Libyan National Army

Libyan Arab Armed Forces
Libyan Arab Armed Forces
القوات المسلحة العربية الليبية
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Also known as	Libyan Arab Armed Forces; Libyan Arab Army; Libyan National Army; Haftar Armed Forces
Supreme Commander	Khalifa Haftar
Deputy Supreme Commander	Saddam Haftar
Chief of General Staff	Khalid Haftar
Chief of Staff of Ground Forces	Saddam Haftar
Dates of operation	2011–present
Allegiance	Government of National Stability (currently)
Headquarters	Ar Rajma, Libya
Active regions	Eastern, central and southern Libya
Ideology	Arab nationalism; Secularism; Nasserism; Militarism; Anti-imperialism; Factions:; Salafism; Gaddafism
Size	25,000 (2018); 85,000+ (2020)
Allies	State allies:; Egypt; United Arab Emirates; Syria (until 2024); Saudi Arabia; Russia; United States; United Kingdom; Non-state allies:; Rapid Support Forces; Southern Transitional Council; Wagner Group; Hezbollah (allegedly, denied by LNA)
Opponents	State opponents:; Government of National Accord; Government of National Unity (since 2022); Turkey (sometimes); Qatar; Ukraine; Non-state opponents:; Syrian National Army; Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries; Islamic State; Muslim Brotherhood; Hamas
Wars	List Factional violence in Libya 2012 Kufra conflict; 2012 Sabha conflict; Siege of Bani Walid; 2013 Benghazi conflict; ; Second Libyan Civil War Battle of Benghazi (2014); Battle of Benina Airport; Battle of Benghazi (2014–2017); Siege of Derna (2016–2019); Derna campaign (2014–2016); 2015 Egyptian airstrikes; Battle of Traghan; Gulf of Sidra Offensive (2017); Gulf of Sidra Offensive (2018); Southern Libya offensive Battle of Sabha (2019); 2019 Murzuq airstrike; ; Western Libya campaign 2019 Misrata airstrike; 2019 Zuwarah airstrike; Battle of Sirte (2020); ; Central Libya offensive 2020 Al-Watiya airstrike; ; ; 2022 Tripoli clashes ; Sudanese civil war (2023–present) Battle of Gabal El Uweinat; ;
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The Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF; Arabic: القوات المسلحة العربية الليبية, romanized: al-Qūwāt al-Musallaḥah al-ʻArabīyah al-Lībīyah), also known as the Libyan Arab Army (LAA; Arabic: الجيش العربي الليبي, al-Jaysh al-'Arabiyy al-Lībii) or the Libyan National Army (LNA; Arabic: الجيش الوطني الليبي, al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii), are the armed forces of the Libyan faction led by Khalifa Haftar. They were, nominally, a unified national force under the command of Haftar when he was nominated to the role on 2 March 2015 by the House of Representatives, consisting at the time of a ground force, an air force and a navy.

In 2014, LNA launched Operation Dignity, a military campaign against the General National Congress and armed militias and Islamist militant organizations. When the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) was established in Tripoli, part of the Libyan military forces were named the Libyan Army to contrast with the other part that retained the LNA identity. In the Second Libyan Civil War, the LNA was loyal to that part of the Libyan House of Representatives that met in Tobruk, internationally recognised until October 2015. It fights against the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, as well as Islamic State in Libya which was a common enemy for both LNA and the Libyan Army.

About half of the LNA consists of militias including Madkhali (Salafist) militias and Sudanese, Chadian and Russian mercenaries, which together constitute part of the LNA's effective forces. The LNA possesses its own air force. Most of the Libyan Navy is loyal to the GNA.

Interventions in the political system by the LNA include the late 2016 replacement of nine elected municipal councils out of a total of 27, replacing elected mayors by mostly military individuals and, according to witnesses cited by The Independent, the 17 July 2019 abduction of House of Representatives member Seham Sergiwa at her home in Benghazi by the 106th Brigade. The LNA stated that it was not responsible for the Sergiwa abduction.