U.S. eyes on potential Russian movements in Libya

While the Russian fleet remains anchored off the coast of Tartus and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria continues, a second hypothesis emerges regarding a potential destination for the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean if Syria were to be abandoned.

If the first option is Tobruk (which, however, lacks the necessary infrastructure to support Russian ships), another possibility arises: Benghazi. The capital of Cyrenaica offers a well-equipped port capable of hosting Russian vessels, and the region also has airports that could ensure supplies from the homeland.

Just a few days ago, several Russian Il-76 aircraft made a stop at an airbase near Benghazi, previously used to supply Russian troops (officially labeled as ex-Wagner mercenaries) present in Libya.

Against this backdrop, a SIGINT mission was carried out last night off the coast of Benghazi (and perhaps elsewhere, though there is no confirmation) by a US Navy Northrop Grumman MQ-4C drone (reg. 169660 – c/s BLACKCAT5) that departed from NAS Sigonella. The drone conducted its mission over the Cyrenaican capital within international airspace. This operation complements another recent mission conducted off the Libyan coast by a US Army Bombardier ARTEMIS aircraft (reg. N488CR – c/s BRIO68), which has been performing similar operations for days, departing from Romania.

The United States is closely monitoring Libya to determine if and how Russia intends to expand its presence in the region.