Egypt, U.A.E. Strike in Libya, Ignore U.S.

New developments in Libya show that the country is on the verge of another crisis. The most recent round of fighting erupted after Islamist parties lost the elections last month. After the loss, they raised up a group of militias that calls itself “Operation Dawn.” Over the past several weeks, this militia has taken over parts of Libya, including sections of the capital and the international airport. Yet, despite the violent turn of events in Libya, this isn’t the biggest part of the story.

In the past eight days, two airstrikes targeted at Islamist militias were carried out. The bombings took place around the capital city of Tripoli, killing 20 people and destroying a weapons depot as well as other Islamist assets. The strikes were long-range operations that required coordination between multiple countries and even aerial refueling in order to reach the intended targets. Today’s episode explains the real significance behind these seemingly small airstrikes.