Libya: the NOC declares a state of emergency after drone attacks on the Zawiya refinery.

Located about 50 kilometers west of Tripoli, the Zawiya refinery is the second largest in Libya, with a reported capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The attacks have hit several strategic facilities in the city, as the region remains marked by recent violence between rival armed groups.

The first strikes targeted a desalination plant and a power station on Saturday. On Monday evening, a drone loaded with explosives targeted a major gasoline tank in the Zawiya oil region. The tank caught fire before collapsing completely.

Another drone attacked the site on Tuesday, but this new strike reportedly did not cause any damage, according to available information. Firefighters and civil security teams continued to spray the neighboring tanks to prevent the flames from spreading.

“We nearly faced a tragedy,” said Hamdi el Bishti, regional director of Brega Oil, a subsidiary of the NOC present at the site, to AFP. He estimated that a widespread fire in the storage facilities could have led to a disaster for all of western Libya.

Unclaimed Attacks

The NOC described the situation as an emergency, without providing a detailed assessment of the potential damage to other facilities or the implications for refining operations. However, the amount of gasoline contained in the destroyed tank indicates the significance of the incident for regional supply.

The attacks were condemned by the government led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah as well as by the Libyan Parliament. However, neither of these actors assigned responsibility, and no party claimed the operations.

The city of Zawiya had already witnessed recent fighting between two rival militias. These clashes resulted in several civilian casualties and caused significant damage to residential areas, according to media reports.

The increase in attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure highlights the fragility of the security situation in Libya, where two rival executive authorities are vying for power. The circumstances of the drone strikes and their possible link to the recent violence in Zawiya remain to be established.