Eastern Libyan parliament calls for Egypt ‘to directly intervene’ in conflict

Libya’s eastern-based parliament has asked Egypt to directly intervene in the country’s civil war to counter Turkish support for the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

In a statement issued late on Monday, the House of Representatives based in the eastern port of Tobruk said Egyptian backing was needed to stave off “a Turkish invasion and occupation,” Reuters reports.

The country’s battle lines solidified earlier this month near the city of Sirte, after the GNA, based in the capital Tripoli, and Turkey drove the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) back from a yearlong assault on Tripoli.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has already warned the army might enter Libya if the GNA and its Turkish allies renew an assault on Sirte. The central coastal city is seen as the gateway to Libya’s main oil export terminals.