Fifth day of drone strikes cut power to large parts of Zawiya in western Libya

Fifth day of drone strikes cut power to large parts of Zawiya in western Libya
A fire in a storage tank burns as firefighters work to control the blaze, at an oil refinery in Zawiya, Libya, 10 August 2026.
Reuters

Large parts of Libya’s fourth largest city have been left without power following a drone attack on a power station, the country's state energy company has said. The incident in Zawiya is the latest in a spate of strikes on energy infrastructure in the city since Saturday.

Libya’s General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) said that repeated attacks caused severe damage to the Zawiya power station and forced the firm to withdraw its technical teams, which could cause further delays in maintenance and restoration of electricity services.

More than 700 megawatts of the plant’s total 1,300 MW of generation capacity remained unavailable, it added.

The north African country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Tuesday (11 August) that it had brought all fires at fuel tanks at the Zawiya oil complex under control, following several days of attacks. Explosive-laden drones were used in the strikes on the country’s largest oil refinery, which began on Saturday, the firm added.

Reuters
Head of the Tripoli government, Libya's Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, speaking in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025.
Reuters

The NOC also warned that it could declare a force majeure and completely halt operations at the refinery if the attacks continued. There were no reports of casualties as of Tuesday, Libya’s health authorities said. 

Divided between two governments 

Libya remains divided between the internationally recognised 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 coastal city of Zawiya is controlled by local militia led by Mohamed Bahroun, who is loosely allied to the Tripoli government. In recent weeks, clashes have broken out in Zawiya between Bahroun’s forces and another militia aligned with the Government of National Unity commanded by Othman Al-Lahab.

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