Tripoli, Dec 28 (IANS): The Libyan air force Sunday carried out airstrikes on targets in Misrata city linked to the Libya Dawn militant group.

These were the first airstrikes on sites in Misrata, some 200 km east of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Xinhua reported.

According to a local official, a fighter aircraft launched two strikes, one hitting a military base, while the other targeting the area around an iron and steel plant. No casualties have been reported.

Officials said that anti-aircraft missiles were fired in response to the attack.

The Libyan army has warned citizens from approaching sites under the control of the Libya Dawn, as they would be targeted by the country's air force.

The Libya Dawn, which is the key militant group in the North African country, is a militia drawn from the towns of Misrata, Zawiya, Sabratha and Zuwara, and also includes some Tripoli-based formations.

Since November, a number of fighter jets have carried out air strikes on military sites of the Libya Dawn in the cities of Tripoli, Zuwara, Zawiya, Sorman and Gharyan, according to army sources.