Libya’s Zawiya Oil Refinery Suffers Major Fire Following Drone Strike

Libyan emergency services are engaged in a fierce battle to contain a massive fire at a key oil facility, which was targeted by unknown assailants.

The Zawiya refinery, situated west of the capital Tripoli, was struck by a drone on Monday evening, marking the third attack in just two days.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) reported that a tank holding approximately 4.5 million litres of fuel was directly impacted, triggering a massive fire that caused the facility to collapse. The company indicated it is weighing whether to halt operations if the attacks persist.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries from the blaze, and most patients were treated for smoke inhalation, according to Libya’s ambulance and emergency services on Tuesday.

The Zawiya refinery is Libya’s largest operational facility, processing 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) condemned similar attacks against the Zawiya area over the past several days, including two drone strikes targeting a naphtha reservoir and a water desalination plant.

The company has urged authorities to investigate the perpetrators of the attacks.

These attacks have underscored ongoing instability in Libya, which has been fragmented since the civil war that erupted following the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Colonel Gaddafi seized power in 1969 and ruled autocratically for four decades until he was toppled and killed in 2011, a year that saw a rebellion backed by Western military intervention.

In the aftermath of his fall, rival power centers—such as those based in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar, and those in the west, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah—have been competing fiercely for political and military dominance.

Source link