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.
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 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.
Via Reuters
