Libya's top-ranked military officer, Chief of Staff Muhammad Ali Ahmad Al-Haddad, died in a plane crash in Türkiye. Four members of the accompanying military delegation also died. The Libyan government called the crash a national loss and offered official condolences.
On the 24th, according to Türkiye's Interior Ministry and foreign media reports, the aircraft took off from Ankara Esenboga Airport at 8:30 p.m. the previous day. The model was a Falcon 50 business jet made by the Dassault Group of France. About 40 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft lost contact near Haymana, south of Ankara. It sent an emergency landing signal just before the crash but soon disappeared from radar. Local broadcasters released closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing the night sky suddenly lighting up with an explosion.
According to foreign media, Al-Haddad was returning home after meeting with Türkiye Defense Minister Yasar Guler. He is the power broker who leads the western military organization in Libya. In particular, he has played a key role in the United Nations (UN)-mediated effort to unify Libya's military. Libya is currently split between the western Tripoli government and eastern warlord forces, suffering from severe internal strife. Military unification is seen as the most important task to end Libya's civil war.
Libyan authorities are placing weight on the possibility of an airframe defect. They said a technical problem occurred 30 minutes after the flight began, and contact was completely lost. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah shared the sad news on Facebook and called the incident a tragic accident. He stressed that Al-Haddad's death is "a huge loss for Libya." Türkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed, "We found aircraft wreckage near Ankara." Ankara's airport was temporarily closed due to the crash, and several flights diverted.
Experts warned the crash could throw cold water on efforts to stabilize Libya's political situation. Al-Haddad was a symbolic figure trying to unite Libya's divided military. The AP assessed that Al-Haddad had played a decisive role in the UN-mediated effort to integrate the armed forces, which, like Libya's institutions, are split.
Investigative authorities in Türkiye and Libya jointly secured the crash site and launched a probe into the exact cause. So far, there are no signs of terrorism or an external attack. However, given the persistent factional conflict in Libya, political repercussions cannot be ruled out depending on the findings on the cause.