Drone strike cuts power near Libya's Zawiya after electricity station destroyed

A one-way explosive drone destroyed an electricity substation near Zawiya, Libya, on Wednesday, cutting power to vast areas south of the city. The General Electricity Company of Libya stated the substation was entirely engulfed in flames. Zawiya's energy infrastructure has been repeatedly targeted by drones amid fighting between two militias affiliated with the Tripoli government.

This was the sixth attack in five days and the first to disrupt power supply. The General Electricity Company had already withdrawn its engineers from the Zawiya power plant due to security concerns. Over 700 megawatts of the plant's 1,300MW capacity had been offline since June. The company has now withdrawn engineers a second time, awaiting assurances.

Recent drone strikes have also targeted a naphtha, petrol, and diesel storage facility, an oil-blending plant at the Zawiya refinery, and a desalination plant. No group has claimed responsibility. The National Oil Corporation has warned of a force majeure declaration if attacks persist. All fires from the attacks have been extinguished.

No deaths were reported. A statement from the Petroleum Facilities Guard militia suggested the use of first-person-view drones, controlled by fiber-optic cables. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah condemned the attacks as a "serious crime" and vowed no one's influence would protect the perpetrators. He met with his Interior Minister and armed groups' chiefs to address the issue.

Western Libya is governed by various militias under Tripoli government control, with one militia involved in the Zawiya clashes nominally under Interior Ministry command and the other under Defence Ministry. The conflict began after a drone strike killed at least five members of the 103rd Battalion on August 4. Eastern Libya is controlled by a rival administration, with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan holding talks with Dbeibah on Tuesday to promote political and military unification.

The assassination of Libya's intelligence chief in a car bombing, with no claim of responsibility, has heightened fears of further instability in the country.