The EU’s Operation IRINI has reported a sharp rise in what it describes as “suspicious flights” linked to potential violations of the UN arms embargo on Libya, recording more than 100 additional air movements in just one month.
Updated monitoring data released in early December 2025 shows that IRINI has continued to expand its surveillance footprint across the Mediterranean. The operation logged 20,758 radio communications with commercial vessels — up from 20,566 in early November and 20,383 in October. This reflects an increase of 192 contacts in one month and 375 over two months, indicating heightened maritime scrutiny.
Maritime inspections remained unchanged at 33 boardings, with three confirmed cases of diversion, while “friendly visits” to vessels rose to 776, compared with 770 the previous month.
The most notable surge occurred in air traffic monitoring. IRINI reported 2,327 suspicious flights, up from 2,226 in November and 2,141 in October — an increase of 101 flights in one month and 186 over two months. These flights are flagged for potential links to embargo-violating activity, including movements of equipment or personnel.
Meanwhile, the EU Satellite Centre (SatCen) generated 4,594 imagery analyses, marking an increase of 57 over November and 129 over October. Port recommendations remained steady at 97, while 76 inspections were carried out. Reports submitted to the UN Panel of Experts rose to 81, one more than the previous month.
IRINI continues to monitor 25 airports and airstrips as well as 16 ports, with participation from 24 EU member states. Institutionally, Brussels has confirmed that IRINI’s mandate has been extended until 31 March 2027, while the UN Security Council renewed authorisation for maritime inspections for another six months, with 13 votes in favour and abstentions from Russia and China.
These developments underline growing operational vigilance as Libya remains a focal point of international monitoring efforts aimed at preventing the flow of arms into the conflict-torn country.
