The deputy of the Libyan army commander met with Netanyahu during his visit to the UAE - report
However, i24NEWS can confirm there was no such meeting between Libya’s Saddam Haftar and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the UAE
The deputy of the commander of the Libyan army met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the United Arab Emirates, according to a report on Tuesday in the Italian newspaper "Il Foglio." According to the report, this refers to Saddam Haftar, the son of Khalifa Haftar, commander of the "Libyan National Army" and the de facto ruler of eastern and southern Libya.
The source of the report is Mohammed Buisier, a former political adviser to Khalifa Haftar, who claimed that Saddam met with Netanyahu in order to secure political support for his candidacy for the presidency of Libya.
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An additional detail accompanies the report: according to FlightRadar data, a Libyan government plane landed in Abu Dhabi shortly after Netanyahu's plane, during his visit to the United Arab Emirates.
However, despite the report, according to information obtained by i24NEWS, there was no such meeting between Libya’s Saddam Haftar and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the UAE.
According to "Il Foglio," Saddam Haftar has held secret contacts with Israeli officials. In 2021, the newspaper "Haaretz" tracked one of his planes at Ben Gurion Airport, where, according to reports at the time, he was supposed to meet with Mossad officials. In October of that year, "Israel Hayom" reported on an agreement between the Haftar family and an Israeli lobbying and communications firm, brokered by the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Italian report, Saddam Haftar has recently been trying to strengthen his position with American and international entities. According to the newspaper, he is being assisted by the American consulting firm "Ballard Partners" and is promoting channels with senior officials in the American administration.
According to sources quoted by "Il Foglio," Haftar is expected to meet with US Vice President JD Vance in Washington, after having met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the US in June.
The newspaper notes that Haftar's goal is to establish himself as a leader with international connections and to gain political support ahead of his aspiration to lead a united Libya.