Libyan authorities battle big blaze at major oil refinery
Monday's drone strike on the Zawiya refinery was the third such incident in two days.
Libyan emergency services are struggling to control a massive fire at a major oil refinery following a drone strike. The Zawiya refinery, located west of the capital Tripoli, was targeted in the attack, which is the third incident in the past two days. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) reported that a tank holding approximately 4.5 million liters of fuel was directly hit, leading to a significant fire that caused the tank to collapse.
Authorities are contemplating halting operations if the attacks persist. No serious injuries were reported, with most individuals treated for smoke inhalation by Libya's Ambulance and Emergency Service. The Zawiya refinery is the largest operational facility in the country, producing 120,000 barrels of oil per day daily. The NOC denounced the recent attacks, including two drone strikes on a naphtha reservoir and a water desalination plant, urging authorities to investigate the perpetrators.
These incidents have underscored the ongoing instability in Libya, which has been divided since the civil war erupted after the ousting of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Gaddafi ruled autocratically for four decades before his death in 2011, following a rebellion backed by Western military intervention. Libya's rival power centers, one based in the east under military commander Khalifa Haftar and the other in the west led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, are vying for political and military control.
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