NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the military alliance would investigate an incident between Turkish warships and a French naval vessel in the Mediterranean, as France accused Turkey of repeated violations of the UN arms embargo on conflict-torn Libya and branded Ankara an obstacle to securing a ceasefire there.
According to a French defense official, the frigate Courbet was "lit up" three times by Turkish naval targeting radar when it tried to approach a Turkish civilian ship suspected of involvement in arms trafficking. The Courbet backed off after being targeted.
The French vessel was part of NATO's naval operation in the Mediterranean, Sea Guardian, at the time of the June 10 incident.