Flights suspended in Libya’s capital due to rocket fire

A MANPAD (Man-Portable Air Defiance Systems) missile is detonated along the shore facing the Firing Range, east of the Libyan capital Tripoli, on December 11, 2011. (File/Reuters)

• The closure of Mitiga Airport comes a day after Turkey’s parliament voted to allow a troop deployment to Libya
• Eastern-based forces led by military commander Khalifa Haftar have been waging a campaign since April to take control of Tripoli

TRIPOLI: Flights were suspended until further notice at the only functioning airport in Libya’s capital Tripoli on Friday due to rockets falling nearby, an airport official said.
The closure of Mitiga Airport comes a day after Turkey’s parliament voted to allow a troop deployment to Libya, deepening fears of an escalation of fighting in the North African country.
Eastern-based forces led by military commander Khalifa Haftar have been waging a campaign since April to take control of Tripoli from forces aligned with Libya’s internationally recognized government.
The offensive soon stalled in the outskirts of the city, but has led to increased international involvement in the conflict.
Mitiga Airport has been repeatedly closed and reopened in recent years because of risks from shelling and air strikes.
It most recently reopened on Dec. 12 after a closure of nearly 3-1/2 months. Flights had been diverted to Misrata, some 200 km (125 miles) to the east of the capital.
The cause of the rocket fire that shut the airport on Friday was not immediately clear.
Tripoli’s main airport was closed and partially destroyed in an earlier round of fighting in 2014, when Libya split into rival political and military alliances based in the capital and the east.