Clashes between armed groups erupted overnight in Tripoli, according to local media reports, the latest violence to hit the Libyan capital.
An AFP journalist heard gunfire and explosions around 1:00 am Saturday (2300 GMT) in the city. The fighting, with light and heavy weapons, occurred in the El Jebs district in the city’s south, media reports said.
Saturday’s clashes were between armed groups loyal to Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, head of the unity government based in Tripoli, and others following his rival Fathi Bashagha, named in February as prime minister by the parliament.
A military source told The Libya Update that forces affiliated with Major General Osama Al-Juwaili, a pro-Bashagha military commander, seized control of the headquarters of the Joint Mobile Force in Tripoli.
The fighting ended when another group called the 444 Brigade intervened to mediate, according to Libyan media. There were no immediate reports of casualties.