Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday received retired Libyan leader Khalifa Hafer in a move aimed at helping him achieve his goal of invading Tripoli.
The Egyptian presidency said that Sisi and Hafter discussed during the meeting held at the Federal Palace in Cairo developments in the situation in Libya without giving details of the talks.
But the meeting comes as the commander of the so-called Libyan National Army seeks to obtain a regional and international cover for the control of Tripoli, which is being attacked by his forces for the eleventh consecutive day in the face of fierce resistance from the forces of the government of national reconciliation recognized internationally.
Several reports confirmed that Haftar received military support from Egypt to resolve the battle that he began in 2014 in the city of Benghazi, as well as the battle launched by his forces last year on the city of Derna under the pretext of combating terrorism.
Last year, the retired Libyan general said that Egypt and the UAE were among the countries that helped him in the battle of Benghazi.
In an interview with John Afrique magazine in February of the same year, Hafater said of his relationship with the Egyptian president: "Our positions are actually approaching, and the situation of his country when he came to power is similar to that of Libya today."
"Our big enemy, the Muslim Brotherhood, is threatening our countries and our African and European neighbors alike," he said.
Al-Sisi's reception comes after the latter visited Saudi Arabia and met with King Salman and his crown prince a week before the start of his offensive on the city of Tripoli on the fourth of this month.
The Wall Street Journal confirmed Riyadh had promised millions of dollars to fund its military campaign against Tripoli.