Residents in Tripoli heard the roar of airplanes and heavy explosions. The UN-recognized government has been battling the forces of Khalifa Haftar for more than three weeks.
Several airstrikes hit the Libyan capital Tripoli late on Saturday, residents and local journalists said.
The exact locations of the strikes were not known, but the roar of airplanes over the city was accompanied by heavy explosions between 11:00 p.m. and midnight.
“We are hearing sustained, uninterrupted fire” from machine guns and anti-aircraft guns “and occasional air strikes, but we do not know where exactly,” a resident of west Tripoli told.
Forces loyal to the UN-recognized government of national unity and fighters under commander Khalifa Haftar, have been engaged in battle for three weeks.
Haftar’s forces launched an offensive on April 4 to seize the capital. After forces loyal to the Tripoli-based government of national unity launched a counter-attack last weekend, the International Committee for the Red Cross warned that residential areas of Tripoli were being turned into battlefields.