The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar, continues to draw closer to Turkey, even as Ankara has historically backed the rival Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU). This pragmatic shift, visible since 2023 and accelerating in 2025, includes high-level contacts and reports of the LNA acquiring Turkish-made UAVs.
For Ankara, the LNA and its eastern political backers—the House of Representatives and Government of National Stability—are viewed as more predictable partners amid the GNU’s ongoing fragmentation and militia rivalries. This engagement also allows Turkey to hedge against expanding Russian and UAE influence in eastern Libya.
Crucially, maintaining channels with both camps helps safeguard the 2019 maritime MoU, which underpins Turkey’s ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine and maximalist claims in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
