Libya Shuts Airport in Tripoli Due to Artillery Fire

Artillery fire overnight in Libya led to closing the only functioning airport in the country Sunday.

There were conflicting reports at Mitiga airport on the amount of accidents. A press officer for the Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli said four inpiduals, including three haj pilgrims, had been injured.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said four projectiles struck the airport's civilian components including a runway, damaging an aircraft carrying dozens of pilgrims and injuring two crew members.

"These vicious assaults are aimed at sowing fear, creating chaos and disrupting activities at the Libyan capital Tripoli's only operating airport," he said in a statement, according to Reuters.

A tiny girl who had been injured got a hospital nearby Mitiga, a doctor informed Reuters.

Photos on social media showed Libyan Airlines operating a damaged passenger jet. There were also damage to some vehicles parked at the airport, a witness from Reuters said.

It wasn't instantly apparent the origin of the attck. Over the previous several months, Mitiga, just north of central Tripoli, has been constantly attacked, forcing it to stop flights for several hours.

The airport was targeted during fighting involving the East-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which launched a capital control offensive in April and was aligned with the GNA in fighting forces.

UNSMIL said that since the end of July, the attack was the seventh indiscriminate shelling incident on Mitiga. To send its results to the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council, it was documenting the event. Council of Security, it said.