A building is damaged after a heavy shelling attack in Tripoli, Libya, on Feb. 28, 2020. The forces of the UN-backed Libyan government said on Friday that the rival east-based army attacked the Mitiga International Airport and its surroundings, as well as a number of residential neighborhoods, in Tripoli with heavy shelling. (Photo by Amru Salahuddien/Xinhua)
TRIPOLI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The forces of the UN-backed Libyan government said on Friday that the rival east-based army attacked the Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli with heavy shelling.
"Haftar (commander of the east-based army) targeted the Mitiga Airport and its surroundings, as well as a number of residential neighborhoods in the capital Tripoli, with more than 60 Grad missiles," the UN-backed government forces said in a statement.
"Initial reports indicate that a woman was injured as her house was hit with a missile," it added.
The authorities have evacuated the Mitiga International Airport and suspended all the flights, according to the statement.
On their official Facebook page, the UN-backed government forces posted images of ambulances rushing to help people injured by the shelling, as well as images showing heavy smoke rising from the attacked areas.
The UN-backed Libyan government on Thursday also accused the east-based army of attacking the Mitiga Airport and causing the flights to be suspended for a few hours.
The east-based army has not commented on the alleged attacks yet.
The east-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the capital city and topple the UN-backed government.
The fighting has killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.
The rivals agreed on a cease-fire on Jan. 12. However, both parties exchanged accusations of breaching the truce.
