For the third consecutive day, the ‘Itamilradar’ website, specialized in tracking military flights over the Mediterranean, has monitored Turkish cargo aircraft, Lockheed C-130E (71-1468), on a trip to Al-Watiya Airbase, south of Tripoli, from Konya AB, Turkey. It added that the aircraft left the Libyan base at about 8:30 CEST.
The website indicated that during the past two months, it had monitored at least 30 military flights from Turkey to Libya, using a number of planes (C-130 & A400).
According to sources, Al-Watiya airbase was struck on the 5th of July, by a French Rafale fighter-jet. The sources revealed that the airstrikes targeted two Turkish defense systems installed in the base, one of which was completely destroyed.
‘Al-Sharq Al-Awsat’ newspaper previously cited Turkish media saying that the Turkish military was preparing to deploy a new defense system at Al-Watiya, after the raid targeted the previous system. According to the newspaper, Turkey “will soon install new air defense systems, and activate the S-125 missile system, which was recently purchased from Ukraine, over Sirte, and some areas of strategic importance for the Turks in western Libya”.
The activity of Turkish military cargo aircraft in Al-Watiya base coincides with the continuous build-up of the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) forces for a possible attack on Sirte, and Al-Jufra in Libya.