Al-Nabaa TV had published a voice record of the phone call between an army officer affiliated with the commander of the army of the House of Representatives (HoR), the leader of Al-Karama Operation, General Khalifa Haftar, and the journalist, Mahmud Al-Misrati, who supports Haftar.
The record indicates that the two sides are keen to discredit the revolutionaries, describing them as radical Islamists affiliated with Al-Qaeda group. It also reveals that Haftar is involved in an agreement with Daesh, especially when he let elements from Daesh escape from Benghazi and go all the way to the western side of Libya and enter the city of Bani-Walid to participate in demonstrations to support Haftar. In the record, the officer told Al-Misrati that those Daesh elements shouldn’t reveal themselves.
The record clarified the Egyptian and Russian roles in the airstrikes on the Oil Crescent Region when Haftar’s forces attacked the region months ago. Egypt and Russia helped Haftar’s forces by giving them information on what sites to bombard and who carried out the strikes.
In the record, Al-Misrati talked about how he publishes false news to mislead public opinion. Al-Misrati said that he makes efforts to affect public opinion, stating, “we say that Benghazi Defense Brigades are affiliated with Al-Qaeda organization and Muslim Brotherhood just to make the Libyans in Eastern Libya refuse them.”
The record coincides with the statements of the Libyan ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Aref Al-Naidh, who stated that “Muslim Brotherhood, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and Al-Qaeda were involved in the attack on the Oil Crescent Region.” Al-Naidh also expressed surprise at the praise given to the attack by the Defense Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), El-Mahdi El-Barghathi, accusing him of supporting Al-Qaeda Group.
For its part, Benghazi Defense Brigades denounced the description of its forces as part of Al-Qaeda and called for the prosecution of Al-Misrati and the army officer.
Al-Misrati commented on the revelation of the voice call, saying that “it is easy to copy my voice,” adding that “nothing in the voice call offends me because these opinions and attitudes are not secrets; I announce them always.” He also claimed that the attitudes in the record are different from his personal ones, stressing that “I still accuse Al-Qaeda and the terrorist militias of attacking the Oil Crescent Region.” He added that “we make the public opinion and lead it to support the Libyan army and civil state; our duty is clarifying this.” Al-Misrati denied news of harassment from the Tunisian authorities after publishing the voice record, though he did not entirely deny his relationship with the record.
Al-Misrati’s comments on the leaked voice record also highlight a broader strategy to manipulate public perception through misinformation. He contends that the release of the recording is an attempt to discredit him and undermine the narrative crafted by his supporters. Despite his denial of any direct wrongdoing, his statements illustrate a complex interplay between propaganda, political alliances, and the ongoing conflict in Libya. This controversy underscores the intricate and often opaque nature of Libyan political dynamics, where media manipulation and strategic alliances frequently shape public opinion and influence the course of the conflict.
