Tension dominates Libyan capital over fears of military clashes

Libyan capital of Tripoli witnesses a state of tension between the conflicting parties to raise a state of panic among the residents. Meanwhile, the Libyan military forces, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, resumed their attacks against the strongholds of extremist groups in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
Libyan Presidential Council, led by Fayez Al Sarraj, called the different conflicting parties for not promoting violence and to work together to achieve security and stability in the capital. It stressed the need for giving priority to the interests of the country at the expense of the individual ones during the current critical period witnessed in the country. It added that the unity between the Libyans is the only way to turn the country into a democratic and civil state.
A source in Tripoli said that the security barriers spread in the entrances of the capital Tripoli, especially in the eastern and southern areas. The security measures came after the movement of armed groups opposed to the political agreement to rally their militants in the areas of Al Rabei and Salah al-Din, near Tripoli airport.
On the political side, Presidency Council (PC) head Faiez Serraj will meet with Marshal Field Khalifa Hafter in Cairo tomorrow for the second stage of their discussions, usually reliable sources in Tripoli have told the Libya Herald. They said that he had already left for the Egyptian capital and that Hafter had likewise flown this evening from Benghazi’s Benina airbase.
It was widely reported last week after the two men’s talks in Abu Dhabi that there would be a follow-up meeting this week in the Egyptian capital. Although there was no announcement, the two were said to have had discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh El-Sisi who was in Abu Dhabi at the time.
Meanwhile earlier today in Tripoli, Serraj met some 50 House of Representatives (HoR) members from across the country who support the Libyan Political Agreement and the PC for what were described as “frank and serious” discussions. These dwelt in particular on his meeting with Hafter.
According to reports, he said that they focussed on uniting military structures in Libya under the control of a political leadership, the situation in the south of the country, and drawing the Petroleum Facilities Guards into a single structure. He also said that the Libyan Political Agreement had to be basis for future dialogue and agreement.
In the same context, the United Arab Emirates has deployed combat aircraft to eastern Libya for the forces led by Khalifa Haftar, the American TIME magazine reported on Tuesday. "The UAE deployed at least six "Archangel" aircraft to eastern Libya, where UAE along with Russia and Egypt back Libyan controversial militaryman Khalifa Haftar." 
According to reports, satellite images of the Al-Khadim airbase - published in an IHS Jane Defense report last year in October - located in eastern Libya, as seeming evidence of the deployment of six "Archangel" aircraft, manufactured by Iomax USA, adding that the company had sold 48 such planes to the UAE before.
"There is also a presence of Russian-made cargo planes at the base which witnessed a "substantial build up" over the second half of 2016." TIME reported. Iomax CEO Ron Howard, when contacted by TIME, acknowledged that aircraft manufactured by the company had been deployed in Libya.
This new revelation comes as the eastern self-styled commander Haftar is solidifying his ties to the UN-proposed government in Tripoli under the supervision of the UAE, which brokered a meeting for him and Fayez Al-Sirraj lately. Meanwhile, the President of the US, Donald Trump said earlier this month that his country will have no future roles in bringing peace to Libya.