CAIRO — Khalifa Hifter, the commander in chief of the Libyan National Army, declared Operation Flood of Dignity on April 4 against the armed groups scattered in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. This prompted Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, to launch a counteroffensive dubbed Operation Volcano of Rage. The armed groups and troops under the Government of National Accord have joined hands to face the Libyan National Army's advance toward Tripoli. Since then, the battle has been ongoing in Tripoli.

The battle for Tripoli also has a diplomatic character, with each of the conflicting parties seeking to win the international community's support and approval. To this end, the foreign ministers in both the interim government, which supports the Libyan National Army and controls the south and east of Libya, and the Government of National Accord, which has Tripoli and the west under its control, have conducted tours abroad and met with international officials and diplomats. The Government of National Accord declines to recognize the Libyan National Army and Hifter,

As the battle for Tripoli heightened, so did the diplomatic conflict between the two governments; both seek to prove themselves right to the international community. In an interview with Al-Monitor, the foreign minister of the interim Libyan government, Abdul Hadi al-Hweij, spoke about the reasons behind his government’s support for the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the battle for Tripoli, the future scenario in case the LNA takes control of the capital and how to bring Libya back to the political dialogue table.

The text of the interview follows.