This archive report was first published on 21 November 2019.
On November 21, 2019, forces loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar claimed to have shot down an Italian drone in western Libya, sparking a diplomatic row.
According to Haftar's spokesman, Ahmad al-Mesmari, the drone was shot down with an anti-aircraft missile north of Tarhouna, the rear base of Haftar's forces southeast of Tripoli.
"We shot down the Italian drone with an anti-aircraft missile, north of Tarhouna," Mesmari said.
However, Italy's ministry of defence disputed this claim, stating that the drone "crashed on Libyan territory while carrying out a mission" to ensure the safety of oil platforms and fishermen off Libya.
"An investigation is under way to determine the causes of the incident," Rome said in a brief statement, adding that "the flight plan was previously communicated to the Libyan authorities".
The incident comes days after the UN's Libya envoy, Ghassan Salame, pleaded with foreign actors to honour an arms embargo, citing the growing use of drone strikes and mercenaries in the conflict.
Libya has been mired in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
