BENGHAZI — A car bomb killed Major General Fawzy al-Mansouri, director of military intelligence for forces commanded by eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, in the eastern city of Benghazi, the Libyan National Army said.
The blast occurred on Monday evening in the Sayyida Aisha neighborhood when an explosive-laden vehicle detonated near al-Mansouri's car, according to the LNA. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Al-Mansouri was a senior figure in Haftar's military structure and had served as director of military intelligence. Libyan military sources had identified him in recent years as a senior commander involved in operations under the LNA, which controls much of eastern and southern Libya.
The killing comes as Libya remains divided between rival administrations in the east and west, with competing armed groups and foreign powers continuing to shape the country's security environment.
The LNA is aligned with an eastern-based administration headed by Prime Minister Osama Hamad, while the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, is based in Tripoli. A United Nations-backed political process has sought to establish unified national institutions and eventually hold nationwide elections, but disputes over political authority and security arrangements have persisted.
Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city and the main base of Haftar's forces, has experienced repeated attacks against military and security figures since the country descended into conflict following the 2011 uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi's rule.
The latest bombing was not immediately linked by authorities to any particular faction or militant organization. There was also no immediate indication that the attack was connected to a broader escalation elsewhere in the country.
The bombing occurred amid heightened security tensions in Libya. In western Libya, drone strikes in recent days have targeted oil and energy infrastructure around Zawiya, according to the state-run National Oil Corporation. Authorities have not established a connection between those attacks and the Benghazi bombing.
Libyan officials have not publicly announced arrests or identified suspects in the killing of al-Mansouri. The LNA has not disclosed further details about the investigation or whether additional casualties were reported in the explosion.
The attack underscores continuing security risks facing senior military and intelligence officials despite years of efforts to preserve a ceasefire between Libya's rival armed camps.
As of Wednesday, no group had claimed responsibility for the Benghazi bombing, and authorities had not publicly announced a breakthrough in identifying those responsible.
