°®Âþµº

warlord Khalifa Haftar may consider normalising relations with Israel in return for support in the upcoming landmark that could end the country’s almost decade-long war, according to reports.

Last Monday, a private plane belonging to a figure close to Haftar was spotted on a flight from Dubai at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.

It was rumoured that Haftar's son, Saddam, was on board.

Saddam Haftar offered to normalise relations with Israel for the first time in Libya's history if it provided his father with diplomatic and military support to take power, according to Israeli media.

Also last week, Israeli media said thatÌýGeneral HaftarÌýandÌý, the son of the former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi,Ìýhave to run their respectiveÌýcampaigns forÌýLibya’s first presidential election, set for 24 December.

In a step forward in the election preparations,ÌýLibya opened registration for candidates in presidential and parliamentary polls as the country seeks to move on from a decade of war.

But despite a year of relative peace following a ceasefire between eastern and western camps, the process has been overshadowed by wrangling over the legal basis for the votes and the powers of whoever wins - sparkingÌýfears of a return to violence in the event of a contested result.

Libya has been divided between rival power centres and torn by bloody conflict involving militias, foreign fighters and militant Islamist groups since theÌýfall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

Haftar, who controls most of eastern Libya, has so far resisted efforts to place his forces under the authority of the UN-backed Government of National Unity, as stipulated in the October 2020 peace agreement signed by rival Libyan factions.