Tripoli, Oct 15 (IANS) The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) condemned an airstrike that hit a house in the capital Tripoli and killed three children.

"Once again, innocent children pay the ultimate price. An attack today ended, in the most horrible way, the lives of three innocent young girls of the same family, burying them under the rubble of a house razed by an airstrike in the al-Fernaj neighborhood in Tripoli," the UNSMIL said in a statement on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement added that "another young girl of the same family and the mother were injured in the airstrike, which was reportedly conducted by a fighter jet belonging to LNA (Libyan National Army) forces."

The eastern-based LNA is a rival against the UN-backed government.

The mission strongly condemned the "disregard for the lives of innocent people and calls for the immediate cessation of such indiscriminate attacks."

The mission also urged the UN member states and international relevant institutions to spare no efforts to end violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Libya.

The UN-backed government condemned the airstrike, accusing the rival eastern-based army of targeting the civilians, which the eastern-based army denied.