Tripoli (HRNW)- A drone strike on a major electricity substation in the western Libyan city of Zawiya has caused a large fire, completely destroying the facility and disrupting electricity supplies to southern parts of the city.
According to Libya’s state-owned General Electricity Company, the substation was targeted by a drone on Wednesday. The facility caught fire following the attack and was completely destroyed.
Located about 47 kilometers west of Tripoli, Zawiya is an important energy hub with a population of approximately 250,000. The city is home to Libya’s largest oil refinery, a major oil export terminal and a power plant.
Drone attacks targeting Zawiya’s oil and electricity infrastructure have increased in recent days. On Monday, a fuel tank at the city’s oil refinery was struck, causing a major fire that firefighters reportedly took more than 15 hours to extinguish.
The refinery was reportedly targeted again on Tuesday and during the preceding weekend, according to the state-run National Oil Corporation. Two drone attacks also targeted the city’s power plant on Tuesday. One damaged a firefighting system, while another crashed near a main fuel storage facility and caused a fire.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Meanwhile, US-based General Electric has withdrawn its personnel from the Zawiya power plant because of growing security concerns. The company had been carrying out maintenance and modernization work at the facility. Officials said the withdrawal has affected the plant’s production capacity by more than 700 megawatts, while its total capacity is approximately 1,300 megawatts.
The attacks in Zawiya are also being linked to rising tensions between Libya’s western-based government and Mohammed Bahroun, a powerful armed figure who holds influence in the city. Various armed groups continue to operate across western Libya, with some maintaining links to the government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli.
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