Rival Libyan forces carried out tit-for-tat air strikes on oil terminals and an airport on Tuesday, escalating their battle for control of the oil-producing country days before United Nations peace talks are to resume in Morocco. The United Nations called for the hostilities to end in preparation for the negotiations, which it hopes will end the war raging between Libya's two rival governments and their armed forces four years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Oil installations and key infrastructure are prime targets in the conflict, which pits Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni's internationally recognized government against Libya Dawn, the group which took Tripoli last year and set up its own administration. A warplane belonging to forces allied to Libya Dawn bombed the oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es Sidra, causing only minor damage, according to a security official with Thinni's government. "They targeted the civil airport in Ras Lanuf, and oil tanks in Es Sidra. The rockets fell near the tanks, resulting in only minor damage," said Ali Hassi, a spokesman for the forces guarding Libya's oil infrastructure. Es Sidra and Ras Lanuf, which make up half of Libya's oil output when operating normally, shut down in December due to the conflict. Libya currently produces around 400,000 barrels of oil per day, compared to 1.6 million bpd before Gaddafi was toppled. Warplanes also hit Maitiga, Tripoli's airport, air force commander Saqir El-Jaroshi said, and there were plans to carry out air strikes on the airport of port city Misrata, which is also a base of Libya Dawn. Jaroshi said the strikes were retaliation for Tripoli forces bombing Zintan, a town loyal to Thinni's government, and also to stop suspected supplies to Islamist militants. A source at Maitiga said a warplane struck close to the runway but did not cause major damage. Most international airlines stopped flying to Libya and foreign diplomats were pulled out as fighting worsened last year.
