According to an article in DEBKAfile published today, General Khalifa Haftar visited Moscow over the weekend with a request for Russian arms and military support for his Libyan National Army (LNA) forces. Putin is reportedly offering Hafter’s army jet fighters, attack helicopters, armoured vehicles and assorted missiles as well as air support for fighting the Islamic State. The article claims that:
President Vladimir Putin began to envision a second Mediterranean base on the coast of Benghazi, twin to Hmeimim in Syria’s Latakia. This one would accommodate Russian naval as well as air units and be located 700km from Europe.... At all events, Russian planes in Hmeimim are capable of covering the 1,500km distance to Libya, while the Russian carrier Admiral Kusnetzev is anchored not far away, off Syria’s Mediterranean shore. Both are therefore available for operations in support of the Libyan general.
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