The rhetoric on both sides of Operation Dignity intensified on 15 June, when Haftar said that all “terrorists” coming to Libya should leave now or “die here.” In turn, the Grand Mufti called for “revolutionaries” to wage jihad against Haftar and his followers. Fighting continued on 15 June, when Haftar-aligned forces attacked a compound in Gar Younis, Benghazi. More intense fighting was seen in Sidi Faraj, Hawari, and Al-Guwarsha, where damage to power lines has caused power outages in the area and 50 persons were killed. A power plant was also damaged, leaving the city without electricity for nearly 10 hours. Attacks continued on 16 June, leaving the city virtually deserted and the Benghazi airport closed.
Over the past weeks, Haftar’s forces have observed that Ansar al-Sharia resupplies itself from Islamist-controlled ports or ports in areas with a high proportion of Islamist supporters with Derna as the jihadists key base and port. On 20 June, two trawlers were bombed in Derna’s port with the Libya Herald reporting that only one of them was hit and the ammunition it was carrying exploded. The Herald said that the ships had originally come from Misrata, which would demonstrate the support of Misratan militias, and the Muslim Brotherhood for extremist jihadi activity in Libya’s East. On 21 June, Haftar-aligned forces began attacking boats in Benghazi’s old port, which they accused of smuggling weapons to the Islamists.