 Following the defeat of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and the rebel victory in October 2011, the no fly zone was lifted and two grounded Jamahiriya air force Mirage F-1ED that had been based in Malta after their pilots refused orders to bomb the opposition during the civil war, were then given permission to return to Libya.The jets were finally returned to Libya on 21 February 2012, exactly a year to the day after they defected.One of these Mirage F-1ED fighter jets, serial number 502, reportedly crashed on 12 April 2012, killing its pilot, but that crash remained unconfirmed—this accident was proven to be false news in 2013, when both of those Mirage F-1ED fighter jets flew over Benghazi on the anniversary of the uprising.