came under rocket attack by forces loyal to
eastern military commander Gen. Khalifa Haftar Saturday, with some of
its infrastructure and several passenger jets sustaining heavy damage.
The attack came as fighting between forces loyal to Haftar and the rival
Tripoli-based government, each side targeting the other’s military
bases, has intensified in recent days.
Amateur video showed thick plumes of black smoke rising over Mitiga
Airbase Saturday after Haftar’s forces targeted it with dozens of Grad
rockets.
The rival Tripoli-based government claimed that the base suffered heavy
damage. A military spokesman for the government claimed that fuel
storage tanks, fire trucks, several passenger jets and the civilian
passenger terminal were damaged by the shelling. Haftar's forces claimed
that military sections of the airport also suffered heavy damage.
Supporters of Tripoli's internationally-recognized prime minister, Fayez
al Saraj, claimed that civilian areas near Mitiga Airport were also hit
by the shelling, causing a number of civilian casualties. VOA could not
independently confirm the claim.
Both sides have been attacking each other's strategic military bases in recent days, causing heavy damage and casualties. Forces loyal to Saraj have attacked Haftar’s al Wuthia Airbase near Libya’s border with Tunisia, while his forces have bombed bases controlled by Saraj's forces in Misrata and Tripoli.
Libya analyst Mohammed Fathi told Arab media that France and Italy
are supporting opposing sides in Libya "due to their own national
interests," while neighboring Arab states are also divided, with some
opposing the Islamist-based government in Tripoli and others supporting
it.
Qatar and Turkey support the Tripoli-based National Unity Government, while Egypt, the UAE, France, Saudi Arabia and Russia oppose it. The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli has called on all parties to "stop fighting and return to the negotiating table."
VOA