The Libyan National Army said that its naval boat seized a Turkish ship and towed it to the Ras al-Hilal port for inspection, Al Arabiya reported.
The latest development happened, hours after the Turkish parliament approved a security and military cooperation deal with Libya.
Ankara signed the agreement with the UN-recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) just weeks after concluding a controversial deal on maritime jurisdiction.
The ship, registered in Grenada, was manned by a Turkish crew.
The Turkish ship was taken to the port of Ras al-Hilal near the eastern city of Derna “to search and verify its cargo,” Ahmed al-Mesmari, the spokesman for Haftar’s forces, said in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara is ready to send troops into Libya if requested by Tripoli. Ankara supports the GNA led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
The latest Turkey-Libya memorandum of understanding also covers increased cooperation in the fields of intelligence, terrorism, the defense industry and migration.
Haftar had in June threatened to attack Turkish interests in Libya, accusing Ankara of backing its rivals. Haftar’s Libyan army had warned Turkish ships against approaching the Libyan coast and threatened to sink them.
- With AFP
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