Russia Hopes Military Scenario Won’t Be Carried out in Libya, Says Diplomat
MOSCOW – Moscow hopes that a military scenario won’t be implemented in Libya and the crisis will be ironed out by a political and diplomatic means, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
“We hope this scenario won’t be fulfilled,” the diplomat stressed. “We believe that the crisis will be sorted out by a political and diplomatic means. We have been making every effort for this over the past several years,” she noted.
On Thursday, Commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to launch an offensive on the capital, vowing to liberate it from all illegal armed groups. He noted that the Libyan National Army “had heard the call” of Tripoli’s people.
Prime Minister of Tripoli’s Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj ordered all military units controlled by him to be on full combat alert, giving the green light to airstrikes in order to “defend the civilian population and crucial facilities.”
TASS
R.S