Rocket destroys Red Cross Office in Benghazi

A rocket-propelled grenade hit the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi overnight, leaving a small hole in the side of the building but causing no casualties, an ICRC spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

“The offices in Benghazi were hit by an RPG rocket overnight. They were empty… and no one was harmed,” Soaade Messoudi told Reuters.

The building where 35 international and local staff members normally work is located in the western part of the city. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.

Benghazi has suffered a series of small attacks since the beginning of the year that have raised concerns over the ruling National Transitional Council’s (NTC) ability to impose its authority and ensure security after last year’s rebellion ended Muammar Gaddafi’s 40-year rule.

In late January, protesters stormed the local headquarters of the NTC, smashing its windows with stones and metal bars.

On April 10, a home-made bomb was thrown at a convoy carrying the head of the United Nations mission to Libya but no one was hurt.

And last month, a bomb exploded at a courthouse in Benghazi, wounding four people and damaging nearby buildings.