Libyan Delegation Reopens Talks in Lebanon on Missing Cleric, Gadhafi's Detained Son

FILE - Hannibal Gadhafi, son of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, watches an elite military unit exercise in Zlitan, Libya, Sept. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Abdel Magid al-Fergany, File)
FILE - Hannibal Gadhafi, son of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, watches an elite military unit exercise in Zlitan, Libya, Sept. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Abdel Magid al-Fergany, File)
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Libyan Delegation Reopens Talks in Lebanon on Missing Cleric, Gadhafi's Detained Son

FILE - Hannibal Gadhafi, son of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, watches an elite military unit exercise in Zlitan, Libya, Sept. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Abdel Magid al-Fergany, File)
FILE - Hannibal Gadhafi, son of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, watches an elite military unit exercise in Zlitan, Libya, Sept. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Abdel Magid al-Fergany, File)

A Libyan delegation visited Beirut this week to reopen talks with Lebanese officials on the fate of a prominent Lebanese cleric who has been missing in Libya for decades, and on the release of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s son who has been held in Lebanon for years, officials said.
The talks were aimed at reactivating a dormant agreement between Lebanon and Libya, struck in 2014, for cooperation in the probe of the 1978 disappearance of cleric Moussa al-Sadr, judicial and security officials said.
The fate of the cleric has been a long-standing sore point in Lebanon. His family believes he may still be alive in a Libyan prison, though most Lebanese presume al-Sadr, who would be 94 now, is dead, The Associated Press said.
The late Libyan ruler's son Hannibal Gadhafi has been held in Lebanon since 2015 after he was kidnapped from neighboring Syria, where he had been living as a political refugee. He was abducted by Lebanese militants demanding information about the fate of al-Sadr.
Lebanese authorities freed him but then detained him, accusing him of concealing information about al-Sadr’s disappearance.
A legal official familiar with the case said the Libyan delegation left Beirut after spending several days in Lebanon, where they met with the minister of justice and a judge heading a committee investigating al-Sadr’s disappearance.
The official described the talks as “positive” but did not elaborate or say if they achieved any results. The delegation is expected to return next week, he said, and added that Lebanese and Libyan authorities are treating the two cases as separate.
He said “there is no deal” so far for Gadhafi’s release.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
The Libyan delegation's visit was not publicly announced by either Lebanon or Libya. Libya’s internationally recognized government, seated in Tripoli, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last August, Libya’s judicial authorities formally asked Lebanon to release Hannibal Gadhafi because of his deteriorating health after he went on a hunger strike in June and was hospitalized several times.
Human Rights Watch this month issued a statement calling for Gadhafi’s release. The rights group noted that Gadhafi was only 2 years old at the time of al-Sadr’s disappearance and held no senior position in Libya as an adult.
Gadhafi’s “apparent arbitrary detention on spurious charges after spending eight years in pretrial detention makes a mockery of Lebanon’s already strained judicial system,” Hanan Salah, the group's associate Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement.
“It’s understandable that people want to know what happened,” Salah said. “But it is unlawful to hold someone in pretrial detention for many years merely for their possible association with the person responsible for wrongdoing.”



Trump Victory Fuels Fears of Netanyahu’s Increased Freedom in Lebanon

Smoke rises from Beirut’s southern suburbs following Israeli attacks. (AFP)
Smoke rises from Beirut’s southern suburbs following Israeli attacks. (AFP)
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Trump Victory Fuels Fears of Netanyahu’s Increased Freedom in Lebanon

Smoke rises from Beirut’s southern suburbs following Israeli attacks. (AFP)
Smoke rises from Beirut’s southern suburbs following Israeli attacks. (AFP)

Lebanese are watching closely after Donald Trump’s election as US president, hoping his policies might bring solutions to regional crises and possibly halt wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Observers caution, however, that change won’t be immediate or at Israel’s expense; instead, they expect Israel could have more military leeway before peace efforts begin.

Trump didn’t outline his plans to end conflicts during his victory speech, only briefly mentioning the issue.

Fares Soeid, a former Lebanese MP, called Trump’s win a potential global turning point, particularly in conflict zones like Ukraine and the Middle East. Soeid believes Trump’s support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s far-right may intensify.

Soeid told Asharq Al-Awsat that Trump’s election could hasten military actions on the Lebanese-Israeli border, allowing Netanyahu more freedom to secure military objectives and strengthen Israel’s negotiating position.

He suggested key UN resolutions intended to control arms in Lebanon may lose focus, with the goal shifting to place all weapons under state control.

There is concern in Lebanon over any change to Resolution 1701, which maintains the ceasefire with Israel.

Soeid clarified that Trump might not scrap these resolutions outright but could push for tighter arms restrictions, ensuring only Lebanon’s government holds power over weapons.

He believes the US may aim to create a cohesive Lebanese leadership to enforce these measures, essentially enabling Netanyahu more flexibility in regional matters.

The US election drew intense interest in Lebanon, with citizens and officials closely tracking the campaigns and vote results, hoping for a positive shift.

Lebanese politician Khaldoun Sharif noted that Trump reached out to Lebanese Americans during his campaign, promising to bring peace to Lebanon quickly.

He sees Trump’s advisor, Lebanese-born Massad Boulos, as potentially instrumental in highlighting Lebanon’s needs to the new administration.

Sharif criticized the outgoing Democratic administration’s handling of conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, saying it failed to curb Netanyahu’s plans despite multiple ceasefire proposals.

As Trump prepares to take office on January 20, Sharif emphasized that Lebanon is eager for a complete ceasefire, adherence to Resolution 1701, a consensus-backed president, and a transparent, reform-oriented government to rebuild trust with Arab nations and the international community.

Sharif voiced disappointment that past US administrations have often overlooked Lebanon’s significance.

Now, amid a severe conflict, he hopes Trump will act swiftly to end the violence, support reconstruction, and restore Lebanon’s standing on the regional stage.