Clashes have broken out in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, with armed factions battling in several districts since Monday night in what is seen as the city's worst violence this year.
Dark smoke hung over parts of the city on Tuesday and the sound of heavy weapons rattled through the streets, a Reuters journalist in Tripoli said.
The Health Ministry urged the warring sides to allow ambulance and emergency teams to enter the affected areas, primarily in the south of the city, and for blood to be sent to nearby hospitals. It remains unclear how many casualties there are.
OPSGroup, an organisation for the aviation industry, said late Monday that a large number of aircraft departed the capital due to the clashes. Inbound flights were diverting to the nearby city of Misrata, it said.
The escalation of violence follows months of relative peace after nearly a decade of civil war in Libya, where two rival sets of authorities are locked in a political stalemate.
International concerns
Longstanding divisions have sparked several incidents of violence in Tripoli in recent years, although most have been over in a matter of hours.
In a statement, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya said it was following with concern “the security incidents and developments.'' It called for an immediate end to the ongoing armed clashes.
The U.S. and British embassies in Libya both issued online statements expressing their concerns about the escalating violence around Tripoli.
The U.S. urges “immediate de-escalation in order to sustain recent Libyan gains toward stability and elections,” the American Embassy said.
The oil-rich country has been divided since 2014 between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by various well-armed militias and foreign governments.
It has been in a state of upheaval since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
