...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...'s military conducted an air and naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean, its defence ministry said Friday, in an apparent show of force linked to the Libyan conflict.
The drill, which lasted for eight hours Thursday, was dubbed an "Open Sea Training" exercise by the ministry in a statement that did not mention Libya directly.
Eight frigates and corvettes participated, along with 17 planes that flew from Eskisehir, central Turkey on a 2,000-km (1,250-mile) round trip, it said.
The private NTV broadcaster said the exercise was held in Libyan waters but did not offer any explanation.
The defence ministry reported that the exercise was "conducted successfully", sharing photographs and videos of the F-16 fighter jets and warships in action.
The exercise came as tensions grow in the eastern Mediterranean owing to the conflict in Libya, and a dispute with Cyprus and Greece over offshore hydrocarbon resources.
Turkey has already sent ships to search for oil and gas off the divided island of Cyprus.
Turkey backs the UN-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
, which has been under attack by rivals Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly...
since April 2019.
Haftar is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, with whom Turkey's relations are strained, as well as by Russia.
Momentum in the conflict changed after Ankara sent Syrian fighters, drones and military advisors to Libya after signing maritime and security agreements with Tripoli.
GNA forces have in recent weeks recaptured outposts in western Libya that had been seized by pro-Haftar loyalists, who then tried to march on the capital.
On Wednesday, a