Libya rivals prepare to sign truce as ceasefire holds: The leaders of Libya’s warring factions will travel to Moscow this week to sign a formal ceasefire agreement, Bloomberg reported last night, citing two senior officials. Head of the UN-recognized government Prime Minister Fayez Al Serraj and eastern military general Khalifa Haftar have been strong-armed by Russia and Turkey to end the war, which had escalated in recent days with the arrival of Turkish troops to the country. Yesterday was the first day of the ceasefire, and while the sides traded accusations of violating the truce in the early hours, clashes had stopped by midday, according to Reuters.

Egypt welcomed the truce and expressed support for the Berlin conference to reach a political settlement, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi also repeated the call yesterday for a political solution during his meeting with the European Council President Charles Michel.

Haftar-backing Libyan parliament may ask Egypt for military support if things go south: The Tobruk-based Libyan parliament, which supports Haftar’s Libyan National Army, may ask Egypt for military support in case of foreign interference in the Libyan conflict, parliament speaker Aguila Saleh said, according to Sputnik.

Background: The conflict entered a more dangerous phase earlier this month when Turkey authorized the deployment of troops to the country to shore up the Government of National Accords’ forces, increasing the likelihood of a clash between regional powers in the war torn country. The move has intensified existing tensions surrounding Turkey’s gas exploration activities in the Mediterranean, leading Greece and Cyprus to join with Egypt and France — which both support Haftar — to condemn Turkish military adventurism.