It’s hoped Government of National Accord leader Fayez Al Sarraj will ink and deal with rebel lead Khalifa Haftar.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who support opposing parties in Libya, called for the ceasefire when they met in Istanbul last week.

There were exchanges of fire at the weekend leading to fears that the truce would not hold.

Then the GNA and rebel leader headed for the Russian capital  raising hope that the eight years of turmoil that have brought Libya to its knees since the killing of Muammar Gaddafi might be coming to and end.

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This comes as Turkish troops move into the capital Tripoli to support the United Nations backed Government of National Accord.

Situated 450 kilometers east of Tripoli, Sirte was liberated from the Islamist State rebels in 2016.

It is the hometown of dictator Muammar Gaddafi whose fatal overthrow in 2011 has plunged Libya into chaos.

The GNA has not confirmed the loss of Sirte, which was announced by rebel leader Khalifa Haftar in the city of Bhengazi on Libya’s eastern border.

With Turkey moving troops in to protect the GNA and its interests in the eastern Mediterranean, Arab fears of a proxy war in Libya look more and more likely. 

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At an emergency session in Ankara, MPs gave President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the authority to determine over the next year how and when the deployment will happen.

The move asserting Turkey’s increasingly assertive position in the Mediterranean causes concern both in Washington and the Arab world.

The fear is that Libya, deeply destabilized since the fall of Muammar Gadaffi nine years ago,  could become a stage for an increasing proxy war in the region.

In a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his US counterpart President Donald Trump has warned of  foreign interference in Libya.

Egypt, which backs the rebel leader Khalif Hafar who is threatening the Libyan capital Tripoli says the Turkish vote will negatively affect the stability of the Mediterranean region.

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Egypt, that’s used warplanes to strike Islamic State bases in Libya, has supported the call from Tripoli.

Since the fall of Muammar Gadaffi, Libya’s been an arsenal for rebel groups in West and Central Africa.

Islamic State has taken advantage of Libya’s political paralysis with two separate governments vying for control.

Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Dairi tells the UN powerhouse that lifting the arms embargo will help his Western supported government build its army and deal with the jihadis.

The worsening security situation has increased fears that the country’s warring militias may side with IS militants who beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya last week.

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Al-Sisi tells Europe one radio that the Egyptian air strike was undertaken with the agreement of the Libyan people and government.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi says there’s a need for combined strike against Islamic State bases inside Libya.

Cairo’s been directly drawn into the conflict across its border.

There are widespread concerns the Islamist insurgents, already active in Syria and Iraq are spreading their influence further.

Sisi called an unfished mission the 2011 Libyan war in which France was part of an international coalition backing forces that deposed former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The Tobruk government has already asked for the lifting of an international arms embargo to help it take back control of the country.

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