Renewed fighting has erupted in Tripoli, leaving at least three people wounded after a barrage of rockets hit several parts of the capital, including a popular hotel.
The violence came as Britain, France, Italy and the United States warned on Saturday that an escalation would hamper the political process in Libya and plans to hold elections by December, Al Jazeera reported.
Witnesses say three people were wounded when a rocket hit the fourth floor of the Al-Waddan Hotel, which overlooks the bay of Tripoli and is located 100 meters away from the Italian embassy.
Another rocket landed on the home of a civilian family in the area of Ben Ashour. The house is about 200 meters from the prime minister’s office.
Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, described scenes of panic in the capital’s southern suburbs, with rival militias targeting densely-populated areas.
The latest bout of fighting came a day after at least 15 rockets landed on Tripoli and its surroundings, forcing the suspension of flights in the capital’s only operational airport.
The fighting between the rival armed groups broke out earlier last week. Street battles on Monday and Tuesday pitted the Seventh Brigade, or Kaniyat, from Tarhouna, a town 65 km southeast of Tripoli, against the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigades (TRB) and the Nawasi, two of the capital’s largest factions.
Libyan officials say the fighting has so far killed nearly 40 people, including 18 civilians. According to Human Rights Watch, the death toll includes at least four children.
