(ANSA) - Rome, September 3 - Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Monday he was in touch with Italians in Libya amid clashes between rebel militias that have prompted the UN-backed government to declare a state of emergency in the capital Tripoli.
    "I am in direct contact with our men: soldiers, diplomats, and ENI staff who are experiencing in Libya risks caused by a senseless military intervention," Salvini said.
    He said no harm had yet to be reported.
    Italy's embassy in Tripoli is to stay open despite an attack on the national-unity government by rebel militia, foreign ministry sources told ANSA Monday.
    They said the embassy "remains operational but with a more flexible presence, which is being assessed on the basis of the needs and the security situation".
    Some 400 prisoners escaped from a jail in the Libyan capital, authorities said Sunday, as fighting between rival militias that has killed dozens of people forced the U.N.-backed government to declare a state of emergency in and around Tripoli.