LNA authorizes Egypt intervention in principle
Libya's parliament has passed a motion authorising Egypt to intervene
militarily if needed to safeguard the "national security" of both
countries in light of what it termed a Turkish "occupation".
The legislature backs military commander Khalifa Haftar, who fought a
year-long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to seize the western capital
Tripoli from a United Nations-recognised unity government.
Haftar is supported by neighbouring Egypt and the United Arab Emirates,
while the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli has the backing of
their regional rivals Turkey and Qatar.
In a resolution passed late Monday, the legislature in the eastern city
of Tobruk authorised "Egyptian armed forces to intervene to protect the
national security of Libya and Egypt if they see an imminent danger to both our
countries".
Libya has seen years of violence since the ouster of long-time leader
Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed 2011 uprising, with the GNA and the parliament
in the east, elected in 2014, vying for power.
Haftar launched an offensive in April 2019 to seize the capital, but the
GNA took advantage of Turkish military support including drones to re-impose
its control over Libya's northwest.
In its statement late Monday evening, the parliament said Libya and
Egypt should work together "to guarantee the occupier's defeat and
preserve our shared national security" in the face of "the dangers
posed by the Turkish occupation".
