When the Sun Sets in Libya, Two U.S. Allies Get Down to War
- Global powers impatient as proxy war settles into stalemate
- Sarraj, Haftar unwilling to back down in OPEC state’s conflict
Fighters of Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) of Fayez Serraj, take their position during clashes with forces of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) at the Salah al-Din frontline in Tripoli, Libya.
Photographer: Amru Salahuddien/picture alliance via Getty Images
On July 26, Libya’s internationally-recognized government announced a brazen air raid on a hangar housing drones deployed in support of rival commander Khalifa Haftar. A day later, his forces said they retaliated with strikes on a military base that sent fireballs into the night sky.
Neither side officially acknowledged the worst-kept secret of the North African state’s civil war: as the opponents face a stalemate on the ground, their backers in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are engaged in an aerial campaign that’s seen them target each other’s unmanned planes in a bid to determine Libya’s future in their favor.