UN chief calls for end to Libya air raids

UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for a halt to air strikes in Libya and for all sides to engage in talks to resolve differences.

Warplanes on Tuesday hit Tripoli's only operational airport, the Mitiga air base, a day after fighter jets fired two missiles at the site.

Ban expressed concern over the violence and called "on all parties to end these attacks and prevent further escalation," said a statement from his spokesman.

"The only way to resolve the current crisis is through dialogue," said Ban.

He expressed "full confidence" in his special envoy Bernardino Leon who is seeking to broker talks on a deal to end the fighting between Libya's various militias and the internationally-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani.

All three main cities -- Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata -- are largely controlled by militias opposed to Thani's government.

Thani's government has been based in the remote east of the country since the militia takeover of the capital in August.

More than three years after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled, Libya is awash with weapons and powerful militias, and run by rival governments and parliaments.