A drone strike targeted a power station in the western Libyan city of Zawiya early Wednesday, triggering a fire and knocking the facility out of service, the country’s General Electricity Company confirmed.

Footage circulated by Libyan outlets showed flames rising from the facility following the reported attack. The incident is the latest in a series of drone strikes targeting critical infrastructure in Zawiya, located roughly 40 kilometers west of Tripoli.

The General Electricity Company said the South Zawiya transformation station was struck and burned completely, resulting in widespread power cuts in surrounding areas.

The company warned that continued attacks on electricity infrastructure could threaten the stability of Libya’s national grid and potentially lead to broader partial or nationwide blackouts.

The latest strike comes as insecurity in Zawiya has increasingly affected electricity infrastructure, transmission lines and grid equipment. The violence has also disrupted maintenance work at the city’s 1,300-megawatt Zawiya power plant.

Technical teams from a US company had withdrawn from the plant in June because of deteriorating security conditions, delaying major maintenance operations. As a result, more than 700 megawatts of generating capacity remained unavailable to Libya’s national grid, according to the electricity company.

Following Wednesday’s attack, work at the plant was halted and technical teams evacuated until authorities can guarantee safe working conditions.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest drone strike.

The attacks have also extended to Zawiya’s strategically important oil infrastructure.

On Tuesday, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said the Zawiya Oil Refinery had been targeted for the fifth time since Sunday. An explosive-laden drone struck the roof of a diesel storage tank, damaging the tank and triggering a fire that emergency crews subsequently brought under control.

Another drone attack earlier Tuesday targeted a separate diesel tank and caused another fire. No casualties were reported in the refinery strikes.

The NOC has warned that continued attacks could force it to suspend operations at the facility and potentially declare force majeure if the security situation does not improve.

The refinery is Libya’s largest operating refinery, with a processing capacity of approximately 120,000 barrels per day, making its security crucial for domestic fuel supplies and the wider energy sector.

The latest attacks come against the backdrop of persistent armed-group tensions in Zawiya and surrounding areas.

Last week, clashes between rival armed groups spread from Zawiya to nearby Surman, resulting in deaths and injuries and reportedly contributing to a prison break.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has previously warned that continued violence in Zawiya threatens civilians as well as critical infrastructure. In May, the mission called for an immediate end to armed clashes and stressed that civilian infrastructure must not be turned into battlefields.

The UN has also warned that competition among armed groups for territorial control, influence and access to state resources continues to undermine Libya’s security and institutions.

Libya has remained politically divided since the 2011 overthrow of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The internationally recognized, Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, continues to face a rival administration in eastern Libya led by Osama Hammad and backed by forces aligned with eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar.

The political division has repeatedly contributed to armed confrontations and complicated efforts to establish unified state institutions.

The UN mission continues to support efforts aimed at resolving the political deadlock and reviving Libya’s long-delayed national elections. UNSMIL’s mandate was renewed through October 31, 2026, as part of international efforts to advance a political settlement and national reconciliation.

With both electricity and oil facilities now repeatedly coming under attack, the latest escalation in Zawiya has raised renewed concerns about the safety of civilians, the continuity of essential services and the stability of Libya’s already fragile energy infrastructure. (ILKHA)