Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces on Thursday said they shot down an Italian drone in western Libya, flying in a zone under their control, reported The Arab Weekly.
“We shot down the Italian drone with an anti-aircraft missile, north of Tarhouna,” said Haftar’s spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari. “We are still waiting for an explanation about the reasons why the drone flew over Libyan territory.”
On Wednesday, the Italian military general staff had confirmed that they lost contact with an Italian Air Force drone, which subsequently crashed in Libyan territory. The general staff said in a statement that the drone was following a flight plan previously communicated to Libyan authorities. It added that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Meanwhile, the Libyan House of Representatives (parliament) on Thursday condemned Italy’s violation of the Libyan sovereignty by flying a drone in the war-torn country.
“The Libyan House of Representatives condemns the violation of the Libyan sovereignty by a drone belonging to the Italian air force, which was shot down by the Libyan Arab Armed Forces near the city of Tarhuna as it entered a military operation area of the National Army,” the parliament said in a statement.
The parliament called out Italian authorities to provide an official explanation regarding the violation of Libyan sovereignty, which is against all international laws and charters.
The crash follows the United Nations Libya envoy’s plea to foreign actors to honor an arms embargo in the country.
Haftar led Libyan National Army has been leading a military campaign since April in an attempt to take over Tripoli and topple the rival UN-recognised Government of National Accord. The conflict has killed over 1,000, injured close to 6,000 and forced 120,000 people from their homes, according to UN figures.
With the aim to end the ongoing war in Libya and bring the two parties to dialogue, Germany is preparing to host an international conference in Berlin next month.
