Libyan No Fly Zone – First Engagement By French Fighter Against GROUND Target.
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| French Air Force Rafale F1m Fighter likely involved in the opening NFZ engagement. |
1:33 pm (EDST). CNN has just reported (confirmed at approx. 1:40 pm EDST), as of this writing) that a French Air Force fighter engaged a “military vehicle” in Libya, apparently the first engagement under March 17th’s U.N. Resolution 1973. [JUST REPORTED,1:48 pm (EDST), CNN, the vehicle was a Libyan tank.] The resolution authorizes establishment of “a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians. . . [and] to take all necessary measures to enforce compliance with the ban on flights ”
The interesting and provocative aspect of this engagement is its apparent French Rafale fighter attack on a “military vehicle,” apparently a tank. Does this indicate a variance, intentional or incidental, from the wording of Resolution 1973, which outlines a no fly zone?
If not a tank, as just reported by CNN, a Libyan “military vehicle,” however, may be tasked with air surveillance, or directly in air defense, and, in that case, armed with military ordnance related to air defense. Also, a “military vehicle” may be used in air defense supply. If so, in these cases, ground vehicle would be directly within the terms of the resolution.
If the attack was against a Libyan tank, as confirmed, and if that tank were not involved in air-related defense, it would appear to go beyond the plain words of Resolution 1973. However, the clauses “in order to help protect civilians,” “to take all necessary measures to enforce compliance with the ban on flights,” and to “protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack” provide a clear path to ratify the attack on a ground target.. The resolution, in particular, names Benghazi, the rebel stronghold in the east of the country. In a legal sense, the resolution is broad enough to validate such an attack on a Libyan tank in operation around Benghazi (as this tank was).
A no fly zone, in general, requires “scrubbing” or “sanitizing” of the battle theater, and that necessarily requires the surveillance and probable destruction of air-to-air defense assets such as targeting facilities, electronic support systems, mobile air defense and supply – basically anything that supports Libyan air operations, offensive and defensive. This fact also emphasizes the full military impact of a no fly zone. This operation against Qaddafi and his forces will likely have very extensive consequences for Libya, of course, an also for the credibility of the U.N., the safety of the region, the no fly zone partners, and its effect on uprisings across the Middle East.
