Libya's only civilian airport closed after Haftar missile strike

Libyan capital's sole civilian aviation facility has been targeted by forces loyal to rogue general Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled Libyan National Army.

All flights to and from Mitiga airport were suspended by Libya's UN-recognised government on 2 September "due to the security situation in the airport." The GNA's Interior Ministry also recently urged the UN to take measures to protect Libya's civilian institutions.

Mitiga Airport has reportedly been targeted 11 times since 4 April.

Libya has been unstable since a 2011 uprising which overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In 2014, a civil war broke out after Haftar's LNA launched an operation against rival militias in Benghazi.

In April this year, the LNA launched an offensive to conquer Tripoli, but five months on, his forces remain locked in a stalemate on the capital's outskirts.

The fighting has killed at least 1,093 people and wounded 5,752, while some 120,000 others have been displaced, according to the World Health Organisation.

Haftar's forces are fighting militias backing the GNA, which is led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.

The Tripoli government is backed by Turkey and Qatar, while Haftar enjoys support from Egypt, the UAE, and Russia. France has also reportedly aided Haftar’s forces.

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