Tripoli parliament warns of airstrikes by Hifter’s allies

CAIRO – Libya’s parliament based in the west says it has gathered intelligence warning of the use of possible airstrikes on Tripoli by allies of commander Khalifa Hifter, who launched a military offensive in April to capture the capital from the U.N.-backed government.

The Tripoli-based High Council of State issued a statement Thursday warning that France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates were planning to “get more involved” in backing Hifter’s self-style Libyan National Army, which has “failed to achieve any progress.” The statement also warned that they would use “specific weapons” without identifying their types.

The parliament did not reveal details of the purported intelligence and there was no immediate response from the three nations.

Libya sank into chaos after Moammar Gadhafi’s 2011 ouster and is now divided between two administrations.