Libya Mulls International Security Force After Tripoli Airport Attacked

Libya’s government said Tuesday it is considering bringing in international forces for security purposes after the majority of the planes sitting in Tripoli International Airport were damaged in an attack on the airport Monday night.

"The government has studied the possibility to bring international forces to enhance security," Libyan government spokesman Ahmed Lamine told Reuters on Tuesday.

Tripoli International Airport was shelled by dozens of rockets Monday. Lamine said 90 percent of the planes parked at the airport were destroyed. In recent days, the country has experienced its worst violence in six months.

"Several planes and cars belonging to citizens were hit," Libyan soldier Abdel Rahman told Reuters.

The attack was preceded by clashes between rival militias looking to control the airport on Sunday. At least seven people were killed in the Sunday attack, which prompted flights to be halted.

Following the attack, the United Nations pulled its staff out of Libya. The U.N. also cited the deteriorating situation in Libya, where at least 15 people were killed in Benghazi since Sunday.

Speaking in Vienna, where he was in talks about Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday the U.S. is “deeply concerned about the level of violence in Libya.”

“It is dangerous and it must stop,” Kerry said, according to Reuters. “We are working very, very hard through our special envoys to find the political cohesion ... that can bring people together to create stronger capacity in the government of Libya so that this violence can end."