Car Bomb Kills Haftar’s Intel Chief in Benghazi

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Tripoli, Libya: Fawzi al-Mansouri, head of military intelligence for the Libyan National Army (LNA), was assassinated on Monday in a car bombing in Benghazi. An explosive device attached to his car detonated as he was leaving a local mosque at night.

The high-profile attack struck inside a major stronghold of the LNA, which controls the east and parts of southern Libya. In the aftermath, Benghazi authorities announced the arrest of a terrorist cell preparing acts of sabotage, though they did not confirm whether it was directly connected to the killing.

Libya has remained split since the 2011 ousting of Muammar Gaddafi, with two rival governments vying for power. 

The UN-recognised administration in Tripoli is led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, while the eastern administration in Benghazi is backed by military commander and LNA chief Khalifa Haftar.

Dbeibah's government denounced the assassination as a ‘terrorist attack’ regardless of political alliances.

Describing al-Mansouri as a ‘heroic martyr,’ the LNA pledged to continue fighting terrorism and pursuing national stability. Experts noted that an attack of such sophistication in Benghazi undermines the LNA's security credentials and threatens to disrupt US-brokered reunification efforts.

Al-Mansouri was a key military leader with close ties to the Haftar family. He previously played prominent roles in LNA battles against the Islamic State between 2014 and 2017, as well as the 2019 offensive to seize Tripoli.