Late last week, the Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeiba called the Russian weapons transfers from Syria to Libya as unacceptable and warned against Libya becoming a battleground of foreign powers. In a press conference he stated:
“We have concerns about moving international conflicts to Libya, and that it will become a battlefield between countries. No one with an ounce of patriotism wants a foreign power to come and impose its hegemony and authority over the country and the people. Such a presence, could only be tolerated within the framework of agreements between countries for training, instruction or equipment, but for forces to enter by force and against the will of the Libyan people, we totally reject it.”
Russia has been transferring its weapons and equipment from Syria to Libya under the protection of the the eastern Libyan military regime run of Khalifa Haftar. Former Syrian military officials from the Assad regime have also reportedly fled to Libya on Russian military flights.
Meanwhile, appearing on his weekly show on Tanush TV where he frequently makes political statements, the Libyan Grand Mufti Sadiq Al-Ghariani has called for protests and attacks against Russian bases in Libya. The Muslim Brotherhood-connected cleric has stated that any foreign power that comes to Syria by force has to be fought and added that Russians in Libya should be considered as legitimate military targets. He encouraged Libyans to take up arms and fight the Russians out of the country.
Newsroom
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