BENGHAZI, Libya
At least 47 people were killed – including three Egyptians – in three suicide bombings that rocked Libya's eastern city of Al-Qubbah on Friday, a Libyan military spokesman has said.
"The death toll has risen to 47, including three Egyptians and two Sudanese nationals," Ahmed al-Mesmari, a spokesman for the army's chief-of-staff, told The Anadolu Agency.
Earlier Friday, three suicide bombers in Al-Qubbah struck a local police headquarters, a petrol station and the home of Aguila Saleh, speaker of Libya's internationally-recognized House of Representatives.
Two of the bombings were later claimed by a group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militant group, which said the attacks were "revenge" for the Tobruk-based government's "conspiracy against the Muslims of Darnah."
According to al-Mesmari, Libyan warplanes struck suspected ISIL targets in the eastern city of Darnah following Friday's bombings.
Eyewitnesses said Libyan fighter jets had struck the headquarters of the self-styled Shura Council of Mujahedeen of Darnah in Ras al-Helal, located roughly 30km from Darnah.
The Shura Council had earlier denied any connection to Friday's bombings.
The bombings came four days after Egypt launched a series of airstrikes – carried out in coordination with Libya's internationally recognized Tobruk government – against suspected ISIL targets in Darnah.
The airstrikes ostensibly came in response to a video – which appeared on Sunday – purportedly showing the execution of 21 Christian Egyptian hostages by ISIL militants in Libya.
In recent months, fractious Libya's sharp political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government – each of which has its own institutions – in Tripoli and Tobruk respectively.
Bahrain, UAE, UN condemn eastern Libya bombings
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the UN mission in Libya have condemned a series of bombings in Libya's eastern Al-Qubbah city that left 47 dead and dozens injured on Friday.
"The bombings – which targeted several locations in Al-Qubbah, the hometown of House of Representatives speaker Aqila Saleh Kuweider – were cowardly acts that we totally reject," the UN mission said in a statement.
The mission offered it condolences to victims' families, asserting: "The best response to counter terrorism and violence is for the Libyans to forge ahead with the search for a political solution."
The UAE, for its part, likewise condemned the attack, with President Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan ordering that injured victims be taken abroad for treatment, the UAE's official news agency reported.
Bahrain, too, denounced Friday's bombings in Libya, offering its condolences to victims' families and wishing the injured a speedy recovery, according to Bahrain's state-run news agency.
Earlier Friday, a group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militant group claimed responsibility for a number of suicide bombings that targeted an operations room belonging to Libyan army commander Khalifa Haftar in the eastern city of Al-Qubbah.
