Libya’s foreign minister suspended, flees country after meeting with Israel’s chief diplomat

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s foreign minister has been suspended and fled the country after Israel revealed that its chief diplomat met with her last week. The news of the meeting prompted scattered street protests in the chaos-stricken North African nation. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the government of national unity in the capital, Tripoli, also referred Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush for investigation over the meeting. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Mangoush met in Rome last week. The Libyan foreign ministry has sought to downplay the importance of the meeting amid growing public anger. It said the encounter was “unprepared and an unofficial meeting.”