TRIPOLI: Rocket fire by forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar against the Libyan capital’s sole functioning airport wounded four civilians overnight, the UN-recognized government said on Sunday.
The strikes coincided with the arrival of a Libyan plane inbound from the Saudi Arabia, which was carrying pilgrims on their way back from Makkah.
Three pilgrims, including a woman, were among four civilians wounded, said Wedad Abu Niran, a spokesman for the UN-recognized Government of National Accord’s health ministry.
Airport director Lotfi Al-Tabib said Mitiga’s runway was damaged and a Libyan Airlines plane was hit by shrapnel, putting it out of service.
Flights have been suspended “until further notice,” Tabib added.
The Tripoli-based GNA controls the former military air base east of the city, which has been used by civilian traffic since Tripoli international airport suffered severe damage during fighting in 2014.
In a statement, the GNA blamed what it called a “terrorist attack” on forces of Haftar and urged the international community to assume “its responsibilities concerning the protection of civilians.”
Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive on April 4 to conquer Tripoli.
The two sides have since been embroiled in a stalemate on the capital’s southern outskirts and Haftar’s forces have allegedly repeatedly targeted Mitiga, accusing the GNA of using it for “military ends.”
A similar strike on Mitiga killed a guard and wounded several security agents on August 15.
Last week, the airport closed temporarily due to a rocket strike that hit as two planes were arriving, though no causalities were reported.
Haftar’s forces say they are targeting “Turkish drones” that they claim take off from the airport to conduct strikes on their troops in the south of Tripoli.
The UN mission in Libya said it is concerned by the “growing frequency” of these attacks, which have come close to hitting civilian aircraft.
Since April, fighting between GNA and Haftar forces has killed at least 1,093 people and wounded 5,752, while some 120,000 others have been displaced, according to the World Health Organization.
Libya has been mired in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
Four wounded in rocket fire on Libyan capital’s airport
Four wounded in rocket fire on Libyan capital’s airport
- The strikes coincided with the arrival of a Libyan plane inbound from the Saudi Arabia
UK plans evacuation of thousands of Britons from Gulf
- 76,000 citizens in affected areas registered with FCO
- Wealthy expats taking long drive from UAE to fly via Riyadh airport
RIYADH: The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office is drawing up plans to evacuate tens of thousands of British citizens if war in the Middle East escalates, several British media outlets have reported.
The government does not know how many British nationals are resident, on holiday, or otherwise traveling across the Gulf, but it said 76,000 have so far registered their presence in affected areas of the region.
According to The Guardian, more than 50,000 of those are believed to be in the UAE, and most are holidaymakers or other travelers rather than residents, with Dubai a major tourist and business destination. Its airspace is currently closed, leaving tourists without a clear plan for getting home.
The Foreign Office’s advice is against all travel to Iran, Israel, and Palestine. It also advises against all but essential travel to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, and there are further instructions to avoid travel to some parts of Pakistan.
According to the X account of the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, British nationals in the Kingdom are advised to stay at home, while those in Jordan, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq should take precautions given the heightened regional tensions.
Yvette Cooper, the British foreign secretary, is expected to make her first remarks on the unfolding crisis on Monday. For his part, Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday expressed “solidarity” with nations in the Middle East facing “indiscriminate” fire from Iran as he spoke to the leaders of Bahrain and Cyprus.
Meanwhile, leading online news outlet Semafor has reported that Riyadh has emerged as a key exit route for the super-rich and senior executives stranded in the Gulf who are seeking safe passage out of major cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha.
The Saudi capital’s airport is one of the few still operating in the region, forcing executives and their families stranded in other parts of the Gulf to take the long drive in order to catch private jets or commercial flights from King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, Semafor reported.
Private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to ferry high-net-worth individuals and leading executives on the 10-hour drive to Riyadh from Dubai, before chartering private planes to take them out of the region.
“Saudi Arabia is the only real option for people who want to get out of the region right now,” said Ameerh Naran, chief executive of private jet brokerage Vimana Private. Private jets from Riyadh to Europe now cost up to $350,000, he told Semafor.
