By Libya Herald reporter.
Benghazi, 3 July 2017:
The Libyan National Army (LNA) says it made major advances in Benghazi’s Sabri district Monday forcing the militants to retreat to the Gomhuriya Hospital. However, it lost four soldiers in the fighting and several others were wounded.
The LNA has now taken the area around the city’s iconic lighthouse building but it took more than one hit during the intense fighting. However, according to the LNA, the surrounding area which is now largely devastated is heavy mined and the militants have been destroying homes and other buildings around the hospital. The LNA itself continued a fierce artillery barrage during the day.
Meanwhile, a shell believed to have been fired by the militants hit one of the city’s other iconic buildings – the Dawa Islamiya building in the downtown area. It caused a fire on the fifth and sixth storeys which the local fire brigade spent part of the night putting out.
One of the Dawa’s investments as well as housing its Benghazi branch, the building is also an office block and the address of several local organisations and businesses. Remarkably, despite being on the front line for over a year, it had managed to avoid being hit, until now.
No one was reported injured. All the occupants had vacated the building months ago because of the fighting. It was closed and empty.
