Interim Prime Minister of Libya Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and Mossad Director David Barnea recently met in in Amman Jordan, Syrian Al Hadath news quoted sources as saying on Wednesday.
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According to the report, Dbeibeh – who leads Libya's interim Government of National Unity – discussed with Barnea security operations between the two countries. Sources claimed Dbeibeh asked Jerusalem for assistance to stay in office during the pre-election transition period.
Dbeibeh's office denied the claims that any meeting had taken place between the prime minister and the Mossad director.
In December 2021, Libya postponed its presidential elections after the arrangements committee failed to complete the required preparatory work. Sources claimed Dbeibeh told Barnea now was not a suitable time to hold an election in Libya .
In October last year, Libya seemed to be moving toward normalization with Israel. Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who was a leading presidential candidate at the time, voiced his desire on several occasions to normalize ties with the Jewish state, and declared he would work to that end if he is elected.
Nevertheless, an official in Haftar's campaign headquarters told Israel Hayom that "it's still too early to discuss a normalization agreement with Israel and how that would look. First of all, Gen. Haftar has to actually win, and we are certain he will. As of now, though, we have no interest in bringing the issue of future relations with Israel to the agenda, because the Libyan public harbors traditional and structured hostility toward it."
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