Libya | Reports of a New Turkish Military Base Being Built Near the Egyptian Border

European media reports, citing local sources, say Turkish companies have begun building a new military facility in eastern Libya, near the Jaghbub area and an estimated 23 kilometres from the Egyptian border, a development that raises questions about the scope of Turkey’s military presence and its impact on the security balance in the region.

According to the reports, the project includes a runway about 3.6 kilometres long, enough to receive heavy military transport aircraft, as well as aircraft parking aprons: work on three of them has been completed, while a fourth is still under construction.

Satellite images, according to the same sources, show that construction began in June 2025 and picked up markedly in recent months, with work still under way as of 24 October 2026.

Egyptian calculations and security concerns

According to the reports, the project has drawn attention and concern in Cairo, given how close the facility is to the Egyptian border, the possibility that it could later be used for military or logistics missions, and what that could mean for Egypt’s security calculations along the border.

This comes as Egypt and Libya remain at odds over the delimitation of maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly since Libya’s House of Representatives ratified the maritime agreement signed in 2019 between the Tripoli government and Turkey.

A strategic reading

If its military nature and intended uses are confirmed, the project carries implications that go beyond the construction of a new air facility: it ties into eastern Libya’s place in the regional security equation, and into Turkish influence and Egypt’s balances in the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa.