Did Khalifa Haftar genuinely believe that he would easily take control of Tripoli, and that he and his troops would be welcomed as liberators of the city? Did political leaders in Europe and the Middle East decide to take him at his word, hoping that a quick demonstration of military force would eventually put an end to protracted political negotiations possibly threatening to their own interests?
If there ever was such a plan, more than ten days of fighting have demonstrated that it was doomed to fail. Haftar’s military assault triggered an immediate reaction against him by the supporters of the Government of National Accord (GNA), as well as the usually divided armed groups that form the backbone of the security architecture in Western Libya (including some of the more hardline groups that had been gradually sidelined over the past two years).