Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar denied on Monday claims that he had threatened to spread the “war in Libya to Algeria.” He blamed Qatar and its affiliated satellite television channel, Al Jazeera, of seeking to spark strife between the two neighboring countries by distorting statements he had made to the media. Head of Haftar’s media office Khalifa al-Obeidi said that Al Jazeera and the Muslim Brotherhood’s al-Naba channel, which broadcasts from Turkey, are trying to spark tensions between Libya and Algeria by attributing false statements to Haftar. He explained that Haftar had noted that armed groups had entered Libyan territories through Algeria. The LNA chief had dispatched one of his aides to inquire about the identity of these groups and whether they were affiliated to the Algerian border guards or if they were terrorists. Algerian authorities had in turn vowed to tackle the issue, he added. LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari, meanwhile, spoke of the “deceptive” role played by Doha to drive a wedge between Libya and Algeria. “Libyan-Algerian ties are greater than Al Jazeera and the state of Qatar that is spreading rumors,” he continued. “We will not accept to be turned into a source of threat to any fraternal state.”