Source: Middle East Institute
Author(s): Mirette F. Mabrouk
Original Link: https://www.mei.edu/blog/monday-briefing-red-lines-and-rising-tensions-libya
On July 18, Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) moved its fighters and 200 vehicles eastwards from Misrata along the Mediterranean coast toward the town of Tawergha, about a third of the way to Sirte. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi had declared a few weeks earlier that Sirte and the central district of Jufra were a “red line,” a Libyan Rubicon the crossing of which would give Egypt “international legitimacy to intervene.” While Sirte doesn’t initially appear close enough to Egypt to be a direct threat, it is vital to controlling Libya’s “oil crescent,” revenue from which has been the major source of conflict. For its part, Jufra is the site of a military airbase that the Libyan National Army (LNA) has used for operations against the GNA.
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