The Libyan people will officially ask Egypt to intervene in Libya if forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez Sarraj, capture the strategic city of Sirte and Al Jufra Airbase in the country's center and move further to the east, Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Libya's eastern-based parliament, told MENA news agency on Wednesday
CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2020) The Libyan people will officially ask Egypt to intervene in Libya if forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez Sarraj, capture the strategic city of Sirte and Al Jufra Airbase in the country's center and move further to the east, Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Libya's eastern-based parliament, told MENA news agency on Wednesday.
Last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi said that his country had an internationally legitimate right to intervene in Libya and told the army to be prepared to fight abroad, if needed. The Egyptian leader noted that his country was ready to offer its military aid to Libyan tribes by equipping and training them. According to Sisi, the so-called red line for the deployment of troops is the city of Sirte, about 560 miles from the border with Egypt. The Libyan National Army (LNA) welcomed Cairo's announcement and introduced a no-fly zone over Sirte on Sunday.
"The Libyan people will officially ask Egypt to deploy its armed forces, if necessary, to protect the national security of Libya and Egypt. It will be legal self-defense if terrorist groups cross the 'red line' that president Sisi spoke about � they will try to capture the city of Sirte or Jufra and move further," Saleh said.
According to the lawmaker, the main cause of Libya's problems is foreign interference in one form or another, such as Turkey's involvement. Within the context, Saleh urged all parties engaged to "stop the bloodshed."
Libya has been divided for years between the two rival governments seeking to establish control over the entire country. Commander Khalifa Haftar's army, the LNA, has been laying siege to Tripoli since the spring of 2019 in a bid to capture the seat of the GNA.
In recent weeks, troops affiliated with the GNA have made major military gains against Haftar's army. The western-based government, which has the backing of Turkey and Qatar, has said it wants to seize the strategic city of Sirte from the LNA.
Earlier this week, the GNA downgraded its representation at the Arab League after slamming the regional bloc for backing its rival's ally, Egypt, which proposed a truce between the UN-backed GNA and the eastern-based Libyan administration linked to Haftar, who traveled to Egypt for talks in early June.
