World Bulletin / News Desk

A Libyan air force base in the eastern city of Tobruk on Monday joined the forces of a renegade general who had stormed the Libyan parliament to demand its suspension.

"The Torbuk air force base will join...the army under the command of General Khalifa Qassim Haftar," a statement posted on social media said.

Staff at the air base confirmed its authenticity.

Libya also extended the closure of the airport in the main eastern city of Benghazi until May 25 because of the unrest, the airport director said. It was attacked overnight with Grad rockets.

A spokesman for renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar on Monday said that the attack on the parliament headquarters had been coordinated with the general.

"The group that stormed the parliament building was instructed to do so by Haftar's forces," Col. Mohamed al-Hegazi told Anadolu Agency.

He added that calls for the dissolution of Libya's interim parliament that followed the attack had also been coordinated with Haftar's so-called "General Command of the Libyan Army."

The Libyan parliament was attacked on Sunday by forces apparently loyal to Haftar, a one-time rebel commander who fought against ex-Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

The attack sent MPs running for their lives, after which gunmen reportedly ransacked the building, according to media reports.

"Parliament will remain in our control by force because it has lost its legitimacy," al-Hegazi said.

"It must be handed over to a legitimate body, namely the constitution-drafting agency," he added, stressing that Haftar and his followers did not intend to enter politics.

On Friday, forces loyal to Haftar clashed with the Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade – which operates in conjunction with the Libyan army – in Benghazi, the country's second largest city.

The fighting left 75 people dead and 141 injured, according to a Health Ministry official.

Dubbing the campaign "Libya's Dignity," Haftar said it aimed to "purge" Benghazi of "rogue militias."

In February, Haftar – who played a key role in the 2011 uprising – prompted fears of a military coup when he appeared on television in military uniform to demand the dissolution of parliament and Libya's interim government.

He had also claimed his forces had seized control of several military and strategic sites around the country.

The Libyan army at the time quickly refuted Haftar's claims, affirming that it remained in full control of all army barracks and military units throughout the country.

Late Sunday, Libyan Justice Minister Salah al-Mirghani called on all Libyan parties to operate within a framework of what he called "legitimacy."

Libyan authorities have struggled to restore law and order since Gaddafi's ouster and death in 2011 amid the continued refusal of armed militias – which had helped overthrow Gaddafi – to give up their weapons.