⚡️🇱🇾🇮🇱🇦🇪 — According to a Tuesday report by Italy’s Il Foglio, cited by several outlets, Saddam Haftar, son of Khalifa Haftar, commander of the “Libyan National Army” and de facto ruler of eastern and southern Libya, met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE. Former Haftar political adviser Mohammed Buisier claimed the meeting was aimed at securing political backing for Saddam’s prospective bid for Libya’s presidency. The report also cited FlightRadar data showing a Libyan government aircraft landing in Abu Dhabi shortly after Netanyahu’s aircraft. However, i24NEWS, citing information it obtained, reported that no such meeting took place.

➡️ Il Foglio further reported that Saddam Haftar has maintained secret contacts with Israeli officials: Haaretz reported in 2021 that one of his aircraft was tracked at Ben Gurion Airport, where he was reportedly expected to meet Mossad officials, while Israel Hayom reported that year on an UAE-brokered agreement between the Haftar family and an Israeli lobbying and communications firm.

Saddam has reportedly sought to strengthen his position with U.S. and international actors, assisted by Ballard Partners and pursuing contacts with senior U.S. officials; according to sources cited by the newspaper, he is expected to meet Vice President JD Vance in Washington after meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio in June. The newspaper characterized these efforts as aimed at building international backing ahead of his aspiration to lead a unified Libya.

⭐️ Follow @MaxOsintIntel