Libyan Army conducts airstrikes on Al-Watiya airbase

TRIPOLI, Libya

The Libyan Army launched airstrikes Tuesday on vehicles loaded with arms and ammunition at Al-Watiya airbase southwest of Tripoli, military sources said Tuesday.

A military vehicle was also hit, according to a statement by the Libyan government-led Operation Volcano of Rage.

Al-Watiya, which is currently controlled by forces loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, is regarded as a key airbase in the country and is second only to Mitiga International Airport.

It was captured in August 2014 by Haftar, the leader of illegal armed forces in eastern Libya, who used it as his headquarters for western operations.

Haftar has intensified attacks on civilians since the beginning of May as the Libyan Army recently gained an advantage and inflicted severe losses on his militias.

The government has been under attack by Haftar's forces since April 2019, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence. It launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter attacks on the capital.

Following the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya's government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led political deal.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin