Army Recognition Group
On May 26, 2025, the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, held a military parade in Benghazi to commemorate the 11th anniversary of Operation Al-Karama. The event took place at a newly established military compound and included the public appearance of several assets that had not previously been seen in the country, including the Russian-made Tor-M2 short-range air defense missile system. The deployment of this system represents the first confirmed appearance of the Tor-M2 in Libya and drew immediate attention due to the open defiance of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970, which has prohibited all arms exports to Libya since 2011.
While the Tor-M2 dominated the attention of observers, the LNA also exhibited various other assets during the parade. These included over 120 Russian-made VPK Spartak mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, a range of new Kamaz and Ural military trucks, and a selection of UAVs of Chinese origin, such as the Olitation VT370, QP537 VTOL, and SATUAV V15. Additionally, agricultural drones adapted for surveillance were seen. Artillery systems such as the BM-30 Smerch or Tornado-S were also displayed, along with legacy ballistic systems like the Scud-B and Luna-M. Legacy equipment from the Gaddafi era was also prominently featured. This included T-55 and T-72 tanks that had been retrofitted with anti-drone cage armor.
