Forces backing Libya's internationally recognized government fought house-to-house battles with troops loyal to commander Khalifa Hifter in southern parts of the capital Tripoli on Sunday and appeared to be gaining ground.
Government soldiers, some in jeans and t-shirts, took cover by abandoned buildings as they fired on Hifter's positions. Some carried anti-aircraft guns they had had to remove from their trucks to get through the narrow streets.
Hifter's Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a rival administration in eastern Libya, mounted an offensive on Tripoli three weeks ago but despite heavy fighting has failed to breach the city's southern defenses.