Libyan militias claim that they have shot down a plane belonging to forces of retired General Khalifa Haftar.

The militias said on Friday that they had fired a missile at the plane and downed it in the city of al-Bayda.

However, Haftar’s spokesman Mohamed Hegazi rejected the claim, saying that the crash was caused by a “technical fault.”

"The plane was on a military mission when it crashed due to a technical malfunction. The pilot, identified as Ibrahim al-Manfi, was killed in the crash."

Haftar launched a military offensive in the country’s east on May 16, vowing to crush the militants and “establish stability in Libya.”

Libyan authorities have denounced Haftar’s attack as a “coup” bid.

The inter-militia battles are part of the chaotic situation posing security concerns all over the North African country.

A top Libyan official warned the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday that the country could descend into a “full-scale civil war” if militias are not disarmed.

The situation in Libya “since the 13th of July, has become even more complicated and the situation might unravel into a full-blown civil war if we're not very careful and wise in our actions," the country's UN Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told the world body.

His mid-July reference was to heavy fighting that broke out between rival militias vying for the control of Libya's main airport in the capital Tripoli.

Nearly three years after the fall of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is still grappling with rising insecurity as the country has been witnessing numerous clashes between government forces and rival militant groups that refuse to lay down arms despite efforts by the central government to impose law and order.