Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti recently met Generale Khalifa Haftar, the eastern commander who is a rival to Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, in Benghazi, according to a post on the Facebook page of the strongman's press office.
The post featured a photo of Minniti and Haftar smiling during a meeting that is thought to have taken place last week.
It is an important development as Haftar adopted a hostile stance towards Italy's mission to support the Libyan coast guard of Sarraj's UN-recognised administration.
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