Egypt deployed S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in Libya to ‘meet’ the Turks

Egypt was suspected of deploying the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) in Libya. Photos of the alleged equipment in the city of Ras al-Anuf, which is located in the east of the country, appeared on social networks, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

Despite the fact that it is impossible to determine exactly what the object really is, there is no doubt that Cairo will continue to send persistent signals to its regional opponents about the need to end the escalation in Libya. On the eve it became known about the dispatch of the Su-35 to the Egyptian side.

Presumably, the technology that appeared near the port city is attributed to the Armed Forces (AF) of Egypt, which support the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar. True, so far Cairo has not officially announced its entry into Libyan territory – there have been reports only about the concentration of its equipment on the border with the former Jamahiriya.

At the end of July, the head of the General Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Muhammad Farid, conducted a review of the forces that are in the area bordering Libya. According to the official representative of the armed forces of the Arab Republic, Colonel Tamer Rifai, a check was carried out of the “combat readiness of the armed forces in the western strategic direction as part of the general plan of the General Command to ensure strict measures to protect the borders of the state and its national security on land, sea and in the air with the interaction of all the main combat arms and tactical formations.”

It was indicated that the general discussed with the command staff of the Western Military District “the progress of the assigned tasks and the tactics of responding to a rapid and abrupt change in the situation during hostilities.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has already pointed out several times that he does not rule out the scenario of military intervention in a neighboring country in order to “end the bloodshed and ensure border security.” Cairo insists on the legitimacy of such a campaign in connection with the official mandate of the East Libyan authorities.

In a conversation with NEWS.ru, military expert Yuri Lyamin, however, said that it was difficult to judge the presence of the S-300 in Libya from the photos that appeared on social networks.

“Too far to the objects being surveyed to make accurate conclusions, but the visible radar antenna is most similar not to the radars of Egypt’s S-300VM Antey-2500 systems, but to something like the 96L6 all-altitude detector, which are usually attached to systems from line S-300PMU-2 / S-400” Yuri Lyamin said.

Apart from the Libyan conflict, it is difficult to consider the reports that appeared on the eve of the Egyptian Armed Forces acquiring the first Russian Su-35 fighter. Neither the Russian nor the Egyptian sides have yet made official comments on the proposed shipment.

It is possible that this is being done in order to avoid the reaction of the United States, which is categorically against such a deal. Specialized portals dedicated to defense topics reported that the first batch of Su-35 fighters left the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and headed to the European part of Russia to arrive from there to Egypt.

In a conversation with the American portal Al-Monitor, Major General Nasr Salem, who in the past headed the intelligence department of the Egyptian Armed Forces, explained that the acquisition by ARE of Su-35 fighters will help ensure control over the airspace to protect the country’s interests.

However, it seems that in the case of Libya, it is becoming more important for Cairo to exert a psychological effect in order to prevent Turkey’s onslaught on the strategically important facilities of the LNA in Sirte and Al-Jufra at a low cost.

Libyan civil war

Having ruled the country since 1969, Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in the 2011 civil war. As a result, the country found itself in a situation of dual power: in the east, a parliament is sitting in Tobruk, supported by the Libyan national army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, and in the west, in Tripoli, a government of national accord.

In Libya, armed clashes are currently taking place between supporters of different leaders. The country is led by the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Saraj, the “eastern government” led by Abdullah Abdurrahaman at-Thani.

The eastern government is supported by the commander of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar.

Recall that January 13 in Moscow, negotiations were held between the heads of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalif Haftar and the Government of National Accord (GNA) Faiz Sarraj. Also present were members of the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Turkey.

On the meeting the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has notified Russia about the conditions for continuing negotiations on the signing of a peace agreement in Libya.

According to the requirements of Haftar, the militias operating in Libya are required to surrender weapons in the period from 45 to 90 days. This process should be controlled by a special commission created by the LNA together with the UN.

Haftar also refused to recognize Turkey as an intermediary in resolving the situation in Libya, since the Turkish side is not neutral and supports the Government of National Accord (GNA).

At the same time, the GNA is actively supporting Turkey, and Egypt and Saudi Arabia are on the side of the LNA. Its unofficial allies are France and the UAE.

source:bulgarianmilitary.com