Group claims suicide attack in Benghazi

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack in Benghazi, Al Jazeera reports.

A car laden with explosives had driven into an army checkpoint in the Lithi district of Benghazi killing 7 people - 5 army officers and 2 civillians.

The deadly attack triggered a retaliatory air strikes on suspected ISIL positions by Libyan army forces.

Meanwhile, a 17-year old girl and another unidentified person was killed in a separate incident in Libya's second-largest city, after a rocket hit a residential building.

Benghazi is suffering heavy clashes almost daily between ISIL and forces of the internationally recognised government. The port has been closed for more than 4 months, disrupting wheat and food imports.