Jet Crash Carrying Libya's Top General Triggers Airspace Shutdown Over NATO Capital
A Falcon 50 jet carrying Libya's army chief of staff Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad and four others lost contact about 30 minutes after takeoff from Esenboga International Airport in Ankara on December 23, 2025. The aircraft, tail number 9H-DFJ, departed at 8:10 p.m. local time bound for Tripoli, with contact lost at 8:52 p.m. Ankara's airspace was temporarily closed, with commercial flights diverted and search-and-rescue teams deployed near Haymana, approximately 75 km south of Ankara.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah confirmed Al-Haddad's death and expressed mourning. Al-Haddad was accompanied by other military officials on the flight. He had just completed an official visit to Ankara where he met Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Turkish Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, highlighting deepening defense ties between Libya and Turkey.
Turkish officials have not released an official cause of the crash. No evidence of sabotage or hostile fire has been reported, and an investigation is ongoing. The Libyan government involved is the UN-recognized Government of National Unity.
