"UNSMIL calls for immediate de-escalation and an end to the ongoing armed clashes. Violence is not an acceptable means to resolve disagreements. All parties must preserve the security gains achieved in recent years and address differences through dialogue," UNSMIL said in a statement.

The mission also reminded all factions of their responsibility to "preserve the prevailing relative stability and to create a conducive environment for holding elections to fulfill the aspirations of the Libyan people".

Clashes erupted in parts of Tripoli later on Monday between the 444 Brigade and the Special Deterrence Force, following the reported arrest of a powerful 444 Brigade commander by the force.

The High Council of State and the House of Representatives, the parliament, condemned the clashes and called for an immediate end to the violence.

The Ministry of Health announced that it had received distress calls from civilians stranded in clash areas in Tripoli, and called on the warring factions to allow medical emergency teams to safely access the areas to save the civilians.

Libya has been witnessing violence and insecurity ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011.