BENGHAZI, Libya: Libya’s internationally recognized government called for outside help against military advances in the country by ISIS and warned of an Iraq-like scenario.

“Libyan cities are coming under increased threat from this group and it will become difficult to confront them, like in Iraq,” Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani told a news conference Sunday in Al-Bayda in eastern Libya where his administration is based.

In remarks quoted on the government’s official Facebook page, Thani said: “We are surprised that the international community has not taken a firm stand on what is taking place in Libya.” Thani renewed demands for a lifting of the international arms embargo, in place since Libya’s 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, to defeat the ISIS jihadis, whose counterparts have seized control of swathes of Iraq and Syria.

ISIS took control of the airport in Sirte, Gadhafi’s hometown east of Tripoli, after forces belonging to a Tripoli-based rival government withdrew last week. Officials in Tripoli said ISIS had allied with supporters of the ousted Gadhafi regime to deploy across Sirte, which lies in a region rich in oil fields.

The Tripoli administration has also called for international help to fight ISIS, which has exploited chaos in Libya since the 2011 revolution to make territorial gains.