CNN: Daily Russian flights from Syria to air base in Libyan desert

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.

The network reported that an analysis of flight tracking data showed that Russia has operated more than one flight per day since mid-December, using giant Antonov-124 and Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft, from the Hmeimim base in Syria to Al-Khadim, a base near Benghazi in eastern Libya.

These moves coincided with confirmations reported by CNN from American and Western officials that Russia had begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria. The network suggested that the transferred equipment included advanced Russian air defense systems.

She said that the Hmeimim base was in the past the center through which Russian mercenary operations were supported in Africa, starting from the Central African Republic and later in Sudan, Libya, Mali and Burkina Faso.

She noted that one of the planes that recently arrived on the server appeared in a video clip flying to Bamako in Mali, where Russia recently replaced France, which was forced to end a long-standing presence in the region.

She explained that the Russians had used the server as a foothold for several years, and were providing mercenary fighters and weapons to support retired General Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control most of eastern Libya.

According to CNN, the new Russian moves were met with suspicion in NATO capitals, with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto telling the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: “Russian ships and submarines in the Mediterranean are always a source of concern, and instead of being a thousand kilometers away, they are two steps away from us.”

CNN quoted a senior NATO official as saying that the alliance is monitoring activity in both Tobruk and Benghazi in Libya.

Source: CNN