Unconfirmed reports of a secret meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saddam Haftar in Abu Dhabi are generating fresh speculation about Libya’s political future and the wider strategic contest unfolding across the Mediterranean.
Italian newspaper Il Foglio reported on September 29 that Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the eastern Libyan forces and son of military commander Khalifa Haftar, secretly met Netanyahu during the Israeli prime minister’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Netanyahu’s Abu Dhabi visit is confirmed. Reuters reported that he met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday, while Emirati state media subsequently confirmed the meeting and said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional issues. However, the alleged meeting between Netanyahu and Saddam Haftar has not been independently confirmed by Reuters, the UAE authorities, Israel or Libyan authorities.
According to Il Foglio, Saddam Haftar may have been seeking Israeli political support for a potential bid for Libya’s presidency. The newspaper pointed to flight-tracking information showing an aircraft associated with Saddam Haftar arriving at Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen airport shortly after Netanyahu’s aircraft. The report also cited former Haftar adviser Mohamed Buisier, who alleged that the two men met. These details remain claims rather than independently established facts.
The reported contact would not be entirely without precedent. In November 2021, Israeli media reported that Saddam Haftar’s private aircraft made a brief stop at Ben Gurion Airport while travelling from Dubai to Libya. The Times of Israel, citing Haaretz, reported that he allegedly met Israeli officials and discussed possible diplomatic relations between Libya and Israel in exchange for Israeli political, military and diplomatic support.
If the latest Abu Dhabi meeting is eventually confirmed, it could acquire significance beyond an individual political encounter.
Libya remains divided between competing political and military centres after years of conflict following the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. The country’s political institutions are now attempting another route toward national elections. In June 2026, Libya’s House of Representatives, High Council of State and Presidential Council endorsed a roadmap targeting simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections no later than February 17, 2027. UNSMIL has also been working with Libyan actors to resolve electoral and constitutional issues necessary for the process.
That makes the positioning of powerful domestic and foreign actors particularly significant.
Turkey is one of the countries whose strategic interests could be affected by any major shift in Libya. Ankara supported the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord during Khalifa Haftar’s 2019 offensive against the capital and subsequently deepened its military and maritime relationship with western Libya. Turkey and the then-UN-recognised Libyan government signed agreements in November 2019 covering security cooperation and maritime jurisdiction in the Mediterranean.
Yet Ankara’s relationship with the eastern camp has also evolved. In June 2026, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met Saddam Haftar in Benghazi to discuss Libya’s political and military unification, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Saddam and Khalifa Haftar during his August visit to eastern Libya.
This illustrates how rapidly Libya’s regional diplomacy is changing. A political arrangement involving Haftar’s camp could potentially affect Turkey’s military presence, Mediterranean maritime interests and relationships with both eastern and western Libya.
For Israel, Libya also has strategic importance because of its Mediterranean coastline, energy potential and geographical position in North Africa. A government in Tripoli or elsewhere that developed closer relations with Israel, the United States, Egypt or other regional powers could alter existing diplomatic and security calculations.
The timing is also politically sensitive for Netanyahu. Israel is heading toward its October 27, 2026 election, with Netanyahu facing intense domestic debate over security, diplomacy and his handling of the period surrounding the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Recent reporting has placed his Abu Dhabi meeting within that broader political context.
For now, however, the central claim should remain precisely what it is: an unconfirmed report.
If Saddam Haftar and Benjamin Netanyahu did meet secretly in Abu Dhabi, the encounter could provide an important clue about emerging alliances around Libya and the Mediterranean. If it did not happen, the episode nevertheless demonstrates the intense international interest surrounding Libya’s next political transition.
Until the parties involved or multiple independent sources confirm the alleged meeting, its details should be treated as a report—not an established fact.
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