Protesters Storm Parliament HQ in Eastern Libya, Set Building on Fire

Hundreds of people stormed Libya's eastern parliament headquarters in the port city of Tobruk on Friday, according to local media reports, the latest in a string of clashes between groups supporting rivaling leaders.

Libya has been split between warring factions since 2014, following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Moammar Gadhafi.

The country's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, the head of the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU), is based in Tripoli in the western part of Libya. The parliament building in Tobruk in the east of the country is the seat of a rival government led by Prime Minister Fathy Bashagha.

Libyan media, including LANA, the official news agency of the internationally recognized government, and Almarsad, a leading news outlet, reported that protesters entered the building in Tobruk on Friday.

Several cities, including Tripoli, have witnessed demonstrations over deteriorating living conditions and calls for the dissolution of political bodies, the reports said.

Videos posted on social media showed protesters inside the parliament building shouting "long live Libya." Other videos showed people gathering trash and tires in front of the building and setting them on fire. The building was empty when protesters stormed it.