Sisi rallies tribes to support Egypt's intervention in Libya war
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced his country’s readiness to intervene militarily in Libya and train tribes there to fight militias allied with the Tripoli-based government. This has raised questions about the impact such a move would have on the battles in Libya.
CAIRO — The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, on June 28 sent military reinforcements from the 128th Infantry Battalion to the central Libyan region to repel any attempts by the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) forces to advance toward the key city of Sirte and al-Jafra air base.
During an inspection tour of the Egyptian armed forces in the western military zone on June 20, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had said that Egypt would not allow the Libyan pro-government forces to cross “Sirte and al-Jafra,” as these constitute a red line for Egypt’s national security. Sisi alluded to military intervention in Libya.
Sirte is located 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from the Egyptian border, an equal distance between the capital city of Tripoli, which is controlled by the GNA, and Benghazi, which is controlled by the LNA.
Taking control of Sirte would pave the way for tightening the grip on Libya’s oil ports in the east. Al-Jafra, which is located in the center of the country, is one of the largest air bases and a major operations room for the Hifter-led forces. In other words, controlling these two would lead to controlling the Libyan east, and this poses a clear threat to Egypt’s western borders, according to military experts.
