Saudi and Libyan media reported Jan. 12 that Mossad Director David Barnea and Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh had met recently in Jordan to discuss normalization and security cooperation. According to these reports, Dbeibeh asked Israel to assist him to stay in office during the pre-election transition period in Libya. The office of the Libyan prime minister denied the meeting took place, while official Israel did not comment on the issue.
These reports come after prior reports over alleged contacts between Libyan leaders and Israeli officials, though not necessarily from the same political camp as Dbeibeh.