President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi denied on Sunday that the Egyptian armed forces are involved in any military operation in Libya, official news agency MENA reported.
“We didn’t take part in any military act outside our borders so far,” Sisi said during his meeting with the state newspapers editors-in-chief.
The Islamists in Libya have claimed that Egypt along with the United Arab Emirates were behind the recent air strikes on their bases around Tripoli airport on Friday night that killed 11 fighters.
Sisi said there is no aircraft or Egyptian forces in Libya, and no Egyptian warplanes has raided Tripoli and all our forces are inside our lands.
Egypt is concerned with the safety and security of its neighboring countries, Sisi said, adding that Egypt makes consultations with Algeria and Tunisia in particular to clinch a political framework that prompts stability in Libya.
Earlier on Sunday, Egyptian foreign ministry also denied any role in air strikes on positions controlled by Islamist militants in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
“Egypt clearly denies press reports circulating that Egyptian warplanes raided positions held by armed Islamist militia in Libyan capital,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The press reports are inaccurate and baseless,” the statement said, adding that “Egypt is closely following the recent developments of the security and political conditions in Libya and hopes forming national government swiftly in a way that could builds the Libyan country and preserves unity and safety of its lands.”
The Islamist armed groups were under sporadic air strikes since the past week, but the identities of the warplanes were still a mystery. Libya’s Air Staff said in a statement on Monday that it had received evidence showing that the air strikes were launched by foreign warplanes.
Though Egypt is threatened at its western border via infiltration of huge amount of weapons and Islamists militia inside the country, it denied in several occasions any plans to take part in an armed raid in Libya.
But for its large community, nearly 1.6 million, in Libya, Egypt has started since the beginning of August to evacuate thousands of its nationals stuck at the Tunisian borders with Libya.
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