Turkey vows response to any Haftar attacks on its Libyan sitesMay 21, 2020 - 16:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey will heavily retaliate against any attack by Libya’s Khalifa Haftar on Turkish interests in the country, a senior Turkish official said, hours after the eastern commander’s forces vowed unprecedented air strikes, Bloomberg reports. The exchange of threats signaled further escalation after a week of setbacks for Haftar in his war against the internationally recognized government in the capital, Tripoli. Fathi Bashagha, that administration’s security chief, told Bloomberg at least eight Soviet-era jets have arrived in the east from a Russian airbase in Syria, possibly to assist in any new aerial campaign. Haftar’s forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russian mercenaries, launched the war to take Tripoli more than a year ago, pushing their way into the city’s suburbs. Turkish military intervention, however, has turned the tide in the battle for the North African OPEC member state, forcing Haftar’s troops to withdraw from a strategic airbase this week and to announce a partial pullback from the frontlines. Turkey is well-prepared to defend its bases and other places under its protection using its drones and warships deployed near Tripoli, the senior Turkish official said Thursday, May 21. Any targeting of Turkish personnel could bring retaliatory attacks, including against Haftar’s headquarters, the person said. Photo. AFP Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. U.S. doesn’t see Russia as contributing to peace in Caucasus Patel made the remarks when asked about the implications of Russia’s withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh. Up to 1% cashback when shopping on Wildberries with IDBank cards IDBank is launching an exclusive campaign on Wildberries for online shopping enthusiasts. |