Libya's health and emergency officials said air a strike to a detention center for refugees and migrants based in the Libyan capital city of Tripoli killed at least 40 people.

Iran Press/Africa: A spokesman for the state emergency medical services Malek Mersek also reported 80 others wounded in the air raid happened late on Tuesday.

The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) blamed Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) for the air raid, Al-Jazeera reported.

Libya is a key departure point for migrants coming from African and Arab countries trying to reach Italy by boat, but many get picked up by the Libyan coastguard supported by the European Union.

The UN's mission in Libya has reported that around 3,500 migrants and refugees held in detention centres near the combat zone.

Libya has been the scene of increasing violence since 2011, when former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled from power after an uprising and a NATO military intervention. His ouster created a huge power vacuum, leading to chaos and the emergence of numerous militant groups.

Libya is now divided between two rival governments — one in the east and another in the west. Haftar is presumably loyal to the one in the east. 104/215

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