Turkey has warned of grave consequences if Libyan warlord Khalifa Hifter acts on threats to attack Turkish assets in Libya, signaling a further potential escalation in the Libyan conflict. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said in a statement today that Turkey would see “the putschist elements as legitimate targets” if its interests came under attack.

The warning followed threats from Hifter’s air force chief Saqr al-Jaroushi, who said, “All Turkish positions and interests in all cities are legitimate targets for our air force jets and we call on all civilians to stay away from them.”

The mutual chest-pounding came amid reports that several Soviet-era fighter jets had arrived from Russian bases in Syria to the east of the country controlled by the renegade dual-citizen Libyan-American general. “You are about to see the largest aerial campaign in Libyan history in the coming hours," Jaroushi claimed.

Aksoy said it was “noteworthy” that Jaroushi had delivered his threats “after new war planes are deployed in Libya’s east with foreign support.”