The United States is investigating and trying to get to the bottom of reports that Libya’s eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar’s plane was in the Venezuelan capital Caracas last week, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday, as part of an attempt to secure an oil deal.
Speaking at a teleconference, David Schenker, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Bureau at the State Department said the allegations were concerning and added that U.S. and United Nations sanctions applied to those exporting Libyan oil outside legal auspices of Libya’s National Oil Corporation.