Libyan Navy on High Alert

Libyan Army's Chief-of-Staff, Major-General Faraj al-Mahdawi, has declared the state of high alert and increased the security readiness, in anticipation of the possibility of pushing more Turkish weapons and soldiers to Libya.

Al-Mahdawi said in a statement to Al-Arabiya news channel on Sunday, that the navy is ready and has enough power to repel any Turkish violation or attacks against the Libyan coast, pointing out that there is strict monitoring and follow-up on all ships coming to the Libyan West.

On Friday, a source at the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed, that Moscow is very concerned by Turkey potentially sending troops to Libya, adding that the deal on military cooperation between Ankara and Tripoli raised many questions for Moscow, according to the Interfax news agency.

Earlier, Turkey announced that it could send troops to Libya if the Government of the National Accord (GNA) requests some help. In the meantime, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday pointed to Russian military contractors currently in the war-torn country.

Last month, Libya and its key ally Turkey signed an expanded security and military cooperation agreement, as well as a deal to drill natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean.

Noteworthy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Erdogan are scheduled to meet on Jan. 8 to discuss several topics; most notably Libya and Syria.