French embassy in Tripoli hit by car bomb "We strongly condemn this act, which we regard as a terrorist act against a brother nation that supported Libya during the revolution," he said. One resident living less than 100 metres from the embassy said his windows shook when the first blast occurred. "I think there were two blasts, the first was very loud and then there was a smaller one," another witness said. There was some black smoke at first, and then it turned white. Diplomatic missions have been targeted in Libya, most notably an attack on the US mission in the eastern city of Benghazi last September that killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Tuesday's attack is the first such serious assault on an embassy or foreign mission in Tripoli, where in general security is seen as better than in the east. Security remains precarious in post-war Libya, a country awash with weapons and where militias often do as they please. Most foreign embassy staff and international aid workers have strict security in the city. Benghazi remains off-limits to many foreigners.