TRIPOLI, LIBYA — Security forces operating under the UN-recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli have arrested five suspects—including foreign nationals—in connection with a series of hostile drone strikes that targeted the strategically critical Zawiya oil complex and key energy infrastructure across western Libya.
The Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday, September 6, 2026, that an intensive intelligence operation successfully dismantled an organized "sabotage cell" responsible for launching explosive-laden drones. Authorities confirmed that the group was actively preparing additional strikes aimed at disrupting the national power grid and targeting prominent security and military officials.
The wave of high-tech sabotage began in early August, when multiple remotely detonated kamikaze drones repeatedly struck the Zawiya facility, situated roughly 45 kilometers west of Tripoli. The attacks ruptured a major naphtha reservoir, damaged a water desalination plant, and ignited a massive blaze in a 4.5-million-liter gasoline storage tank, threatening total operational shutdown at the country's second-largest refinery.
Subsequent drone incursions extended beyond Zawiya, with strikes hitting electrical substations and a Brega Petroleum fuel storage depot on Tripoli's Airport Road. While state energy officials managed to contain the physical blazes without casualties or fuel supply collapse, the repeated breaches forced Libya's National Oil Corporation to place all major installations on maximum emergency alert.
Government investigators revealed that analysis of the downed drones and recovered hardware exposed a broader, highly coordinated campaign involving external backing, rather than isolated criminal acts. Security agencies continue to track down secondary operatives, financial backers, and logistics providers tied to the cell's network.
The successful arrests represent a critical breakthrough for the Tripoli administration as it seeks to reassure international investors and safeguard the nation's vital petroleum assets amidst persistent regional political fragmentation. Operational security has been reinforced across all coastal refineries, power plants, and distribution pipelines to prevent further disruption.
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