War between Egypt and Turkey over Libya?

BREAKING: Egypt Readies War With Turkey In Libya In Pro-Haftar Alliance With Russia, France

Fort Russ,

15 July, 2020

CAIRO – The Egyptian armed forces are preparing a large-scale invasion of neighboring Libya, where the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Faiz Saraj and in league with the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood, continues to attack the free city of Sirte and the Jufra air base, which have previously been liberated by the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by one-time Gaddafi ally Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

According to our reputable source, the retired Egyptian general Mahfouz Marzuk , in the past few days the army of the largest Arab republic has been conducting exercises on land and at sea and their scale, as well as scenarios indicate that Cairo is “serious about relocating its forces to Libya, if necessary. “. This was reported on July 15 by the Turkish publication Ahval.

These breaking news claims are further substantiated by a series of verifiable actions that Egypt has taken in recent days.

Three important signs indicate that Egypt can prepare for a military invasion, says Marzuk.

First, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that his country, in accordance with the internationally recognized right of all states to self-defense, could carry out an operation in connection with a terrorist threat emanating from a neighboring country.

Secondly, the Egyptian leader warned that any attempt at a military capture of the Mediterranean city of Sirte and the Jufra airbase is a “red line” for Cairo, the intersection of which will lead to immediate intervention.

Meanwhile, Turkey and the GNA are subject to negotiations and a ceasefire with the LNA of Haftar which appear to tacitly recognize facts on the ground: Sirte and Jufra are in the hands of the LNA.

Finally, “the nature of the military exercises of the Egyptian army, their scale, the types of weapons involved in the maneuvers indicate that Egypt has begun strategic preparations for the main military operation,” says Marzuk.

According to him, the naval part of the exercises held last week signaled that Egypt would enter Libya by air, by sea and by land, which indicates the likelihood of an “offensive operation with the deployment of forces over long distances and the landing in the regions under the control of enemy forces. ” The exercises showed that the Egyptian Armed Forces can plan an invasion of a considerable depth of enemy territory, the general concluded.

The Egyptian army last week launched large-scale military exercises under the code name “Hasm 2020” near the border with Libya. Various types of advanced military equipment are tested in preparation for the possible invasion of the Armed Forces of the Arab Republic of Egypt (ARE) into the territory of a neighboring country.

The Egyptian Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Mohammed Zaki, has been on the western border for about a month. The largest Egyptian military base in the western region is Muhammad Nagib, which was opened three years ago. In the Mediterranean region adjacent to the Libyan border, the Jarjhur naval airbase is strengthening. Earlier in the media, there were reports of flights of Egyptian military aircraft deep into Libyan territory from the Sidi-Barrani base (north-west of the ARE).

Speaking at the UN Security Council on July 8, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri said the situation in Libya poses a serious threat to stability and security throughout the region.

Major General Alaa Ezzedin , a former director of the Center for Strategic Studies (Cairo), said in an interview with The Arab Weekly that preparations for the most decisive scenarios for the actions of the largest Arab republic with its strongest armed forces in the region continue at all levels – from small units to field armies – since Ankara got involved in the inter-Libyan conflict.

The Libyan GNA Ministry of Defense (under Saraj) announced at the end of June that it will continue to take steps to “liberate” Sirte from Haftar’s troops, despite warning by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that the seizure of this large settlement represents the “red line” for Cairo 

The President of Egypt on June 20 stated that his country has the legal right to intervene in Libyan affairs, where a hotbed of terrorist threat is forming, and ordered the army to prepare for missions “if necessary.” “Any direct intervention by the Egyptian state has now gained international legitimacy,” said Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, adding that Egypt faces direct threats from “terrorist mercenaries” supported by foreign countries.

Egypt previously called for a ceasefire in Libya starting June 8th as part of an initiative launched by President al-Sisi. Other external forces supporting the LNA commander Haftar, including Russia, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, welcomed this proposal.

However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , who took the side of the GNA, rejected the Cairo peace plan and spoke in favor of continuing the military campaign in the North African country until “a complete victory over Haftar.” “Now the goal is to capture the whole territory of Sirte. These are sections with oil wells, it is very important, ” Erdogan said.

With this stage having been set, a full military operation on the part of Egypt is just as likely as a Turkish push to capture the liberated city of Sirte.