Turkey expands Libya influence as Fidan meets Haftar amid US-backed reunification push - analysis

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi on Aug. 12, the first such visit in over a decade, giving Ankara access to both halves of divided Libya. The visit, part of a US-backed reunification push, drew Israeli concern over Turkey's expanding influence and its disputed 2019 maritime claims.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was received at Khalifa Haftar's family compound in Benghazi on Aug. 12, becoming the first Turkish diplomat of his rank to visit eastern Libya in over a decade. The visit gives Ankara diplomatic access to both halves of the divided country, following his meetings in Tripoli with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Fidan then traveled to El Alamein, Egypt, for talks with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. The shuttle is part of a US-backed effort to reunify Libya's rival governments, which depends on Egypt and Turkey coordinating rather than competing. The visit drew scrutiny from Israeli officials and commentators, who see it as part of Turkey's Eastern Mediterranean expansion. Ankara's access to both Libyan authorities could strengthen its disputed 2019 maritime claims, which Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel reject. Israeli analysts warned that Turkish assertion of authority could threaten Israeli shipping and energy infrastructure. Turkish pro-government media celebrated the visit as a diplomatic success. The article notes that Turkey's intelligence chief traveled to Benghazi in 2023, and that Fidan's meetings included Aguila Saleh and Belqasim Haftar. Dr. Eldad Ben Aharon cautioned against overstating the visit's significance, calling it a notable achievement but not a strategic breakthrough.