On June 18, 2024, Italian law enforcement conducted a significant seizure of weapons stored in containers unloaded from the ship Msc Arina at the port of Gioia Tauro. The news, released on June 24, specified that the illegal cargo is valued at several million euros. Initial reports suggest this is the culmination of an international operation led by the United States as part of investigations into the relations between Russia and its Libyan ally, Khalifa Haftar. According to U.S. sources, the weapons were destined for Benghazi, a city controlled by the Libyan leader, which is also considered a gateway for large quantities of weapons and Russian militants.
The United Nations has long declared the shipment of weapons to Libya illegal, where a civil war has been ongoing for years between the Libyan National Army, led by Haftar and supported by Russia, and the Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj. The latter is recognized by the UN and primarily supported by Turkey and Qatar. U.S. sources suspect that the Russians aim to establish a base in Tobruk, a city controlled by Haftar, and are thus monitoring traffic to eastern and southern Libya. The sources did not disclose the types of weapons found in the containers.
The container ship Msc Arina was not implicated in the investigation and was therefore allowed to continue its voyage, which began on April 30, 2024, at the port of Yantian in southern China. After stopping in Singapore, the ship entered the Mediterranean via Gibraltar, avoiding the Suez Canal. Before Gioia Tauro, it made stops in Valencia and Barcelona.
