Eastern Libya military intelligence chief killed in Benghazi car bomb

Major-General Fawzi al-Mansouri, the head of military intelligence for eastern Libya's self-styled Libyan National Army, has been killed in a targeted attack in Benghazi. Eastern Libyan authorities said an improvised explosive device detonated as he entered his car outside his home in the Hawari district late on Monday. The killing has prompted condemnation from the eastern-based government and renewed attention on the security situation in a country that remains split between rival power centres.

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Prime Minister Osama Saad Hammad said the authorities would uncover the circumstances of what he called a treacherous terrorist act. In a statement on Tuesday, he said there was no place in Libya for anyone who raises arms against the state and no cover for anyone who plans, executes, finances or incites assassination and terrorism crimes. The report said the information came from eastern Libyan authorities and cited two security sources for the account of how the device was detonated.

Al-Mansouri was appointed director of military intelligence in Benghazi with the rank of major-general in 2024. His death is significant because he held a senior role within the Libyan National Army, which controls much of eastern and southern Libya and is aligned with authorities in Benghazi. The attack also underlines the continuing vulnerability of senior security figures in eastern Libya, despite years of efforts to stabilise the country after the conflict that followed the 2011 uprising.

Libya has remained divided since 2014, when rival eastern and western factions emerged after the NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. A 2020 ceasefire halted major warfare, but rival administrations and armed groups have retained influence. The internationally recognised Government of National Unity is based in Tripoli and controls much of the west, while the eastern camp remains centred in Benghazi under the influence of the Libyan National Army and its commander Khalifa Haftar.

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The killing comes at a time when eastern Libya's authorities are seeking to project control over security and state institutions. A senior intelligence officer being targeted outside his home suggests that armed actors remain capable of striking high-profile figures in areas under the eastern administration's control. It also raises questions about the extent to which the authorities can protect officials and investigate politically sensitive attacks.

What remains unclear is who carried out the bombing and whether the attack was linked to a wider campaign against military or political figures. The eastern authorities have pledged an investigation, but no suspect has been identified in the material provided. The next developments to watch are any claim of responsibility, further official findings, and whether the killing leads to additional security measures in Benghazi and beyond.

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