Libya's High Council of State warns oil facilities are a red line

Libya's High Council of State has issued a stern warning, cautioning that oil facilities should never be used as leverage in conflicts. This advisory follows a series of drone attacks on the country's critical oil infrastructure, with the latest incident targeting the Zawiya refinery.

The High Council of State emphasized that oil infrastructure constitutes a "red line" and should remain untouched amidst the turmoil. The council's concerns were underscored by the National Oil Corporation's revelation that a drone had crashed near the main oil tank and pipeline network at the Zawiya Oil Refinery, marking the third attack in just two days.

Remarkably, despite the drone crash, there were no reported injuries or damages to the facility. However, the National Oil Corporation issued a stark warning - should these attacks persist, the corporation would be compelled to declare "force majeure" and cease all operations at the refinery.

As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the drone attacks, and Libyan authorities have not pointed fingers at any specific party. The Zawiya refinery, located approximately 40 kilometers west of Tripoli, boasts a refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. This refinery is linked to the Sharara oil field, which pumps out around 300,000 barrels daily.

Zawiya stands as Libya's largest operational refinery, while the notorious Ras Lanuf refinery remains incapacitated and out of action.