Netanyahu met with son of Libyan strongman – report

Netanyahu reportedly met with a senior Libyan military officer in Abu Dhabi, as regime in eastern Libya attempts to open dialogue with the US.

By World Israel News Staff

Saddam Haftar, the increasingly powerful son of eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, is attempting to build relationships with senior Israeli and American figures as he seeks international backing for a larger role in Libya’s political future, according to a report by Italian newspaper Il Foglio.

The effort reportedly included a previously undisclosed meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Abu Dhabi over the weekend and plans for talks with US Vice President JD Vance, while Haftar’s camp is also said to be seeking a channel to US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Netanyahu traveled secretly to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE publicly confirmed the visit the following day, saying the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them.
But Netanyahu was not the only regional figure whose movements attracted attention that day.

Open-source flight trackers recorded an Airbus A319 with the registration P4-KH5I9 arriving in Abu Dhabi shortly after the plane carrying Netanyahu.

The aircraft has previously been used by Saddam Haftar, including for international travel on behalf of eastern Libya’s leadership.

Il Foglio reported that Haftar himself was aboard the aircraft and met Netanyahu during the visit. The newspaper cited Mohamed Buisier, a former political adviser to Khalifa Haftar, as saying the overlapping flights were not coincidental.

“Saddam met Netanyahu to secure political support for his bid for the Libyan presidency,” Buisier wrote on X.

Neither Netanyahu’s office, the UAE, nor Haftar’s representatives have publicly confirmed that such a meeting took place.

Flight records establish that the Haftar-linked aircraft arrived in Abu Dhabi close to Netanyahu’s arrival, but do not by themselves establish who was aboard or whether the two men met.

This is not the first time Haftar is said to have traveled abroad to meet with Israeli leaders.

In November 2021, Saddam Haftar reportedly flew to Ben Gurion Airport for a secret visit during which he carried a message from his father offering future diplomatic relations between Libya and Israel in exchange for Israeli military and diplomatic support.

His aircraft reportedly remained in Israel for roughly 90 minutes before departing.

Israeli reporting that same year also revealed that an Israeli political consulting firm had been hired to advise the Haftar camp ahead of Libya’s planned presidential election.

The latest outreach comes as Saddam Haftar attempts to position himself as a central player in US efforts to reunify Libya after more than a decade of political and military division.

President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, has spent much of the past year advancing a plan intended to bring Libya’s competing eastern and western institutions under a common political framework.

Reports about the proposal have said it could leave Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah in office while elevating Saddam Haftar to a senior national leadership position.

Boulos has rejected claims that Washington is attempting to entrench Libya’s dominant political families.

“It’s not a dictatorship in any way,” he said earlier this month. “This is not about one person. It’s going to be an absolute partnership.”

Haftar has simultaneously been cultivating relationships directly in Washington.In March, Ballard Partners, the politically connected US lobbying and consulting firm, signed a $2 million agreement to represent the eastern Libyan military leadership.

The firm agreed to provide government-relations services, strategic advice and assistance engaging American officials.
That effort has already produced high-level access.

Haftar traveled to Washington in June and met Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The State Department said they discussed “ongoing Libyan-led efforts to unify the country’s military, economic, and political institutions” and possible cooperation aimed at advancing Libyan unity.

“The United States will remain at the forefront of diplomatic efforts to support Libyan unity and create the conditions for a democratically-elected government able to lead Libya forward,” the department said following the meeting.

Il Foglio now reports that Haftar is preparing for an even higher-level Washington meeting with Vance.

“He wants to establish himself as an indispensable leader,” sources familiar with the effort told the Italian newspaper.

The diplomatic campaign comes as Haftar faces new allegations emanating from Libya’s rival western government.

Il Foglio reported last week that Dbeibah told political and tribal leaders in Misrata that his government had uncovered a network responsible for attacks on oil infrastructure and political and military targets in western Libya and accused Saddam Haftar of directing it.

Abu DhabiBenjamin NetanyahuJD VanceLibya