The Zawiya refinery, located west of Tripoli and Libya’s largest operational oil facility, sustained significant damage following a drone attack on Monday evening. The strike directly hit a storage tank containing approximately 4.5 million liters of fuel, causing the tank to collapse and triggering a major fire that emergency services worked to contain. The facility typically produces 120,000 barrels per day.
The National Oil Corporation reported that there were no serious injuries from the incident, though the Ambulance and Emergency Service indicated that most patients required treatment for smoke inhalation. The corporation indicated it was evaluating whether to suspend operations should additional attacks occur. The attack marked the third incident in two days, following earlier drone strikes on a naphtha reservoir and a water desalination plant at the same location.
Libyan authorities have launched an investigation into the source of the attacks, with the National Oil Corporation condemning the violence. The incidents underscore broader instability within the country, which has remained fractured since a civil conflict emerged following the fall of the previous government. Libya has been divided between competing power centers, one in the eastern region led by military commander Khalifa Haftar and another in the western capital region under Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, with both sides vying for political and military control.
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