UAE Gives Libyan Army An Israeli Air Defense System? – OpEd
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has allegedly supplied the Libyan National Army (LNA) has paid for a sophisticated Israeli air defense system to send it to Haftar to undermine the capabilities of Libyan Air Force’s drones. In addition, the UAE is ramping up support Haftar to try and help his Tripoli offensive survive and to maintain his forces’ positions on the outskirts of the capital.
In April 2019 the Libyan National Army, have Russian air defense systems; they have been relatively effective in thwarting enemy airstrikes on their positions. At that time Hafter got his support from Russia but nowadays he has shifted to be with UAE.
According to that, UAE has signed a contract with Israel to provide Haftar with an air defense system made by an Israeli defense firm.
The system has been transferred to Egypt in order to send it to pro-Haftar areas after training some of Haftar forces’ military officers on how to use it,” the New Arab newspaper reported.
The Libyan Air Force under the command of the Government of National Accord has been bossing the skies in western Libya, destroying many of Haftar’s military assets, especially a jamming system given to Haftar’s forces by the UAE, besides killing several leaders and foreign fighters in south Tripoli and in Tarhouna.
On the other side UAE has not made any statements about this alleged purchase and no photos of the air defense system have been released from Libya.
It is clear that Haftar wants to rule Libya by force, he wants to control Tripoli and then grip power in the entire country by bloodshed/ Moreover, Libyan fighters and Tripoli residents have been enduring the clashes and indiscriminate attacks in the face of Haftar’s forces, his aims wants to regain the family rule, which many Libyans revolted against in 2011 and are still fighting up until today.
This civil war is very weird more than 85% of the armed groups are foreigners, the funding comes from abroad, but for what reasons we don’t know.
The commander of the joint operations room of the western region Osama Juwaili said on speaking TV Channel, the Libyan Army forces are avoiding entering clashes with Haftar’s forces in certain western region cities that are supporting Haftar, such as Sorman and Sabratha but they might have to if there is not alternative as what happened in Tarhouna.
Also, he lashed at the Arab League and international community, saying “their masks had fallen since April 04, 2019, saying Haftar attacked Tripoli when the UN Secretary General was in the capital, but he only expressed his sorrow over the incident.
