Israeli media deny Netanyahu–Haftar meeting as Libya unity talks advance

Israeli media outlets, including i24NEWS and Maariv, have reported, citing Israeli sources, that no meeting took place between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar during Netanyahu's recent visit to Abu Dhabi.

The report had originated in the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, which claimed on 29 September that Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of eastern Libya's Libyan National Army and son of commander Khalifa Haftar, held a secret meeting with the Israeli prime minister in the UAE capital. The claim rested largely on flight-tracking data showing an aircraft routinely used by Saddam Haftar landing at Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen airport roughly 20 minutes after Netanyahu's arrival, coincidental timing that fuelled speculation, but which falls well short of confirmation. Israel, Libya and the UAE have never officially acknowledged such an encounter, and i24NEWS says its own reporting found no evidence a meeting occurred.

The Libya track

Whatever Saddam Haftar's purpose in Abu Dhabi, his presence formed part of a far more consequential development: the most serious direct dialogue between eastern and western Libya in years. During his visit, he met Abdul Salam Al-Zoubi, Deputy Minister of Defence in the Government of National Unity, a meeting within an east–west dialogue aimed at bridging the country's political and institutional divisions.

The contacts feed into a broader push led by Massad Boulos, the U.S. President's Senior Adviser for Arab and African Affairs, with support from the United Nations and international partners. Speaking on the sidelines of last week's UN General Assembly, where he co-hosted a Libya-focused event alongside Turkey's Foreign Minister and the UN Special Representative, Boulos pointed to progress on a unified budget, security coordination and aUN-facilitated electoral framework. Washington secured the first unified Libyan budget between east and west in more than 13 years in April.

Against this backdrop, the American efforts deserve particular recognition for the determined and constructive role they have played in advancing the political process, bringing Libya’s eastern and western sides into meaningful dialogue after years of division and fragmentation, and building genuine momentum towards the reunification of state institutions and the formation of a unified government. The United States should be commended for its sustained commitment to supporting Libya on this path towards unity, stability and lasting political progress.

The momentum is real, but fragile. It is at precisely this delicate stage that unverified narratives, such as the alleged Netanyahu meeting, risk stirring tensions between the parties and complicating months of careful mediation. It is also difficult to ignore a recurring pattern: just as meaningful steps towards bridging Libya’s east–west divide appearwithin reach, unsubstantiated claims and speculative media reports tend to surface. Notably, such reports have repeatedly centred on Libya’s eastern leadership. Earlier this year, for example, reports emerged suggesting that discussions had taken place during a Libyan delegation’s visit to Washington over an arrangement for Libya to receive migrants deported from the United States. Those claims were subsequently rejected as false by Libyan officials and contradicted by subsequent statements from U.S. officials, with both sides denying that such an arrangement had formed part of the delegation’s discussions. Such reporting introduces fresh uncertainty and threatens to distract from the wider process of national reconciliation.

Current efforts therefore remain focused on protecting the momentum already built: narrowing remaining differences, unifying state institutions, and creating the conditions for the presidential and parliamentary elections Libyans have awaited for over a decade.

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