Yeah, they were 450 miles away at the Naval Air Station on Sicily at Sigonella. And it would have taken 20min for an F-18 to rush there and induce baddy-scattering sonic booms.
It’s a very, very well-known and easy tactic.
Sigonella is closer to Bengazi than Tripoli.
I had to go to Sigonella once to fix a plane that had diverted there. My ship (JFK) also lost its anchor there.