Southern Libya has been witnessing a state of security tensions for some time, amidst a state of secrecy and silence from all military and political parties, east and west.

CNN confirmed that the weeks following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria witnessed Russia operating several flights to an air base in the Libyan desert, as part of what it considered a Russian plan to provide an alternative supply line for its military presence in Africa and maintain a foothold in the Mediterranean.