Drone strike in western Libya torches a power substation, triggering outages

On Wednesday, a drone strike ignited a fire at a power substation in western Libya's Zawiya city, leaving the facility completely destroyed and causing power outages in the southern parts of the city, about 30 miles west of Tripoli. This was the latest in a series of drone attacks on energy and oil facilities, threatening to further destabilize the country already divided between rival governments.

Zawiya, home to Libya’s largest oil refinery and an export terminal, was targeted by multiple drone strikes on Monday and Tuesday, with the refinery being set ablaze for over 15 hours. The power plant also faced two drone attacks on Tuesday, damaging its firefighting system and fuel storage. Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah of one of Libya’s two rival governments denounced the attacks as "a serious crime and an escalation that will not go unanswered."

No group has claimed responsibility for the drone strikes, but tensions are rising between Dbeibah’s administration and warlord Mohamed Bahroun, who controls Zawiya. The attacks come amid efforts by Turkey, the main foreign supporter of Dbeibah’s government, to mend ties with eastern Libya.