Haftar's Forces Appear To Have Upper Hand As EU's Operation IRINI Begins

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On April 26^th, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces carried out heavy shelling on Mitiga International Airport.

The airport is being used as a Turkish base of operations, out of which a large number of Bayraktar TB2 UAVs are being operated to carry out strikes on various targets.

#عملية_بركان_الغضب : ميليشيات حفتر الارهابية تواصل القصف المتكرر بصواريخ غراد على مطار معيتيقة و الاحياء السكنية في محيطه pic.twitter.com/tOCf1YYezk
— AbdulGhani AlHamrouni 🇱🇾 (@AbdulGhaniLibya) April 26, 2020

The same photographs that claim Mitiga International Airport was shelled were used by the GNA to show that civilian locations were being hit by Haftar’s forces, according to the Libya Observer, citing the Government of National Accord’s operation headquarters.

Just days earlier, a Turkish UAV was filmed landing at Mitiga.

Turkish UAV drone “Bayraktar TB2” can be seen landing at Maetiga International airport in Libyan capital Tripoli. #Libya #LIbyaReview pic.twitter.com/YAhVCoPAiC
— Libya Review (@LibyaReview) April 24, 2020

Meanwhile, the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) attack on al-Watiya airbase is entirely stalled, with no reports of clashes or any sort of push or siege. Haftar’s forces appear to have entirely pushed back the enemy offensive.

All of the GNA’s forces appear to be focused either on defending Tripoli or shelling Tarhuna, which is deemed as a key position of the LNA.

Tarhuna is located just south of Tripoli. The GNA’s Turkish-backed forces carried out heavy bombing on LNA positions in and around the city on April 26^th.

#عااااااجل |
قصف لطيران مسير تابع للجيش الليبي على مواقع لمليشيات حفتر الارهابية في ترهونة.#عاصفة_السلام
— عماد فتحي E.Fathi (@emad_badish) April 26, 2020

The stalling in the GNA’s operations might also be due to the beginning of the EU’s Operation IRINI, aimed at enforcing the UN embargo on weapons deliveries to Libya in the Mediterranean.

The GNA condemned the operation, similarly to Turkey, because it impedes deliveries of equipment and fighters.

And if you now say, but they will enforce “the implementation of the UN arms embargo through the use of #aerial, #satellite and #maritime assets”, I say, yep. This is what the mandate says in theory.
Practically, stopping (Turkish) arms (to GNA) via sea is their “top priority”. pic.twitter.com/yh9q2NMvfk
— Julian Röpcke (@JulianRoepcke) April 24, 2020

This is essentially unacceptable, because in their view the LNA can still receive support from Russia, Egypt and the UAE, while the GNA is being strangled from military supplies, until Haftar’s forces manage to purge Tripoli and the entire country from terrorist elements.

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