The British newspaper “The Times” revealed Thursday that the United States of America carried out a special operation in Libya to transfer the Russian air defense system “Pantsir” that had been captured by the “Government of National Accord” forces during the military operation against Haftar’s militia.
The newspaper added that the Pantsir missile defense system was safely transferred to an American air base in Germany through a secret mission, indicating that the orders to carry out the operation were issued amid American fears that the S1 missile battery could easily shoot down civilian aircraft and could fall into The hands of militias or arms smugglers – according to the newspaper.
The newspaper stated that the “Pantsir” missile system was bought by the UAE from Russia and supplied by “Haftar’s militia”, and that the mercenaries of the Russian “Wagner” company supervised its operation.
The newspaper considered that the UAE is a major importer of American weapons and has delivered an advanced weapons system to a “warlord” who deals with that system recklessly and could reach dangerous militias.
In the same context, a Russian official said that Moscow was aware that the United States of America had taken the missile system, pointing out that seizing it would have a limited intelligence value, as he put it.
It is worth noting that the Libyan Air Force destroyed more than 9 Pantsir systems during the campaign to defend the capital from the aggression of Haftar’s militias.
