Libya military intelligence chief killed in targeted Benghazi assassination

Major General Fawzi al-Mansouri, head of military intelligence for Khalifa Haftar’s eastern Libyan forces, was killed in a targeted IED attack outside his home in Benghazi. His assassination raises fresh security concerns in a country still divided between rival governments and military factions. Authorities have yet to identify the attackers or establish a motive, while the incident could further complicate Libya’s long-running efforts to achieve political stability and hold national elections.

Major General Fawzi al-Mansouri, the head of the military intelligence department of Libya's eastern-based forces led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, has been killed in a targeted assassination in Benghazi.
A Libyan security official told Anadolu that Mansouri was killed on Monday after an improvised explosive device (IED) planted underneath his vehicle detonated as he was getting into the car outside his home in the al-Sayyida Aisha residential neighbourhood.
The official described the incident as a "terrorist attack".
No official statement had been issued by the eastern authorities at the time of reporting, and the identity or motive of those behind the attack remained unclear.
Mansouri's killing is significant because of his senior position within the eastern military structure and comes as Libya continues to struggle with political division, competing armed forces and years of instability.

A SENIOR FIGURE IN HAFTAR'S MILITARY STRUCTURE

Mansouri had held several important military positions during Libya's prolonged conflict.
He served as commander of the Sabha Military Zone from August 3, 2021, before being appointed head of the Military Intelligence Department by Haftar on May 20, 2024.
As military intelligence chief, he was responsible for a sensitive area of Libya's eastern security structure, making his assassination potentially significant for the region's security establishment.
The use of an explosive device placed beneath his vehicle also suggests that the attackers may have closely monitored his movements, although investigators have yet to establish who organised or carried out the operation.

LIBYA'S LONG-RUNNING POLITICAL DIVISION

Mansouri's killing comes against the backdrop of Libya's continuing political fragmentation.
The country remains divided between rival administrations and competing centres of military and political power.
The internationally recognised Government of National Unity, headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, is based in Tripoli and controls much of western Libya.
In the east, a rival administration appointed by the House of Representatives operates from Benghazi and is headed by Osama Hammad.
Haftar's forces remain the dominant military power across much of eastern and southern Libya.
The division has made it difficult for the country to establish a unified national security structure, while armed groups continue to exercise considerable influence in different parts of the country.

ASSASSINATIONS HAVE PREVIOUSLY SHAKEN BENGHAZI

Benghazi has experienced years of political violence, assassinations and armed conflict.
The city became one of the main battlegrounds during Libya's civil wars and the subsequent struggle between Haftar's forces and Islamist and other armed groups.
Over the years, politicians, activists, judges, military officers and security personnel have been targeted in attacks.
Although the security situation in Benghazi has improved considerably compared with the height of the fighting, the assassination of a senior intelligence official demonstrates that serious security threats remain.
Mansouri's killing could therefore raise fresh questions about whether armed networks opposed to Haftar's forces remain capable of carrying out sophisticated attacks inside the city.

HAFTAR'S RISE AND THE EASTERN POWER STRUCTURE

Haftar emerged as one of Libya's most powerful military figures following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
His Libyan National Army, commonly known as the LNA, expanded its influence across large parts of eastern and southern Libya.
In 2019, Haftar launched an offensive aimed at capturing Tripoli and defeating forces supporting the internationally recognised government.
The campaign triggered months of intense fighting around the capital before a ceasefire was reached in 2020.
Although the ceasefire significantly reduced large-scale fighting, Libya's political crisis remained unresolved.
The country has since experienced a fragile peace in which rival authorities continue to compete for control, legitimacy and access to state resources.

THE UN'S SEARCH FOR A POLITICAL SOLUTION

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya has spent years attempting to bring Libya's rival political and military factions together.
The UN has repeatedly pushed for a political settlement and national elections that could establish a unified government with a nationwide mandate.
However, disagreements over election laws, political appointments, control of state institutions and security arrangements have repeatedly delayed progress.
Many Libyans continue to hope that credible elections will eventually provide a way out of the country's prolonged political crisis.
But continued assassinations and other security incidents demonstrate how fragile the situation remains.

WHAT MANSOURI'S KILLING COULD MEAN

The assassination could have consequences beyond the immediate loss of a senior military intelligence officer.
If investigators determine that the attack was politically or militantly motivated, authorities may respond with additional security operations in Benghazi and other areas controlled by Haftar's forces.
The incident could also trigger internal investigations into security procedures surrounding senior military officials.
More importantly, the killing could deepen concerns about the ability of Libya's divided security institutions to protect senior officials and prevent armed groups from exploiting political instability.

THE KILLING RAISES FRESH SECURITY CONCERNS

The immediate priority for Libyan authorities will be identifying those responsible for the attack and determining the motive behind Mansouri's assassination.
Authorities are also likely to examine how the explosive device was planted and whether the attackers had assistance from individuals with access to the general's movements.
For Libya's wider political process, the incident is another reminder that the country's security and political crises remain closely connected.
Until rival administrations and military forces can reach a durable political agreement, targeted attacks such as the killing of Major General Fawzi al-Mansouri risk reinforcing the atmosphere of insecurity that has persisted since the fall of Gaddafi.
For a country that has spent years seeking stability, the assassination of a senior military intelligence chief in his own neighbourhood is a stark reminder of how fragile that stability remains.