At least 23 people were killed and many injured in a suicide car bomb attack in the eastern Libiyan city of Benghazi, a hospital official said. The attack yesterday targeted forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army, spokesman Fadel al-Hassi said.
A witness told an agency that the powerful explosion reduced a three-story building to rubble. The blast occurred in a residential area in the Guwarsha district in western Benghazi.
It is reported that fighting has been raging in Benghazi between forces under the command of Brig. Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militias for the past two years. The attack comes after the United States started an air campaign on Monday in the central city of Sirte, the last bastion of the Islamic State extremist group in Libya.
Since 2014, the country has been divided between two governments and parliaments, and a loose set of militias and tribes. The UN-brokered government led by Fayez Serraj aimed at healing the rift, but a crucial vote of confidence has yet to be obtained from Parliament.