Libyan Military Officials Discuss Army Unification in Egypt

Members of the Libyan National Army. Reuters file photo
Members of the Libyan National Army. Reuters file photo
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Libyan Military Officials Discuss Army Unification in Egypt

Members of the Libyan National Army. Reuters file photo
Members of the Libyan National Army. Reuters file photo

The seventh round of Libyan army reunification talks resumed in Egypt this week with the participation of senior leaders from the General Command of the Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls eastern Libya, and the forces of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord (GNA).

LNA Spokesperson Brigadier General Ahmed al-Mesmari announced in a brief statement on his Facebook account the resumption of the meetings in Cairo on Wednesday under the auspices of Egypt.

No further details were provided about the meetings’ agenda or those who attended.

The former spokesman of GNA’s Ministry of Defense, Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Ghassari, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the representative of the Presidential Council participated in the seventh round of talks.

A military source also told the newspaper that the Cairo talks will inevitably face the same obstacles as previous meetings, including the issue of “hierarchy within the military institutions”, in reference to people who have been recruited from outside the army within its ranks during the last two years.

The source pointed out that the reference of GNA representatives in the Cairo talks is the Skhirat agreement signed in Morocco at the end of 2015, which assigned the post of supreme commander of the Libyan army to the head of the Presidential Council.

The spokesman of “al-Bunyan al-Marsous” that ousted ISIS militants from Sirte, Brigadier Mohammed al-Ghosri, indicated that the Operation has not received an invitation to attend the Cairo meetings, though he welcomed the efforts exerted by Egyptian authorities to unite the Libyan military.

Speaking to Asharq al-Awsat, Ghosri said that "the unification of the military institution in Libya is not difficult and is possible to achieve," but he pointed out that "it requires unified visions and efforts to formulate a national project that works for the country’s goodwill.”

The last meeting was in March and included 45 high-ranking officers, with the first-time participation of the Chief of Staff of the General Command of LNA, Abdul Razek al-Nadoori, and the chief of staff of the internationally-recognized GNA, Major General Abdel Rahman al-Taweel.

Since its launch in September 2017, the talks between Libyan military commanders have succeeded in a relative rapprochement, with an agreement on "the organizational structure of the Libyan military establishment, and the establishment of the Supreme Defense Council, National Security Council and the General Command Council."

Deputy chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee of the Libyan House of Representatives Omar Ghaith said that all the political forces in Libya are waiting for the results of the Cairo talks, pointing out that the creation of a national army will be the first step in the unification of the executive authority and preparation for the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Ghaith told Asharq Al-Awsat that "there are fears and mistrust among the officers gathered in Cairo as a result of the political conflict."

However, they are all joined by the country’s need to unify the military institution, which will be an incentive for them to put the country’s interest first, he said.



Netanyahu and Trump Prioritize Gaza Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. US July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. US July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
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Netanyahu and Trump Prioritize Gaza Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. US July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. US July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his meeting with US President Donald Trump focused on freeing hostages held in Gaza, and stressed his determination to "eliminate" the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas.

Netanyahu said on X that the leaders also discussed the consequences and possibilities of "the great victory we achieved over Iran," following an aerial war last month in which the United States joined Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear sites.

Netanyahu is making his third US visit since Trump took office on January 20 and had earlier told reporters that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.

Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza, with the president's Middle East envoy indicating that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement on a ceasefire deal after nearly two years of war. Netanyahu also said that ceasefire efforts were underway.

A delegation from Qatar, the host of indirect talks between Israeli negotiators and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, met senior White House officials before Netanyahu's arrival on Tuesday, Axios said, citing a source familiar with the details.

According to Reuters, the White House had no immediate comment on the report. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, said the number of issues preventing Israel and Hamas from reaching an agreement had decreased from four to one, expressing optimism for a temporary ceasefire deal by the end of the week.

Witkoff told reporters at a Cabinet meeting that the anticipated agreement would involve a 60-day ceasefire, with the release of ten live hostages and nine deceased individuals.

Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and then visited the US Capitol on Tuesday, and is due back in Congress on Wednesday to meet with US Senate leaders.

He told reporters after a meeting with the Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.

"We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities," Netanyahu said.