Cairo, Sep 2 (AP) Libya's chief prosecutor said Saturday he would establish a fact-finding mission to investigate a meeting last month between the foreign minister of one of the country's rival governments and Israel's chief diplomat.

The August 22 meeting caused an uproar across the North African nation. Najla Mangoush, the foreign minister of the Tripoli-based government, and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met in Rome in the first-ever between top diplomats of Libya and Israel.

Also Read | New COVID-19 Variant Pirola Detected in UK: Three Test Positive for COVID-19 BA.2.86 as Highly Mutated Variant Discovered in Wastewater.

Libya criminalises establishing ties with Israel under a 1957 law. The oil-rich country has long been hostile toward Israel and supportive of the Palestinians.

In a terse statement Saturday, General Prosecutor Al-Sediq al-Sour said the fact-finding mission would probe violations of Libya's rules of boycotting Israel and “investigate the extent of damage to Libya's interests” because of the Mangoush-Cohen meeting.

Also Read | G20 Summit 2023: US President Joe Biden To Commend PM Narendra Modi for G20 Leadership on Delhi Visit.

Libya slid into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. For years, the country has split between the Western-backed government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the country's east. Each side has been backed by armed groups and foreign governments. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)