Libya news: Air strike hits airport as Khalifa Haftar led forces continue offensive | London Evening Standard

Libya latest: Air strike hits airport as Khalifa Haftar-led forces continue offensiveLibyan National Army (LNA) members pose for a picture as they head out to reinforce the troops advancing to TripoliREUTERS

Libya's international airport in Tripoli has been hit by an air strike amid clashes between rival forces for control of the capital.

Fighting broke out today at the country's only functional airport, about 15 miles from the city centre, amid an escalating conflict.

Mitiga Airport said on Facebook that a fighter jet attacked the facility. No casualties were reported.

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Video footage circulated online shows a fighter jet firing and allegedly targeting the airport.

Passengers seen after being evacuated from Mitiga airport in TripoliREUTERS

At least 49 people have been killed so far in the conflict, including civilians, while some 2,800 people have been displaced, according to the UN.

The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by commander Khalifa Haftar, began an offensive against Tripoli last week, clashing with rival militias supporting the UN-backed government there.

The violence has threatened to ignite civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Fighters from an armed group loyal to the UN-backed Libyan government prepare their ammunitionAFP/Getty Images

UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Libya Maria do Valle Ribeiro said clashes have prevented emergency services from reaching casualties and civilians, and have damaged electricity lines.

She warned that the increased violence is worsening the situation for migrants held in the capital's detention centres.

Rival militias that support the UN-backed government have vowed to recapture all the areas recently seized by Hafter's forces.