Fri 29 May 2020:
As I have said before, I was counting on the Libyan heroes of the February Revolution to continue their struggle against the reckless criminal Khalifa Haftar, and defeat his mercenary militias. My intuition proved to be right when the Libyans managed not only to control all the cities of the West Coast, but also to liberate Al-Watiya Air Base, the centre of the coup general’s military weight, where he receives shipments of weapons, ammunition, military vehicles, missiles and other equipment from Russia, France, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere.
Haftar’s militia suffered heavy losses against the forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the cities of Al-Asaba and Mazda as well as other areas south of the capital Tripoli. Thus, the Libyan Army managed to take control of all the camps where Haftar’s militia was based south of Tripoli. This enabled the GNA to impose a complete siege on the city of Tarhuna, Haftar’s personal and symbolic stronghold, and his last stand in the west. All kinds of shipments have been stopped from entering the city. With the imminent fall of Tarhuna, by the Will of the Almighty, the entire western area will be purged of all of Haftar’s militants.
There is no doubt that Turkey’s involvement in Libya and its treaties with the internationally-recognised GNA have changed the balance of power. Turkey’s unlimited military and logistical assistance provided to the Libyan Army has changed the equation in favour of Fayez Al-Sarraj’s government, making the countries that support Haftar uneasy about developments on the ground.
The world’s hyenas have gathered to gnaw at Libya, taking whatever they can before leaving their prey drowning in its own blood. They all have ambitions and goals in the North African state, but agree that the only way to succeed in their mission is to install a military regime, headed by a figure affiliated with them to rule the country. If the western countries have an eye on Libya’s oil, then the only way to get it will be through a military officer who betrayed his country.
The axis of evil in the region is led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE and managed by the Zionist state, the centre of counterrevolutions plotting against the Arab nation with the help of the Mossad and the CIA. The axis is working to frustrate the Libyan revolution in order to prevent the rise of a democratic system that can be a model for the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region.
Such a democratic state could topple the creaking thrones of regional dictators. Hence, the axis of evil has sought to thwart the Libyan revolution from the very beginning, just as it did with the other Arab Spring revolutions in Syria and Yemen, while backing the military coup in Egypt after the people had voted democratically for a civilian president of their choice.
The Libyan revolution was on the way to emulating that. Even more, this revolution has avoided Egypt’s mistakes, as it is the only Arab Spring uprising that has been going in the right direction to bring down all that is corrupt with the intention of complete national reconstruction.
However, the evil powers in the region, moved by American Zionists, have not given the Libyan revolution time for reconstruction. They have taken the uprising into an internal conflict: once loyal allies have fought against each other; tribal loyalties have taken precedence; and social struggles and instability have increased. The revolution has thus been lost in the division of spoils and the remnants of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime have been emboldened enough to leave their hideouts and take advantage of the divisions between the revolutionaries.
Libya has been split into two parts, each with its own government: the east is led by the coup leader Haftar, who is owned by the counterrevolution; the west is led by Al-Sarraj with his internationally recognised administration. It is ironic is that the world views the GNA as the legitimate government, yet secretly and publicly supports Haftar. Even when it sent an envoy from the UN to solve the crisis that it helped to create, the UAE chose and bought him in order to keep him under its control. That is why the envoy has been neither fair nor neutral, nor has he condemned the war crimes committed in Benghazi.
The envoy has also turned a blind eye to the many arms shipments from around the world that he knows about, the latest of which was revealed by the Zionist entity’s permanent representative to the UN, Danny Danon. Iran, said Danon, was sending advanced weapons to Haftar in Libya. He documented this in a letter to the Security Council on 8 May, in which he pointed out that Iran has violated Security Council Resolution 2231 issued in 2015 and related to the prevention of the transfer, export, supply or sale of weapons from Iran to other parties, and Resolution 1970 issued in 2011 regarding the arms embargo on Libya.
We should not be surprised that Iran has joined the Libyan fiasco, because Libya has become the scene of a global proxy war. Moreover, Iran sees in Haftar the image of Gaddafi and its own ally in Syria, the murderer Bashar Al-Assad, who supports Haftar and sends him Syrian soldiers to fight the remnants of Gaddafi’s regime, and together fight against the heroes of the Libyan revolution. Iran believes that standing alongside and strengthening the criminal Haftar’s militia will empower the weak Assad hiding in his palace in Damascus. Moreover, by fuelling the conflict in Libya, Iran hopes to divert attention from its own nuclear project.
Furthermore, as a major regional power, Iran will not allow the Turkish giant that supports the GNA to call the shots in Libya while also controlling large parts of northern Syria. Tehran cannot stand idly by and let Turkey, on behalf of the Sunni axis, dominate events in the region.
The US shares Iran’s concern about Turkey. Although Washington was happy to see Russian arms on the losing side in the battle for Tripoli, it is not satisfied with Russian influence in Libya. However, at the same time it is concerned about the growing regional role that Turkey is developing in Libya, not least because it is led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Islamic trend that his government represents. A victory for the GNA with its known Islamic component may not only extend to the rest of Libya, but also go beyond its borders. The Islamic parties are the regional undesirables as far as the US is concerned, because they generally stand against its interests and goals, and could weaken America’s allies and perhaps defeat them, not least its agents in the region who support Haftar.
That is why US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked Al-Sarraj to accept a ceasefire and freeze the ongoing military operation to liberate Tarhuna, and thus prevent the complete defeat of the Haftar coup. Despite his military defeat, the international project is ongoing in Libya; Haftar is expendable and replaceable, so we can expect to see someone else being backed to complete the counterrevolutionary coup project.
The Zionist entity has, of course, not been far from events in Libya; indeed, it has been involved in them. A military source affiliated to Haftar revealed recently the withdrawal of two Israeli air defence systems from Tarhuna, which impeded Turkey’s drones over the city. The source confirmed that Israeli, French and Russian military experts as well as the defence systems were smuggled out of Al-Watiya Air Base to Tunisia and eastern Libya by air. At least 200 military vehicles were part of this withdrawal, including nine Israeli vehicles carrying approximately 30 night telescopes, in addition to an Israeli electronic jamming system and more than 120 advanced Israeli sniper rifles. This happened during the truce that followed the GNA forces taking control of the coastal cities to the west of Tripoli. The source added that Israel withdrew all evidence of its support for Haftar, after receiving information about the defection of some of his fighters, allowing GNA forces to enter Haftar-controlled camps and cities.
Libya’s February Revolutionary heroes are the descendants of Omar Al-Mukhtar (1858-1931), the legendary Lion of the Desert, as they face a global proxy war in their country. The liberation of the west of Libya is an important step on a long and arduous path against the counterrevolution and the foiling of its coup project in the region.
Author: Dr Amira Abo el-Fetouh
Article Originally published in MEMO
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Independent Press.
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