web site: Warring Libyan sides mobilise for battle as Turkey slams France. TRT World. 23 June 2020.
    49. Web site: وثائق مسربة تكشف تورط نظام أسد وروسيا بتجنيد السوريين كمرتزقة في ليبيا (صور). orient-news.net. ar. 22 June 2020.
    50. Web site: U.S. Africa Command supports Department of State, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland meeting in Libya. AFRICOM. 22 June 2020.
    51. Web site: 24 June 2020 . Italy's foreign minister meets Libyan PM in Tripoli . https://web.archive.org/web/20200624141425/https://news.yahoo.com/italys-foreign-minister-meets-libyan-pm-tripoli-140014645.html . 24 June 2020 . Yahoo!.
    52. Web site: Egypt raises army readiness in anticipation of Libya showdown with Turkey. The Arab Weekly. 10 July 2020.

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