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

Libya cover image

Libya

November 1, 2026

Tripoli 4:53 pm

23°C

Fidan

Analysis

What's at stake as Libya's eastern parliament approves Turkey maritime deal

Libya's eastern-based parliament's approval of a long-disputed maritime deal with Turkey marks a strategic win for Ankara as Saddam Hifter seeks Turkish backing for his presidential ambitions, according to analysts.

Ezgi Akin

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

US Department of State's senior advisor to the President for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends a conference for the support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region, in Paris, on October 30, 2025. The international community gathered in Paris on October 30, 2025 to raise awareness about the dire humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region, aiming to raise hundreds of millions of euros despite a drastic decrease in international aid, particularly from the United States. (Phot

Interview

Trump's Africa adviser denies Libya plan would entrench rival families

The reported unification plan for Libya has been met with pushback in a country torn apart by rival factions and foreign interference.

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.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohamed Eljarh

Will Russia, Turkey launch 'Syria scenario' for Libya?

Despite their disagreements, Moscow and Ankara have good reasons to cooperate on Libya.

Could Turkey’s military capacity match Erdogan’s ambitions in Libya?

Turkish military strategists have been working on a small, non-combat mission in Libya limited to train-and-equip purposes, yet recent developments suggest that Ankara could scale up the deployment plan amid lingering questions on whether the Turkish army is capable of delivering what Erdogan has promised his allies.

Turkish troops in Syria threatened at Idlib outposts

Turkey could be seriously sidelined by a highly effective operation undertaken recently by Syrian forces.

Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha speaks during a news conference in Tunis, Tunisia December 26, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - RC213E9W3MMS

Turkey accepts invitation to deploy troops to Libya, Erdogan says

The Turkish Parliament will vote on sending soldiers to the north African country to support its internationally recognized government, but the deployment could entrench Turkey in Libya’s long-running internal strife as well as intensify regional tensions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan visit the MAKS 2019 air show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia, August 27, 2019. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC159965E0E0

Intel: How Russia and Turkey are eyeing new deals on Idlib and Libya

A high-level Turkish delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal visited Moscow today for talks over key issues that have come to dominate bilateral relations in recent weeks.

Members of Libya's internationally recognized government forces carry weapons in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya October 14, 2019. Picture taken October 14, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny - RC1F8CC25910

Turkey’s Libya gambit raises stakes in eastern Mediterranean

Turkey’s military commitments to Libya’s Tripoli-based government have escalated the conflict in the eastern Mediterranean.

Pacts between Libya, Turkey raise tensions with Egypt

Egypt's criticism of Libya's internationally recognized government is mounting in light of the latter's maritime and security agreements with Turkey.

ANKARA, TURKEY - MARCH 20: President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) receives Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj (L) at Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on March 20, 2019.
(Photo by Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Egypt flexes muscles in Mediterranean after Libyan-Turkish agreement

Egypt has conducted extensive military drills in the Mediterranean in a clear response to and a show of strength against the maritime agreement between the Libyan Government of National Accord and Turkey.

Turkey’s military involvement in Libya set to grow

Turkey's formalization of military support to Libya's internationally recognized government has prompted worries of an on-the-ground confrontation with Russia.

Will Libya become Turkey’s next Syria?

The recently signed Turkey-Libya military cooperation deal and maritime delimitation agreement threatened to raise tensions not only in Libya but throughout the Eastern Mediterranean with Turkey asserting the right to intervene militarily in Libya if requested and to drill for oil and gas.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia October 22, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC11687C0E70

Are Russia and Turkey in tug of war over Libya?

Libya has emerged as a contested issue between Russia and Turkey.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 24 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj (L) during a bilateral meeting, held within the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey on May 24, 2016. (Photo by Kayhan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Turkish-Libyan security, maritime deals spike tensions

Agreements between Turkey and Libya sparked anger among stakeholders in the Libyan civil war and in maritime drilling in the Mediterranean Sea.