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Libyan forces hit oil ports with air strikes, minor damage - official


    BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A warplane belonging to the forces controlling Tripoli carried out airstrikes on the oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es Sidra on Tuesday, but only caused minor damage, said a security official allied with the internationally recognised government.

    "They targeted the civil airport in Ras Lanuf, and oil tanks in Es Sidra. The rockets fell near the tanks, resulting in only minor damage," said Ali Hassi, a spokesman for forces protecting oil infrastructure.

    A spokesman for the Tripoli-allied forces did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the attack.

    Oilfields and ports are increasingly a target in Libya's conflict, which pits two rival governments and their armed forces against each other, nearly four years after the civil war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

    (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Kevin Liffey)