Powerful son of Libyan strongman rumored to have met Netanyahu in Abu Dhabi

The plane of the deputy commander of the faction controlling eastern Libya landed in Abu Dhabi some 20 minutes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his entourage touched down on Sunday, fueling speculation of a covert meeting between the two.

Netanyahu flew secretly to the UAE with senior advisers to meet with Emirati President Mohamed Bin Zayed.

A short time later, according to flight data, a private Airbus jet with registration number P4-KH5I9 landed as well. According to the Italian Il Foglio daily, the jet is regularly used by Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya.

The outlet cites Mohamed Buisier, an erstwhile Haftar adviser who broke with the warlord, claiming that “Saddam met Netanyahu to secure political support for his bid for the Libyan presidency.”

A US-backed power-sharing deal meant to unify Libya, which is split between Khalifa Haftar’s strongman rule and opposing forces based in Tripoli, would have Saddam installed as Libya’s president.

The elder Haftar, who launched an offensive aimed at capturing Tripoli in 2019, has been backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, while the Tripoli-based militias opposed to his rule have been aided by Qatar, Italy and Turkey.

The younger Haftar has been reported to have held meetings with Israeli officials in the past. In 2021, he reportedly landed in Israel for a secret meeting in which he offered to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries in return for Israeli support, according to Haaretz.

According to Israel Hayom, one of Haftar’s sons signed a contract in 2021 with an Israeli PR firm registered in the UAE ahead of since-delayed presidential elections.