The Rixos Hotel and Conference Center in the Libyan capital serving as a base for lawmakers allied with the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, was hit by rocket fire Friday.
Sarraj’s Presidential Council condemned what it said was a “crime committed by rival forces.”
This behavior is a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law that criminalizes attacks on civilian infrastructure and neighborhoods,” it said in a statement.
It stressed that GNA forces continue to confront the attackers and make progress on all battlefronts.
The Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive against Tripoli in early April.
Witnesses said Friday that leaflets were distributed in Tripoli urging residents to launch an “intifadah” against militias to help the LNA gain control of the capital.
A statement by the LNA command said that GNA forces have been carrying out a campaign of arrest and intimidation against journalists and activists who have called for the National Army’s support.
The statement reassured the residents that it would bring the detainees back from captivity.
Also Friday, Libya's navy confirmed that it rescued three boats carrying a total of 290 Europe-bound migrants off the country's Mediterranean coast.
Libyan coast guards first reported finding off Qarabuli a sinking rubber boat whose bottom had collapsed on Thursday, leaving most migrants in the water and hanging onto what was left of the boat and plastic barrels.
A statement posted on the navy press center's official Facebook page said that boat carried 87 migrants, including six women and a child.
Earlier, the coast guard came to the rescue of two other rubber boats carrying a total of 203 migrants off Zlitin, according to a separate statement.
