By Walid Abdullah</p> <p>TRIPOLI (AA) – Libya's Tripoli-based government denounced an attack Monday on Mitiga International Airport as a "war crime”. </p> <p>The bombing of the airport in the capital "is contrary to local laws, international covenants, teachings of religion and humanitarian principles," its Presidential Council said in a statement.</p> <p>"Attacking the airport has worsened the suffering of the injured who were set to be transferred abroad for treatment," it added. </p> <p>Warplanes affiliated with Libya’s eastern government and forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar attacked the airport earlier in the day.</p> <p>Several targets were struck in the raid, a local military source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media.</p> <p>An airport official told Anadolu Agency that the facility has since been evacuated and all air traffic suspended.</p> <p>Last Thursday, Haftar launched military operations with the aim of capturing Tripoli. After initial success, however, the campaign on Monday appeared to have ground to a halt.</p> <p>UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the escalation in violence, including the attack on Mitiga airport.</p> <p>"The Secretary-General urges the immediate halt of all military operations in order to de-escalate the situation and prevent an all-out conflict," Stephane Dujarric, Guterres' spokesman, said in a statement.</p> <p>"He emphasizes that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict and calls on all parties to engage in immediate dialogue to reach a political solution. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Libya stands ready to facilitate that dialogue," he added.</p> <p>Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of strongman Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power. </p> <p>Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in the eastern city of Benghazi, with which Haftar is associated, and another in Tripoli, which has UN support.</p> <p> *Michael Hernandez contributed to this report from Washington
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