Libyan air force commander Saqer al Joroushi said the force's warplanes attacked a ship off the Libyan port of Sirte on Sunday.

He added that the Libyan jets warned the non-flagged ship off Sirte, but the ship ignored their warning.

Joroushi said the air force gave the ship a chance to evaluate the situation. "then our jets attacked the ship because it was unloading fighters and weapons."

An oil official said the ship was actually a tanker, adding that a crew member and a port worker had been wounded.