Drone Attacks Set Fire to Libya’s Major Oil Refinery Complex

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said Tuesday that firefighters had contained all blazes caused by drone attacks on the Zawiya oil refinery, the country’s second-largest refinery.

A large gasoline storage tank caught fire and collapsed on Monday night after it was struck by a drone. A second drone crashed near another tank but caused no casualties, according to Hamdi al-Bishti, head of the Brega Oil Company, which operates the refinery.

The NOC said another drone also targeted the facility but caused no damage. It remains unclear who was responsible for the attacks.

Libya’s Tripoli-based government condemned the strikes, describing them as a serious escalation and promising to track down those responsible. Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said the attacks posed a direct threat to citizens, workers and vital infrastructure.

Firefighters had worked through the night to contain the blaze and cool nearby tanks to prevent the fire from spreading. The damaged tank contained around 4.5 million litres of gasoline, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency.

The attacks came days after similar drone strikes targeted a naphtha storage facility and a water desalination plant.

The Zawiya refinery has a refining capacity of about 120,000 barrels per day and stores large quantities of diesel, kerosene, gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which are important for supplying power stations in western Libya.

Libya holds Africa’s largest proven oil reserves but has faced prolonged political instability and violence since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country remains divided between rival administrations in the west and east.

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