United Nations, October 3 (RHC)-- The United Nations Security Council has announced that it will impose sanctions on those who impede UN-sponsored peace negotiations in Libya.

The 15-member council unanimously "expressed their readiness to use targeted sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, against individuals or entities that threatened Libya's peace and stability or undermined its political transition," said a UN statement issued on Thursday.

The Security Council's warning came shortly after bomb attacks and clashes near the Benina International Airport east of the city of Benghazi claimed the lives of seven Libyan soldiers and wounded over 50 people earlier in the day.

The fresh clashes are the latest between armed groups and the Libyan army which have greatly destabilized the North African country, driving it towards a full-scale civil war.

The peace talks between dominant rival groups in Libya started on September 29th in the town of Ghadames. Following the Ghadames negotiations, the Libyan army declared a truce and stopped its military operations on Wednesday, a fragile move that lasted for a day.

Libya has plunged into chaos following the 2011 U.S.-NATO bombings that brought down the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi. The ouster of Gaddafi gave rise to a patchwork of heavily-armed militias and deep political divisions.

The North African country has been witnessing numerous clashes between government forces and rival militia groups that refuse to lay down arms. The groups are now turning their guns on each other in an attempt to dominate politics and the country's vast oil resources.