Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar is getting ready to return to his headquarters in Ar Rajma, after almost completing the treatment he is receiving at a Paris hospital, reliable sources said.
A source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Haftar will travel to Libya soon but rejected to comment on circulated information that he might stop in Egypt for a couple of hours during his return trip. Some officials, officers and members of the parliament in east Libya said that Haftar is more likely to return from Paris to Benghazi without a stopover in Cairo.
In the same context, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a news conference that Moscow, which is following up the condition of Haftar since he was admitted to hospital, has been receiving mixed information on his health.
Zakharova said that there hasn’t been any confirmation of health concerns, as described by some media outlets. Rumors have been exaggerated, according to official Libyan agencies in east Libya, she added.
Meanwhile, security sources in the capital have expressed concern regarding the outburst of clashes among militias competing for power in the city, saying there is an unusual “counter mobilization” in some parts of Tripoli’s suburbs.
A security officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that “battalion 33” militias are preparing to stage a new offensive on bases of Special Deterrence Forces linked to Fayez al-Sarraj’s government in Tripoli.
A spokesman from the Special Deterrence Forces said that a missile has hit an Airbus 320 while preparing for takeoff at the Mitiga International Airport. Other missiles landed on the airport’s arrival hall.
In its turn, Tajoura Council of Elders (TCE) accused the Special Deterrence Forces of not responding to the mediation efforts to resolve pending differences with the “battalion 33” militias.
