The head of military intelligence for the Libyan National Army (LNA), the force commanded by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, was killed in a car bombing in Benghazi on Monday evening, according to a statement from the LNA on Tuesday. Fawzi al-Mansouri died when an explosive device attached to his vehicle detonated as he was leaving a mosque after night prayers.
Al-Mansouri was a senior figure in the LNA's intelligence apparatus and a close associate of the Haftar family. He played a central role in the LNA's campaigns against jihadist groups, including the so-called Islamic State, between 2014 and 2017 in eastern Libya. He was also a leading commander during Haftar's 2019 offensive to seize Tripoli, an operation backed by Russia and Egypt but ultimately repelled by forces loyal to the Tripoli-based government, which received support from Turkey.
The LNA described al-Mansouri as a "heroic martyr" and announced an investigation into the attack. Khaled Haftar, one of Khalifa's sons and the LNA's chief of general staff, said in a statement that "indicators point to a despicable terrorist tactic," adding that "terrorism is a project targeting the entire region, not just Libya."
A blow to stability claims
The assassination is a significant setback to the Haftars' efforts to project an image of control and security in the areas they govern. Benghazi, the LNA's stronghold, had been relatively calm in recent years after the brutal battles against Islamist militias.
"An attack of this sophistication in an LNA stronghold is also a major blow to the group's security credentials," said Hamish Kinnear, an analyst at the UK-based risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. "The intelligence required to target such a high-profile figure successfully is indicative of significant capabilities on the part of the responsible actor."
No group has yet claimed responsibility. The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, condemned the killing as a "terrorist attack," saying it denounced the assassination "regardless of one party's positions or alliances."
Khaled Haftar's office later said that authorities had arrested a "terrorist cell in Benghazi that was preparing to carry out acts of sabotage," but did not confirm any link to al-Mansouri's killing.
Libya's fractured politics
Libya has been divided between rival administrations since the NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Dbeibah since 2021, competes with a parallel administration in Benghazi backed by Khalifa Haftar, who is widely seen as the de facto ruler of eastern Libya. Dbeibah's government has faced domestic unrest, including protests in Tripoli over electricity shortages.
Haftar, a former Gaddafi general who defected and spent nearly two decades in the United States before returning after 2011, built the LNA into the dominant military force in the east and south.
The killing comes at a delicate moment for international efforts to reunify Libya. A US-brokered plan, which the LNA has publicly endorsed, would keep Dbeibah in charge of the Tripoli government while elevating Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar—another of Khalifa's sons—to a senior national executive role, possibly heading a unified presidential structure. Saddam was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the LNA in August 2025, part of a restructuring that distributed operational command among Khalifa's main heirs.
"None of this bodes well for a US plan to re-unify Libya," said Kinnear. "Under the roadmap, neither side is likely to be satisfied with their respective positions for long. A new, destabilising power struggle could soon emerge."
Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui said the killing would "disrupt, or at the very least delay" the US-brokered deal. "The agreement rests on two premises: that security reigns supreme in Benghazi, and that for senior officers, loyalty to Saddam guarantees protection in the Benghazi stronghold," Harchaoui explained. "But a bomb that kills the head of military intelligence as he leaves a mosque undermines these premises."
Harchaoui added that reunification would "require some gestures of openness toward reform and change within the army."
The funeral for al-Mansouri was held in Benghazi on Tuesday afternoon, attended by senior LNA officials, including Khaled and Saddam Haftar. In a statement, the LNA vowed to "not cease fighting terrorism and will continue our struggle for the stability and security of Libya, as well as for the unification of its institutions."
Libya holds Africa's largest proven oil reserves, a resource that has fueled both sides of the political divide and attracted international interest. The assassination in Benghazi, a city that has seen relative calm, raises questions about the durability of the Haftar family's control and the prospects for a unified Libya.
