The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi held a meeting on Wednesday with Khalifa Haftar and Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aqila Saleh in Cairo in the presence of Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel.

A military helicopter carrying four Russian fighters crashed in Sokna in central Libya, according to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Amman on Tuesday denied responsibility for a shipping company that has been slapped with EU sanctions for breaching a UN arms embargo on war-ravaged Libya, saying the firm is not Jordanian.

Members of the Egyptian Committee on Libya, which is made up of current diplomats and intelligence officers, visited Sept. 14 the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Hifter, in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi. The visit has raised questions about the reasons behind this surprise move.

Turkey will continue to support Libya’s internationally recognised government despite Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj announcing last week that he planned to step down by the end of next month, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman.

The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on three companies – one Turkish, one Kazakh and one Jordanian – for breaching the UN arms embargo on Libya, diplomatic sources told AFP.

The Minister of Defense of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Salah Al-Namroush, said that the Ministry has begun to implement programs to build and restructure the Libyan Armed Forces, develop the army, air and naval defense sectors, along with the anti-terrorist forces and the special forces.

Operation IRINI announced that it had reached its full operational capacity, enabling it to take all necessary measures to accomplish its mission.

Libyan renegade General Khalifa Haftar has reportedly refused to release 18 Italian fishermen until Italy frees four Libyan footballers convicted of human trafficking.

Turkey and Russia have inched closer to a deal on a ceasefire and political process in Libya during their latest meetings in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk late on Wednesday.