Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan rebel leader Khalifa Haftar, visited Israel, claims Israeli newspaper

Tel Aviv: – Last week, Saddam Haftar, the son of General Khalifa Haftar, who has rebelled against Libya’s hard-line regime, visited Israel. An Israeli newspaper reported that Saddam visited Israel with a special message from General Khalifa, the leader of the Libyan rebels. Israeli newspaper claimed that Saddam sought military and political assistance from Israel for a rapprochement with Israel.

Moreover, Libya’s Prime Minister Sarraj and rebel military officer General Haftar have been at loggerheads for the past year. The capital, Tripoli, was controlled by Sarraj. General Khalifa Haftar has taken control of eastern Libya. Haftar had declared Benghazi as his capital. But a few weeks ago, a ceasefire was reached between the Libyan government and the rebels, and the presidential election is scheduled to be held in December.

Against the background of this election, General Khalifa Haftar is trying to gain political and military support. Last week, Saddam visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a message from Khalifa Haftar. The Israeli newspaper reported that Saddam’s private plane landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on his way back to Libya.

The plane was at the Israeli airport for at least 90 minutes. The newspaper did not clarify as to whom Haftar met this time. But Israeli newspapers have speculated that Saddam Haftar and officials linked to the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, may have discussed the issue.

The Israeli newspaper claimed that General Khalifa Haftar was ready to sign the Abraham agreement with Israel if he came to power in Libya. Earlier, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco signed the Abraham Agreement with Israel. If Libya participates in this, the Israeli front with Arab African countries will become stronger.

General Khalifa Haftar is known as one of the most powerful and influential leaders in Libya. Although Prime Minister Faiz Sarraj rules Libya, Khalifa Haftar is claimed to be a more popular leader. The Sarraj government, supported by the Biden administration in the United States, Turkey and the United Nations, has been accused of being extremist. In contrast, Khalifa Haftar’s government is considered inclusive and anti-fundamentalist. France, Russia, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan have all declared support to Khalifa Haftar.