A Libyan government source told Al-Jazeera that the forces of the National Accord government destroyed three "Sukhoi 22" planes belonging to the retired Major General Khalifa Haftar during air strikes on a drone plane at Al-Wattia Air Force Base in southwestern Libya.
The source confirmed that the destruction of these planes was part of the "Storm of Peace" operation, and that the targeted planes were stationed at the base, and the bombing caused them to be finally removed from service.
The source stated that one of the planes bombed the moment they entered an aircraft depot at Al-Wattia base, and after they launched raids on Al-Wefaq forces sites south of Tripoli on the 25th of last month.
The other two planes were bombed while they were inside a warehouse at the base three days ago.
The source indicated that a number of Haftar gunmen were killed and others were wounded while they were inside the warehouses that were targeted by the bombing.
It is noteworthy that the forces of the National Accord Government had announced the day before Wednesday that they had shot down an Emirati plane, eighty kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli.
It also said that it had launched air strikes targeting the Al-Wattia military base, west of Tripoli, and concentrations of the Haftar militia in the Al-Washeka area surrounding the city of Sirte.
This escalation comes as the United Nations has repeatedly called on the warring parties in Libya and the parties supporting them to respect a ceasefire for humanitarian considerations in order to face the most effective outbreak of the new Corona virus.