In a statement, the Arab League said that Egypt had called for an emergency meeting of the organisation, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara would send troops to Libya at the request of the UN-backed Libyan government as soon as next month.

Libya is living a bloody civil war between two rival governments: the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in capital Tripoli and another in the northeastern city of Tobruk which is allied with the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar.

Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, France and Russia support Haftar's LNA, while the GNA is backed by Turkey and Qatar, as well as Italy.

Haftar has been leading a military campaign since early April in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.