A drone attack has sparked a fire at a major fuel storage tank at the Zawiya Oil Refinery in western Libya, raising fresh concerns over the security of the country’s critical oil infrastructure.
Reports indicate that the targeted tank was holding approximately 4.5 million litres of petrol when the attack occurred. The resulting fire caused the tank to collapse, although no casualties have been reported.
The latest incident marks the third attack on oil facilities in Zawiya within two days. The identities of those responsible for the attacks remain unknown.
The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) has warned that continued attacks could force it to declare a “force majeure” and suspend refinery operations entirely due to the worsening security situation.
The Zawiya refinery has a processing capacity of approximately 120,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is one of Libya’s key facilities for refining and supplying petroleum products.
Authorities are expected to intensify security measures around oil installations as investigations into the latest attack continue.
