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A car bomb exploded outside the French embassy in the Libyan capital on Tuesday, injuring two French security guards and several local residents, government officials said.

The blast partially destroyed the embassy building, located in the al-Andalus district in central Tripoli.

The explosion was so powerful that it also damaged 30 nearby houses and dozens of cars, Abdel-Hakim Talah, a housing official in Tripoli, told the state-run Libyan News Agency.

No one has claimed responsibility.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned the attack as an "odious act" and vowed to catch those responsible.

"In cooperation with the Libyan authorities, the state services will do everything to shed full light on the circumstances of this odious act and to quickly identify its authors," Fabius said in a statement.

President Francois Hollande said he expected Libya to "shed full light" on the incident.

The Libyan government denounced the bombing as an "act of terrorism."

"Libya - people and government - fully rejects such acts and consider them directly targeting Libya's security and stability."

Libya's new rulers have been struggling to assert their authority and re-establish security in the North African country since an armed revolt overthrew Moamer Gaddafi in late 2011.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also condemned the attack.

"The EU remains committed to assist Libya in implementing the democratic transition process with the objective of ensuring peace and security in full respect for the rule of law and human rights," she said in Brussels.

The US ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other US diplomats were killed in September at the US consulate in the city of Benghazi in eastern Libya.