17 April – 23 April: LNA claims it will intensify assault on Tripoli

Apr 23, 2019 | Libyan actors

On 22 April, the Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman, Ahmed al-Mismari, claimed the LNA would intensify its assault on Tripoli. This statement comes as Government of National Accord (GNA) forces reportedly drove LNA forces back from Ain Zara, a district in south Tripoli which has been at the heart of the fighting. However, the LNA spokesman denied its forces retreated and called upon reservists to open new fronts on the capital.

On 22 April, Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj stated he wouldn’t negotiate with Khalifa Haftar until his forces have withdrawn from the capital. In the interview he stated he had a cordial conversation with Haftar days prior to the Libyan National Army (LNA) assault and felt as though he had been stabbed in the back. In the same interview Serraj expressed his concern that the crisis would turn into a proxy war, suggesting foreign backers provide Haftar with weapons and other supplies.