Libya - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Libya cover image

Libya

September 16, 2026

Tripoli 11:47 am

26°C

A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen's coast at Bab al-Mandeb, in the straits connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean on Sept. 12, 2026.

Explainer

Saudi Yanbu halt deepens oil strain as Europe scrambles for crude

European crude importers are racing to secure new oil shipments as markets brace for the loss of up to 4% of global supplies into October following attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.

Saddam Hifter meets with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin

Russia’s Putin hosts Saddam Hifter amid instability in Libya: What to know

Moscow has built a strong relationship with Libya’s eastern camp, as Washington and Ankara pursue efforts to reunify the country’s political and military institutions.

Latest News

Analysis

Libya’s oil revival faces new test as violence returns amid US peace push

Libyan firefighting teams attempt to extinguish a fire at the Zawiya refinery, the second-largest oil refinery in Libya, with a refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, after a tank belonging to the state-owned Libyan Brega Oil Company was attacked by unknown perpetrators, in Zawiya, Libya, on Aug. 11, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Libya as US-backed unification push gathers pace

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, in Tripoli on Aug. 11, 2026.

Explainer

Egypt, Libya begin studying $1B oil pipeline: What to know

ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP via Getty Images

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohamed Eljarh

Turkish National Intelligence Organization chief Ibrahim Kalin

Turkey's intel chief hosts Libya delegation amid unification push: What to know

The visit by Libya’s high-level delegation came as US-led efforts gathered pace to broker a power-sharing arrangement between the country’s rival camps.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech after a signing ceremony with Libyan Government of National Unity prime minister at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 12, 2021.

Analysis

In Libya, maritime dispute could complicate Turkey’s backing of US unity push

Turkey and the US increasingly share an interest in stabilizing Libya through a Tripoli-Benghazi power-sharing deal, though their alignment may hinge on the durability of any such deal and Washington's stance on Ankara's disputed 2019 maritime agreement.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar in Washington on June 29, 2026.

Rubio hosts Libya’s Saddam Hifter as US pushes unity plan: What to know

The pair discussed "possible avenues for cooperation" to advance Libya's unification.

An oil refinery in the northern Libyan town of Ras Lanuf, June 3, 2020.

Analysis

Iran oil shock jolts Libya’s fortunes, but old fault lines complicate national recovery

Soaring energy prices due to the Iran war are delivering a windfall to Libya just as the country's oil and gas sectors show signs of resurgence.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Abdullah DOMA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

US, Turkey boost Libya coordination, but unity push faces political hurdles

Washington and Ankara are stepping up coordination on efforts to unify Libya’s divided institutions, but analysts warn that major financial and political obstacles remain.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Cadets of the Saiqa Force (Special Forces) of the self-styled Libyan National Army affiliated with eastern strongman Khalifa Hifter take part in a graduation ceremony in tribute to the force's late commander, Wanis Bukhamada, in the eastern city of Benghazi, on Jan. 20, 2022.

In first, Libya’s rival armies to join drill in Turkey: What to know

The move follows the first joint exercise inside Libya amid renewed international efforts to unify the country.

The president of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, visited the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, March 25, 2026, where she met with the president of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, at the El Mouradia Presidential Palace.

Analysis

Italy, Spain eye Algerian gas as Iran war slashes Gulf supplies

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers Wednesday in an effort maximize additional gas supplies from the North African nation.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A general view taken on April 4, 2014, shows oil tanker Morning Glory, during the unloading of oil in the Libyan seaport of Zawiya.

Turkey backs Libya in legal challenge to Greece-Chevron offshore deal

Ankara is engaging Libyan authorities in challenging the Greece-Chevron deal, a Turkish official said.