US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos hosted Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Lt.-Gen. Saddam Haftar in Washington on Monday, the State Department and LNA confirmed.
Rubio and Haftar, the son of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the de facto leader of eastern and much of southern Libya, discussed "ongoing Libyan-led efforts to unify the country's military, economic, and political institutions," the State Department said.
The parties discussed "possible avenues for cooperation to advance unity and peace in Libya," the State Department added.
Rubio said he appreciated efforts of Libyan leaders to "overcome divisions and move toward unity," adding that the "US will remain at the forefront of diplomatic efforts to support Libyan unity and create the conditions for a democratically elected government to lead Libya forward."
The official statement from the LNA added that the two parties "discussed developments in the Libyan political landscape, several important issues related to the US-led peace initiative, and researching the prospects of developing bilateral cooperation between the US and Libya in various areas, supporting strategic partnerships and serving common interests."
These included "developing joint cooperation in the military and economic spheres," independent Libyan outlet Al Marsad cited Haftar as saying.
Haftar thanks Trump for Libyan peace directives
Haftar also expressed his appreciation for US President Donald Trump's directives to bring peace to Libya, Al Marsad added.
On Saturday, Boulos, whose son is married to Trump's daughter, Tiffany, was interviewed on LNA-affiliated Al Hadath TV.
During the interview, he said that the US-led initiative, which he is spearheading on behalf of the Trump administration, is "designed to be inclusive, ensuring balanced representation for all stakeholders, regions, and cities."
The US has been taking steps to achieve this since July 2025, Boulos told the outlet, highlighting the trilateral military exercise between the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), LNA, and the military of the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, based in Tripoli.
Reuters, at the time, cited Haftar saying that the exercise "reaffirms Libya’s position as a reliable partner in supporting regional and international peace and security."
He also highlighted that international partners, including Turkey, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Italy, France, and others, are playing an important role in the unification attempts.
Why is Libya divided, and who are the parties the US seeks to unify?
LNA leader Khalifa Haftar, a former general under Muammar Gaddafi, is the de facto leader of most of eastern and southern Libya, and is aligned with the Tobruk-based legislative body, the House of Representatives.
From 2014 until 2020, Haftar launched a civil war against the Tripoli-based governments, which have maintained international recognition since Gaddafi was deposed.
In 2020, the LNA, which was militarily backed by Egypt and the UAE, nearly reached Tripoli, including bombarding the capital.
A ceasefire was reached with the then-Tripoli government, the Government of National Accord, which called for elections in March 2021.
Instead, a supposedly transitional government was formed, called the Government of National Unity. The GNU, led by Presidential Council leader Mohammed al-Menfi and Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, was formally recognized as a unity government in April 2021, and was tasked with facilitating elections, which were due to be held in December 2021.
The elections, however, were canceled days before they were due to take place.
This led the HoR and LNA to back Fathi Bashagha's proposal to form an alternative government, which is called the Government of National Stability, based in Benghazi.
The GNU maintains international recognition, which GNS has never achieved.
However, since 2020, there have been no large-scale offensives launched by either the GNU or LNA-affiliated militaries or militias.
This is largely due to the success of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), formed in 2020 and comprising officers from the GNU's military and the LNA.