The UN Support Mission in Libya reported Friday that its Tripoli headquarters came under a rocket attack without causing casualties or damage. Libya’s interior ministry said it foiled an “attempted attack” using an anti-tank missile on the compound housing UNSMIL headquarters.
The rocket struck a house in Janzour, on the outskirts of Tripoli, though authorities did not specify its distance from the mission. Officials said they seized a pickup truck carrying two additional missiles and a launch platform, without revealing who orchestrated the strike.
Libya remains divided between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east. The country has been fractured since a NATO-backed revolt toppled longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, leaving a power vacuum ever since.
In May, deadly clashes erupted in Tripoli between rival armed groups, leaving at least eight people dead, according to UNSMIL reports. Authorities had been dismantling armed groups long controlling parts of the capital, describing them as entities that had “become stronger than the state.”
The latest attack occurred as UNSMIL chief Hanna Tetteh briefed the UN Security Council in New York, the mission confirmed. “The mission’s premises were not impacted,” UNSMIL said, praising Libyan authorities’ vigilance and swift measures to secure UN facilities.
Tripoli’s government condemned the attack as a “failed attempt” aimed at undermining security and damaging Libya’s relations with the international community. The government affirmed its commitment to building professional, unified security forces and ending the proliferation of illegal armed groups in Libya.
