Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met earlier this week with Saddam Haftar, the son of a general who controls eastern Libya, the Italian newspaper Il Foglio reported Tuesday.
According to the report, the meeting took place in Abu Dhabi during Netanyahu’s visit with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed.
Haaretz reported that during the meeting, Netanyahu asked the president to deny that he had personally warned him before the October 7 massacre.
Related Articles
Saddam Haftar serves as deputy commander of the Libyan National Army controlled by his father, Khalifa Haftar.
A former adviser to Khalifa Haftar wrote on X that “Saddam met with Netanyahu to gain political support for his candidacy for the Libyan presidency.” According to Il Foglio, Haftar’s plane landed in Abu Dhabi 20 minutes after Netanyahu’s arrival. Sources who spoke with the newspaper said he “wants to establish his status as an irreplaceable leader.”
As part of that effort, Haftar hired an American consulting firm last March and is expected to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Washington.
According to Il Foglio, Haftar met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in June. These developments come amid a struggle between a close associate of Haftar and the son of the Tripoli prime minister over control of Libya’s Waha oil company.
Il Foglio reported that the Haftar family is trying to regain control of the company through the mediation of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former partner of U.S. President Donald Trump’s eldest son.