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Renewed drone strikes in Zawiya hit Libya power station

Black smoke and flames rise during a fire at the Zawiya refinery, the second-largest oil refinery in Libya, with a refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, after a storage tank belonging to the state-owned Libyan Brega Oli Company was attacked by unknown perpetrators, in al-Zawiyah on August 11, 2026. (AFP Photo)
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Black smoke and flames rise during a fire at the Zawiya refinery, the second-largest oil refinery in Libya, with a refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, after a storage tank belonging to the state-owned Libyan Brega Oli Company was attacked by unknown perpetrators, in al-Zawiyah on August 11, 2026. (AFP Photo)
August 12, 2026 10:07 AM GMT+03:00

A drone targeted a power station in Libya's western city of Zawiya early Wednesday, sparking a fire at the facility, local media reported.

Footage carried by Libyan outlets showed flames rising from the power station after the reported strike.

The attack followed a series of drone strikes on key infrastructure in Zawiya, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Tripoli.

Libya's General Electricity Company said the South Zawiya transformation station was targeted, causing it to burn completely and go out of service.

The attack cut electricity to wide areas, the company said.

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside a diesel tank following an attack at the Zawiya Oil Complex, west of Tripoli, Libya on August 11, 2026. (AA Photo)
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside a diesel tank following an attack at the Zawiya Oil Complex, west of Tripoli, Libya on August 11, 2026. (AA Photo)

Grid stability at risk

The company said recent attacks and security instability in Zawiya had directly damaged electricity facilities, transmission lines and grid equipment.

It said the violence also affected maintenance work at the 1,300-megawatt Zawiya power plant.

A U.S. company had already withdrawn its technical teams from the plant in June because of security conditions, delaying major maintenance work and leaving more than 700 megawatts of the plant's capacity unavailable to the national grid, the company said.

All work at the plant has been halted, and teams have been evacuated until safe working conditions are restored.

The company warned that continued attacks on electricity infrastructure could threaten the stability of the national grid and lead to wider disruptions, including partial or general blackouts.

No group has claimed responsibility.

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside a diesel tank following an attack at the Zawiya Oil Complex, west of Tripoli, Libya on August 11, 2026. (AA Photo)
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside a diesel tank following an attack at the Zawiya Oil Complex, west of Tripoli, Libya on August 11, 2026. (AA Photo)

Oil refinery targeted repeatedly

On Tuesday, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said the Zawiya Oil Refinery had been targeted for the fifth time since Sunday.

The state-run company said an explosive-laden drone struck the roof of a diesel tank, piercing it and triggering a fire that emergency teams later brought under control.

Another drone targeted a separate diesel tank at the refinery earlier Tuesday, also causing a fire.

No casualties were reported in either attack.

The corporation said refinery operations had resumed after the earlier strikes and that fuel supplies and reserves remained unaffected.

Zawiya violence follows armed clashes

Last week, clashes between armed groups in Zawiya spread to the nearby city of Surman, leaving people dead and injured and resulting in a prison break.

Libya remains divided between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, and a rival administration appointed by the House of Representatives and headed by Osama Hammad in Benghazi.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has sought to resolve political disputes that have delayed long-awaited national elections.

Libyans hope the vote will help end years of political division and armed conflict following the 2011 overthrow of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

August 12, 2026 10:07 AM GMT+03:00
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