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

Libya cover image

Libya

January 3, 2026

Tripoli 6:10 am

12°C

In this photograph taken on Oct. 2, 2018, Gen. Mohammad Ali al-Haddad is pictured in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Jet carrying Libyan army chief crashes after departing Ankara

The jet lost contact after departing Ankara, with Turkish authorities launching search and rescue efforts.

Libyan military graduates loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) take part in a parade marking their graduation, a result of a military training agreement with Turkey, at the Omar Mukhtar camp in the city of Tajoura, southeast of the capital Tripoli on November 21, 2020. (Photo by Mahmud TURKIA / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey seeks two-year extension of Libya troop mandate

The mandate cites ongoing risks and threats that could impact Turkey’s interests in the Mediterranean and North Africa.

A picture taken on Sept. 24, 2020, shows a partial view of the Brega oil port some 270 kilometers west of Libya's eastern city of Benghazi.

Turkey seeks to bolster Eastern Med foothold in new Libya energy talks

The talks between the Turkish ambassador in Libya and the Tripoli government’s energy minister come as Turkey seeks to reduce dependence on energy imports and bolster its energy security.

Algeria's Sonatrach latest foreign oil major to resume Libya drilling

Libya has Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, with approximately 48.4 billion barrels, but political instability had led international energy firms to avoid it for more than a decade.

Latest News

After decade in jail, Gadhafi’s son granted $11B bail in disappeared imam case

MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images

Libyans rush banks amid cash crunch, government to print $11B in dinars to ease crisis

Picture of a Libyan dinar banknote bearing a portrait of former leader Moammar Gadhafi is pictured in Tripoli, on Sept. 8, 2011.

World Bank ups Middle East 2025 economic outlook as oil, tourism rebound

A picture taken from a station of Dubai's Palm Monorail, shows traffic on a road in Palm Jumeirah on August 28, 2025.

Turkey's FM heads to Italy amid rising tensions with Greece over EastMed, Libya

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan arrives during a visit at the Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome on April 29, 2025.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohamed Eljarh

A Syrian rebel fighter looks on as he stands at an inspection checkpoint for incoming vehicles at the entrance of the Russian-leased Syrian military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in western Syria on Dec. 29, 2024.

Analysis

After setbacks in Syria and Turkish gains in Libya, Russia scrambles to retain Mediterranean sway

Moscow faces growing challenges coordinating in Libya and sustaining its regional presence after losing its key Syrian ally and confronting Ankara’s expanding influence.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

A Turkish Airlines plane prepares to take off from the Miami International Airport in Miami, on June 16, 2021.

Turkey resumes flights to Libya's Misrata as Ankara courts Tripoli, Hifter

The first direct flight from Istanbul to Misrata since 2015 underscores Turkey’s efforts to maintain good relations with the Tripoli government as well as its eastern-based rival.

Libya

Analysis

Turkey’s power play in Libya tests Greece’s red lines

A naval visit, back-channel diplomacy and a budding Italy-Libya track reveal Ankara’s push to lock in its 2019 maritime deal.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Libyan soldiers take part in a military parade marking the 82nd anniversary of the Libyan army, in the capital Tripoli on Aug. 9, 2022.

Libya: Tripoli’s fragile peace shaken by renewed fighting, military buildup

Recent weeks have seen multiple clashes and security incidents in the Libyan capital, raising concerns from both the United States and the United Nations.

hifter

Turkey’s spy chief meets Libya's Hifter in surprise visit to Benghazi

The surprise visit comes amid Ankara’s swiftly deepening thaw with eastern authorities after years of rivalry.

Turkish corvette TCG Kinaliada is seen in this undated image.

Turkish warship in Tripoli as Ankara courts Libya’s rival administration

The port call follows Ankara’s new military cooperation agreement with Tripoli as Turkey reaches out to rival factions in eastern Libya.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler met with Saddam Hifter, commander of the Libyan National Army’s ground forces, on the sidelines of IDEF25 defense fair in Ankara, on July 23, 2025.

Libya’s Khalifa Hifter names son Saddam second-in-command: What to know

Saddam Hifter’s appointment as deputy general commander of the Libyan National Army positions him as a key power player in eastern Libya amid ongoing political division.

Badr Abdelatty

Turkey’s Fidan to visit Egypt with Libya, Gaza on agenda

The top Turkish diplomat’s Cairo visit comes as Ankara-Cairo engagement deepens amid shifting power balances in North Africa and shared concerns over Gaza.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni react during a press conference as part of Turkey's President's visit at the Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome on April 29, 2025. Turkish President arrived in Rome for talks with Italy's Prime Minister on April 29, 2025, as the two Mediterranean countries seek to boost trade and cooperation, and will discuss the war in Ukraine and the "situation in the Middle East" before a summit where government ministers are expected to sign

Italy, Turkey, Libya hold summit as Meloni prioritizes migration: What to know

Three leaders met in Istanbul as Italy leads efforts to curb irregular migration from Libya and Ankara balances between Tripoli and eastern Libya.

INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images

Middle Eastern countries face new Trump tariffs: What to know

European and Asian markets fell again on Friday amid a broad selloff due to the economic uncertainty caused by the tariffs.

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: U.S. President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House followed by granddaughter Chloe after returning on Marine One on July 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump returned to the White House with his family after a trip to Scotland that was part vacation, part work, as he stayed at his Trump Turnberry golf course, followed by Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, from July 25 to 29. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Analysis

Middle East braces for Trump's tariffs: Gulf gains, North Africa strains as both hedge

The tariffs could be wins for the Gulf states, as many have trade surpluses with the United States, while some in North Africa and the Levant, with trade deficits, stand to lose.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Security forces stand guard as Libyans perform the morning prayer of Eid al-Fitr with a portrait of the military strongman of eastern Libya, Khalifa Hiftar, in the background in the port city of Benghazi on March 31, 2025.

Analysis

US reengages Hifter as Trump pursues dual Libya strategy: What to know

Though the UN Security Council, and by extension Washington, continues to recognize the Tripoli-based GNU as Libya’s legitimate government, the US senior adviser's outreach to both Dbeibah and Hifter points to a dual strategy undertaken by the Trump administration.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East