Major-General Fawzi al-Mansouri, the head of military intelligence for the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces in eastern Libya, was killed in an assassination on Monday, August 11 or August 10.
The explosion occurred in the al-Sayyida Aisha neighborhood of Benghazi, Libya, as al-Mansouri was leaving a mosque following evening prayers. A Libyan security official told Anadolu that an improvised explosive device (IED) planted under the vehicle detonated as al-Mansouri was getting into the car.
The LNA described the assassination as a 'cowardly and criminal act' and stated on Facebook that those responsible would not escape punishment. Khaled Haftar, a high-ranking LNA official and son of Khalifa Haftar, referred to the incident as a 'terrorist attack'.
Investigations and security implications
The Libya-based Government of National Unity (GNU) characterized the assassination as a 'terrorist act' and urged Prosecutor General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour to open an investigation. While the office of Khaled Haftar stated that authorities arrested a 'terrorist cell in Benghazi' preparing acts of sabotage, no direct link to the assassination was made.
Al-Mansouri had been appointed by Khalifa Haftar to lead military intelligence on May 20, 2024, having previously served as the commander of the Sabha Military Region since August 3, 2021. He was involved in the planning of a 2019 offensive on Tripoli and played a role in fighting jihadist groups in eastern Libya between 2014 and 2017.
Analysts noted the significance of the attack. Experts suggest this is one of the first attacks against a high-ranking LNA member in approximately ten years. Hamish Kinnear, an analyst with UK-based Verisk Maplecroft, said the attack is a 'major blow to the group's security credentials' and a 'grave setback for the security apparatus' of the Haftar camp.
Impact on reunification efforts
The assassination occurs amidst a political division in Libya, which has been split between the UN-recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli and a rival administration in Benghazi since 2011. The LNA currently controls all of eastern Libya and much of the south.
Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert at the Royal United Services Institute, stated the killing could 'disrupt, or at the very least delay' the US-brokered reunification plan, noting the agreement relies on 'unshakeable security in Benghazi'. The US-mediated plan involves Saddam Haftar potentially taking the presidency of a unified executive in Sirte, while keeping Abdulhamid Dbeibah as Prime Minister.
The killing would disrupt, or at the very least delay the US-brokered reunification plan.
Reuters reports that the assassination follows a pattern of targeted violence against high-ranking Libyan military officers.
