Rival factions engaged in fierce gunfire exchanges and loud explosions that echoed across the city as intense combat broke out in the Libyan capital overnight and continued into Saturday morning.
Witnesses said that after one of the strongest groups in the capital attacked a rival force's base, hours of gunfire that terrified residents and stoked worries of a larger escalation resulted in the confrontations in the city centre of Tripoli.
It was unclear whether the fighting was directly related to the country's larger political deadlock over governing authority, but any fights between strong Tripoli groups ran the potential of enlisting the support of other factions.
“This is horrible. My family and I could not sleep because of the clashes. The sound was too loud and too frightening,” said Abdulmenam Salem, a central Tripoli resident. “We stayed awake in case we had to leave quickly. It’s a terrible feeling.”
Major army troops supporting opposing sides in the political conflict in Libya have frequently mobilised around Tripoli in recent weeks, passing through the city in vast convoys and threatening to use force to achieve their objectives.
Two medical sources, as well as the man's buddy, confirmed to Reuters that one individual was killed in the incident. Online images and videos of the city centre showed military trucks slicing through the streets, fighters firing, and locals attempting to put out fires. Reuters was unable to independently verify these images and videos.
Student Ali, 23, who declined to disclose his last name, claimed that throughout the night, when gunfire damaged their building, he and his family evacuated from their flat. He continued, "We could not continue to stay and survive.
There was no immediate comment from the interior and health ministries about the fighting, which paused in the morning before resuming. Tripoli university said it was suspending classes because of the fighting.
The main Libyan standoff pits the Government of National Unity in Tripoli under Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah against a rival administration under Fathi Bashagha, which is backed by the eastern-based parliament.
The United Nations mission in the country warned this week against any attempt to resolve the dispute through violence.
Bashagha tried to enter Tripoli in May, leading to an hours-long shootout that forced him to leave. He has indicated recently that he may try to enter the capital again.
This week factions backing Dbeibah paraded around Tripoli in a show of force, saying they would not allow Bashagha to enter.