Libya will face a financial crisis and a budget deficit in 2020 because of a blockade of oil shipping terminals and oil fields by groups loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar, the head of Libya’s internationally recognised government said on Saturday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian dismissed Thursday accusations by the Tripoli-based government that Paris was supporting Khalifa Haftar in his current offensive.

At least nine soldiers have been killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) targeting forces loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, officials said.

The Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) Mustafa Sanallah urged in an interview with Al-Hurra TV Channel for ending military operations in southern Tripoli and warned of ISIS militants’ infiltration into oil facilities due to the war or the militarization of the oil sector.

Sirte Protection Force disclosed Tuesday that it had tracked activities of ISIS elements in conjunction with Haftar’s forces’ movements in the valleys, southeast and west of the city.

An armed group attacked Libya’s largest oilfield on Monday, but was repelled after clashes with its protection force, while fighting escalated in eastern commander Khalifa Haftar’s effort to capture the capital Tripoli, Reuters reports.

The Libyan Interior Ministry of the Presidential Council’s government said Thursday its central investigation apparatus had arrested an ISIS senior leader by the name Yaser Saleh Al-Majiri, A.K.A. Abu Dujana.

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), has long claimed that terrorists and rogue militias are controlling the capital Tripoli, placing his campaign as part of the international “war on terror”. In launching his attack on 4 April, his spokesperson repeatedly said that “terrorists” are fighting …

Libyan National Army (LNA) head Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar announced a start of the second stage of the offensive on Tripoli, local media reported, citing LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari.

Tunisian Defence Minister Abdelkareem Zubaidi said on Tuesday that two armed groups consisting of 24 Europeans coming from Libya crossed the border and were forced to hand over their weapons.