There is an increasing risk of Libya becoming a haven for combatants from Islamic State, even as western nations target the extremist jihadist group in Iraq and Syria, the French defense minister warned in comments published Sunday.

"We see foreign jihadists arriving in the region of Syrte (northern Libya) who, if our operations in Syria and Iraq succeed in reducing the territorial reach of Daesh (Islamic State, IS) could tomorrow be more numerous," defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Jeune Afrique weekly.

Rocket fire Wednesday killed a commander and wounded five other soldiers of the armed forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognized government in the coastal city of Benghazi, a military source said.

Colonel Ali al-Themen was killed in the eastern district of Sidi Faraj as his forces advanced on positions held by "extremist groups", Nasser el-Hassi, spokesman for the Benina air base south of Benghazi, was quoted as saying by the Lana news agency.

At least six civilians were killed and 14 wounded in a bomb attack on a Libyan security checkpoint Tuesday near Khoms, east of the capital, a security official said.

The attack, for which there was no immediate claim of responsibility, targeted a checkpoint manned by forces of Libya's unrecognized government at Msillata, near Khoms, 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Tripoli.

Rival sides in chaos-ridden Libya must reach a deal to create a new unity government in order to stop Islamic State jihadists from taking over, the French defense minister said Sunday.

"There must be an intra-Libyan accord between these two rival factions, or else Daesh will win," Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The United Arab Emirates shipped weapons to Libyan factions fighting Islamists while offering a $50,000-month job to the U.N. envoy negotiating a peace deal for Libya, according to leaked emails reported by the New York Times on Thursday.

The latest revelations again raised questions about allegations of conflict of interest targeting the envoy, Bernardino Leon, that may compromise the preliminary deal for Libya that he has negotiated.

An Emirati arrested in Tripoli on suspicion of spying on Libyan authorities in charge of the capital was an ex-sergeant dismissed by Dubai police five years ago, the force said on Twitter.

The unnamed suspect was arrested on November 5 and is being questioned, Siddick al-Sour, the head of the prosecutor general's office in Tripoli told AFP.

At least 13 members of Libya's army were killed by "terrorist" violence on Tuesday in the east of the war-torn country, an army spokesman said.

"Most of the soldiers were killed by landmines planted by terrorist organizations," spokesman Miloud al-Zawi told LANA, the official news agency of the internationally recognized government.

When young Moroccan Rachid paid $1,500 to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, he never thought he would end up instead in a Libyan detention center.

Just before the 25-year-old was set to leave Libya, local authorities carried out a raid in Garabulli, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) from Tripoli, detaining two smugglers and some 100 migrants including him.

Libya's unrecognized government Thursday accused UN envoy Bernardino Leon of a conflict of interest after he reportedly negotiated a high-paying job in Abu Dhabi while trying to defuse the Libyan crisis. 

In a letter addressed to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, the president of the General National Congress (GNC), Nouri Abusahmain, voiced concern that Leon had taken up a post in Abu Dhabi, which openly backs a rival administration.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for NATO powers to help rebuild Libya, beset by violence since an uprising backed by the Western military alliance toppled leader Moammar Gadhafi, in an interview on Tuesday.

Sisi was quoted in British newspaper the Daily Telegraph ahead of a visit to London in which he is to discuss security co-operation with Prime Minister David Cameron.