Trump envoy Massad Boulos to visit Libya amid rising tensions

US envoy Massad Boulos is set to make his first official visit to Libya next week amid rising tensions in the capital city of Tripoli and neighbouring Sudan. Egyptian officials complained, saying they wanted him to visit Cairo first. Boulos met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Hassan Rashad, in May. Egypt is one of the main external powers in Libya. Ties between Egypt and the US have become strained over Washington’s reassessment of military aid to Cairo and Trump’s call earlier this year for a forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. In Libya, Boulos is expected to visit Tripoli first, home to the United Nations-recognised government, and then travel to Benghazi in eastern Libya, which is controlled by a parallel government backed by General Khalifa Haftar and his sons (Read more at Middle East Eye).

US Embassy in Libya denies reports over Gaza resettlement plans

In an official statement posted to their X account, the embassy described these claims as “completely baseless” and clarified that no such proposals have been discussed with Libyan authorities or any other parties. The categorical denial directly addresses speculation that appeared in several US news outlets, which had suggested the US administration was considering establishing temporary shelter zones in multiple countries, including Libya, to accommodate Gazans amid the humanitarian situation in the Strip (Read more at Libyan Express).

Libyan authorities reject report they will take in US deportees

The National Unity government, which controls western Libya, said in a statement that it rejected the use of its territory as a destination for deporting migrants without its knowledge or consent. Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army, which controls eastern Libya, also rejected the report, saying that migrants “will not be received through airports and ports secured by the Armed Forces, and that this is completely false and we cannot accept it at all” (Read more at Aljazeera).

Alleged US plans to deport people to Libya 'inhuman,' rights groups say

CNN has reported that Trump officials discussed with a Libyan delegation the possibility of sending non-nationals with criminal records to the country. One source said that administration officials are also seeking to strike a formal “safe country” agreement with Libya which would allow the US to send asylum seekers apprehended at the US border to Libya to process their claims (Read more at Middle East Eye).

US officials met Libyan National Army Commander Haftar in Benghazi

The U.S. urges all Libyan stakeholders to engage constructively in dialogue, with support from United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMI) and the international community (Read more at USNews).