Libya: After Tripoli-aligned forces made significant military gains in May, forces led by Khalifa Haftar withdrew from Tripoli International Airport

Libya: After Tripoli-aligned forces made significant military gains in May (see the latest edition of CrisisWatch), forces led by Khalifa Haftar withdrew from Tripoli International Airport, their last stronghold in the capital. Crisis Group expert Claudia Gazzini says the retreat is a blow to Haftar, but an end to the war is far from guaranteed. What happens next is in large part dependent on whether Haftar’s foreign backers end military support to him or double down; whether the Tripoli-based government and its Turkish-backed forces pause or march east; and whether UN-mediated ceasefire talks make progress.