A series of drone attacks on Libya's second-largest oil refinery in Zawiya, a city roughly 45 kilometres west of the capital Tripoli, has sparked major fires and prompted the country's National Oil Corporation (NOC) to declare a state of emergency. The attacks, which targeted a large gasoline reservoir, a naphtha tank, and a water desalination plant over several days, caused one storage tank holding approximately 4.5 million litres of gasoline to catch fire and collapse. The NOC confirmed on Tuesday evening that all fires had been contained following intensive firefighting efforts and the cooling of adjacent tanks to prevent the blaze from spreading.
Hamdi al-Bishti, head of the Brega Oil Company that operates the refinery, described the incident as a near catastrophe. "It's a heinous act," he said. "We came close to tragedy." The refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, holds significant quantities of diesel, kerosene, gasoline, and liquefied petroleum gas intended to fuel power stations across western Libya. A separate drone strike also hit a power station near the refinery complex, compounding the threat to an already strained energy infrastructure. The government has been considering a full shutdown of the facility in light of the sustained attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the strikes. The Tripoli-based government, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, condemned the attacks as "an escalation that will not go unpunished", calling them a direct threat to citizens, workers, and vital national infrastructure. Dbeibah convened a meeting with senior officials, including the interior minister and leaders of armed groups in the capital, to assess the security situation and vow firm action against those responsible. A parliamentary panel has also called for stronger protection of oil installations.
The attacks come at a particularly fragile moment for Libya. The country holds Africa's largest proven oil reserves but has been mired in conflict and division since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. Two rival administrations continue to compete for legitimacy and control: the UN-recognised government in Tripoli and a competing authority in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar. The strikes follow growing public frustration over chronic electricity shortages — last month, protesters stormed the Mellitah gas complex over prolonged power cuts, forcing it to halt operations.
The repeated targeting of energy infrastructure underscores the vulnerability of Libya's economy, which is almost entirely dependent on oil revenues. Sustained damage to refining capacity would deepen fuel shortages and power cuts in western Libya, further eroding public confidence in the country's fragile institutions at a time when political reconciliation remains elusive.