Libyan emergency services have spent hours battling a huge fire at the Zawiya oil refinery, west of Tripoli, after it was struck in a drone attack on Monday evening. It was the third such strike in the area in two days, and the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said it may suspend operations at the facility if the attacks continue. The incident underscores the persistent instability in Libya, which has remained divided between rival eastern and western power centres since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

The strike directly hit a fuel tank holding around 4.5 million litres, causing it to collapse and triggering the blaze; officials reported no serious injuries, with most casualties treated for smoke inhalation. Zawiya is Libya's largest operational refinery, producing 120,000 barrels a day, and the NOC also condemned recent drone strikes on a naphtha reservoir and a water desalination plant in the same area, calling for an investigation into those responsible. No group has claimed the attacks, which come amid ongoing rivalry between the Tripoli-based government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah and eastern forces led by Khalifa Haftar.