This week, the Government of National Unity (GNU) launched a series of drone attacks against the western coastal cities as part of an anti-people smuggling campaign.
On 29 July before midnight, a combat drone attacked at least one facility in Sabratha, which is allegedly used for manufacturing boats for human trafficking gangs and for the storage of narcotics. According to the GNU, the drone involved was a Turkish manufactured Bayraktar Akıncı operated by the GNU´s Libyan Air Force. The drones struck a converted farm in the Wadi al-Aki area with ‘surgical precision’, causing no collateral damage.
One of the smugglers was injured and taken to a clinic.
On 30 July, the GNU Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced plans for precision air strikes against groups involved in human smuggling and drug trafficking, who pose a threat to public security, as part of comprehensive military operations. It warned civilians to stay away from suspected hideouts and also warned against providing any kind of support or shelter to these outlaw elements. The statement did not identify specific target locations, but emphasized the priority of public safety and called on the population to cooperate with security forces as a ‘national duty’.
On 31 July, drone strikes targeted human smuggling networks in Sabratha and Zuwara, hitting boat factories linked to migrant trafficking operations. MoD Undersecretary Abdussalam Zoubi described the strikes as part of a broader campaign to dismantle criminal gangs involved in smuggling people to Europe. The operations reflect the government´s zero-tolerance stance on trafficking. He emphasized that no civilians were harmed.
On 1 August, a Turkish manufactured missile hit a house in a residential area in Zawiyya. Allegedly, a boat manufacturing facility is located nearby the house. On the same day, Al Bara’im Camp, a base of the Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) west of Sabratha, was hit by a drone strike.
In a strongly worded joint statement addressed to the Turkish ambassador in Libya and to the Turkish government, 42 municipalities from western Libya and the Western Mountains region condemned ‘the direct bombardment of our cities by Turkish drones’. The attacks were labeled a clear violation of national sovereignty and a direct threat to the safety of civilians. The municipalities called for an immediate halt to military support for ‘armed groups that threaten Libya’s security and stability’.
On 2 August after midnight, at least two targets were attacked by combat drones in Surman, at least three more in Sabratha. Allegedly, the targets were boat manufacturing facilities and repair shops.
On the same day, the National Council for Freedoms and Human Rights reported that one drone strike targeted a family home in Zawiyya under the pretext of combating migrant smuggling, resulting in injuries and severe damage. Local media also showed footage of a damaged jet ski repair shop in Sabratha, whose owner denied any ties to smuggling.
On 3 August, fuel storage sites between al-Jamil and Zuwara were attacked and set on fire by combat drones.