Ankara Courts Both Libyan Camps as Israel Watches Maritime Stakes Grow

Turkey’s diplomatic push across Libya is giving Ankara something it has not enjoyed in years: meaningful access to both sides of the divided country. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s Aug. 12 visit to Khalifa Haftar’s family compound in Benghazi marked the first such reception for a Turkish foreign minister in eastern Libya in more than a decade, potentially strengthening Turkey’s hand in disputes over energy, maritime boundaries and regional influence.

Reporting from Istanbul, Jacob Wirtschafter traces how the visit fits into a broader Turkish strategy that reaches from Tripoli to Benghazi and now intersects with Israeli, Egyptian and American interests.

Turkey has long backed Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, while Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia supported Haftar’s eastern forces. Ankara’s new relationship with Haftar suggests it is no longer content to rely on one Libyan camp. Turkish analysts describe the shift as an expansion of influence rather than abandonment of Ankara’s existing alliances.

For Israel, the concern centers on Turkey’s disputed 2019 maritime agreement with Libya, rejected by Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. If Ankara gains acceptance for that arrangement in eastern Libya, it could complicate regional energy projects and maritime planning. Israeli analysts differ over the scale of the threat, with Dr. Eldad Ben Aharon cautioning that Fidan’s visit is a diplomatic gain but not yet a fundamental change in the regional balance.

Washington has its own wager riding on Libya. President Donald Trump’s administration is backing a framework associated with senior adviser Massad Boulos that seeks greater security, political and economic integration between Libya’s rival power centers while opening opportunities for US energy investment. Chevron and Exxon Mobil have already expanded their involvement.

That effort is unfolding against a dangerous backdrop: drone attacks on energy facilities, the assassination of a senior Haftar intelligence official and disruptions to Libya’s power and oil infrastructure.

Wirtschafter’s full report is worth reading for its detailed look at how Turkey’s rapprochement with Egypt, Washington’s energy strategy and Libya’s internal instability are converging—and why decisions made in Benghazi may ultimately be felt far beyond Libya’s borders.