In early 1986 the US 6th Fleet became involved in skirmishes with Libyan patrol boats in the Gulf of Sidra, where Col Qaddafi had claimed as Libya's territorial waters despite being outside the 12-mile limit under international law, and drawing a 'Line of Death' over which any intruders would be destroyed. As part of this low-intensity naval conflict, Libyan gunboats at 1 point launched air-to-surface missiles at US radio listening posts on the Italian islands of Lipari and Lampedusa, resulting in IIRC some damage but no casualties due to there being no personnel present at the time. I read in an article from 1 international law journal a few yrs back (I believe it was from the WISCONSIN J INT'L LAW) that had these Libyan missiles struck these US installations and caused death or injury to personnel, then NATO could've become involved under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, where an attack on 1 NATO member-state is viewed as an attack on all, and the alliance invokes the right to take all necessary military measures in collective self-defence (as was the case with the North Atlantic Council's declaration of support for the US immediately after Sept 11th- the 1st and only time in hist Art. 5 of the NATO Charter has ever been invoked).
So, what would've happened had NATO become involved in the Gulf of Sidra incident ? Could the alliance have been influenced by Reagan admin demands to undertake even greater military measures against Qaddafi, up to and including an amphib assault on Tripoli ? What about sustained bombing campaigns such as an earlier and upgraded version of OTL's April 1986 Op PRAIRIE FIRE (the bombing of Tripoli by US F-111s based in the UK and carrier assets from the AMERICA and CORAL SEA battlegroups in retaliation for the bombing of a West Berlin disco frequented by US servicemen) ? How would the balance of power in the Med and Mideast have been affected by NATO's active military involvement against a socialist Arab country ? Would Qaddafi have attempted to retaliate with even more terrorist attacks ?
So, what would've happened had NATO become involved in the Gulf of Sidra incident ? Could the alliance have been influenced by Reagan admin demands to undertake even greater military measures against Qaddafi, up to and including an amphib assault on Tripoli ? What about sustained bombing campaigns such as an earlier and upgraded version of OTL's April 1986 Op PRAIRIE FIRE (the bombing of Tripoli by US F-111s based in the UK and carrier assets from the AMERICA and CORAL SEA battlegroups in retaliation for the bombing of a West Berlin disco frequented by US servicemen) ? How would the balance of power in the Med and Mideast have been affected by NATO's active military involvement against a socialist Arab country ? Would Qaddafi have attempted to retaliate with even more terrorist attacks ?
