A Tunisian state radio station announced late on Monday evening that Tunisia had temporarily closed the Ras Jedir border crossing with Libya.
Radio Tatoun pointed out that the closure of the crossing came for security reasons, after armed clashes took place on the Libyan side of the border.
Video footage circulated on social media showing a burning car in the Ras Jedir area, along with the sounds of gunfire and a state of panic and terror among citizens who were in the area.
Tunisian radio reported that the closure decision aims to protect the safety of citizens heading to Libya, and that the authorities allowed those stranded on the Libyan side to enter Tunisia before the crossing was closed.
The move comes after the Interior Ministry of the Government of National Unity in Tripoli announced last Sunday the deployment of security forces to control the crossing in order to combat smuggling and control security violations, within the framework of maintaining security and managing the movement of passengers between the two countries.
Tunisian soldier was killed in a sudden attack on the Libyan border