Libyan warplane crashes in Benghazi

People stand next to the wreckage of a government MiG warplane which crashed during Tuesday's fighting, in Benghazi, July 29, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

TRIPOLI -- A warplane crashed on Tuesday in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi while carrying out bombing missions against armed Islamist groups, according to military sources.

The jet, which belonged to the country's air force, crashed due to mechanical failure, a military source said.

Two pilots has ejected from the plane, which was supposed to be a MiG-23, some witnesses said.

Meanwhile, clashes continued as the armed militants constantly pounding the army special forces headquarters and pro-secular militias since Saturday.

A source from Benghazi Medical Center said that at least 30 people were killed in fresh attacks overnight and on Tuesday morning.

Many believed the Islamist fighters' recent assaults were echoing the clashes in Tripoli, where the Islamist brigades from Misrata have been pounding the international airport since July 13.

Armed clashes set Libya's Tripoli ablaze	US evacuates Libyan Embassy staff to Tunisia