Tension escalates in Libya .. Civilians killed by shelling of Haftar forces and deadline for reconciliation to withdraw from Misurata

Three of the city of Amslata, east of the Libyan city of Tarhuna, were killed during an aerial bombardment by more than ten raids carried out by Emirati airlines in support of the Libyan brigade, Khalifa Haftar, at dawn today, Saturday, according to the media center for the anger volcano of the Libyan National Accord Government.

Haftar militants stationed on the outskirts of the city of Amslata fired eight Grad rockets at residential neighborhoods in the city center, to which the Al-Wefaq government fighters withdrew after controlling for hours on the Dawoun area, east of Tarhuna, southeast of the capital, Tripoli.

Ahmed al-Mesmari, spokesman for retired Major General Khalifa Hifter, said that the National Accord government had instructed some of its forces from the city of Misurata to attack the Dawoon area east of Tarhuna.

Al-Mismari reiterated in a press statement that the leadership of Haftar forces maintained the three-day period granted to the city of Misrata to withdraw its forces from the fighting axes south of Tripoli, which ends tomorrow, Sunday, indicating that this step comes in the interest of the safety of the residents and facilities of Misurata.

Punish and dominate
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Tripoli, Mahmoud Abdel Wahed, said that it appears that Haftar's forces decided to punish the city of Amslata, which has declared the general opposition to support the reconciliation forces.

Witnesses inside the city were quoted as saying that the shelling caused the displacement of a number of people after shells landed and the shelling of the city with MiG-23 planes, killing three people and wounding nine others.

Abdel Wahed indicated that Haftar's forces took control of several areas in the city of Tarhuna after the withdrawal of the Al-Wefaq government forces.

On the other hand, a military source from Al-Wefaq government forces told Al-Jazeera correspondent that his forces launched an attack on the locations of Haftar's forces in the Yarmouk and Khallet Al-Furjan hubs and Ain Zara, south of the capital, Tripoli. He added that the reconciliation forces launched attacks in other axes on the forces of Haftar.

Dead and reinforcements
In another development, the spokesperson for the Sirte Protection and Insurance Force, affiliated with the National Accord Government, said that five members of the Protection Force were killed and two were wounded in the aerial bombardment of an Emirati airliner.

The spokesman added to the island that this shelling coincides with reinforcements and movements in the eastern city of Sirte, specifically in the region of ninety and Umrah, in an attempt by Haftar forces to advance towards the city of Sirte.

Since last April 4, Tripoli - the headquarters of the internationally recognized government of Al-Wefaq - as well as its surroundings, have witnessed armed battles after Haftar's forces launched an attack to control it amid a mobilization of government forces.

Ten days ago - and eight months after his forces faltered in the storming of the Libyan capital - Haftar announced, as usual, the start of the decisive battle for progress towards the heart of Tripoli, without creating anything new on the ground.

Haftar had previously issued similar announcements more than once without fulfilling what he had promised, and when the attack on Tripoli began on April 4, his forces claimed that they would take control of the capital in 48 hours, but his attack was still faltering.