Under Fire Again: Second Drone Strike Hits Libyan Fuel Depot as Firefighters Battle Blaze

ZAWIYA, LIBYA — A key energy asset in western Libya was plunged deeper into crisis after a drone targeted an oil blending and packaging plant operated by the Zawiya Oil Refining Company. The drone crashed near a main oil storage tank and pipeline network, marking the latest in a wave of deliberate aerial strikes against vital energy infrastructure in the city of Zawiya.

The fresh strike landed while emergency crews and safety teams were actively struggling to contain a massive inferno triggered hours earlier, when a separate drone directly hit Tank No. 402-T at the Brega Oil Marketing Company’s depot.

Monday evening's attack, August 10, 2026 on Tank 402-T resulted in catastrophic damage. The vessel—holding approximately 4.5 million liters (1.2 million gallons) of automotive gasoline—erupted into a wall of fire.

As firefighters from the Zawiya Refinery, Brega Oil, and nearby energy firms attempted to isolate the flames, intense heat compromised the integrity of the structure, causing the massive steel tank to completely collapse onto itself. Thick, black smoke billowed across the skyline as emergency services declared a state of maximum emergency in the region.

"Targeting assets carrying millions of liters of volatile fuel presents an extreme, direct threat not only to oil infrastructure and workers, but to the surrounding residential communities and the national economy."— National Oil Corporation (NOC) Official Statement

Emergency crews from across the region faced hazardous conditions, forced to cool nearby fuel storage units to prevent a domino-effect explosion across the complex.

The early Tuesday drone impact near the blending plant’s pipeline network heightened fears that emergency responders were operating under active targeting. Although no casualties or major structural damage were reported from Tuesday's impact, the persistent aerial threats have put first responders on heightened alert.

The Zawiya facility is Libya's largest operational oil refinery, processing up to 120,000 barrels per day and linked directly to the massive 300,000-bpd Sharara oilfield.

In response to the escalation, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) issued a stern warning: if drone attacks on oil assets in Zawiya continue, the corporation will be forced to declare force majeure and completely suspend refining and distribution operations.

Brega Oil Marketing Company and local authorities have appealed to all armed factions to cease targeting state energy assets, reminding all parties that public fuel infrastructure belongs to the Libyan people and remains vital to everyday national life.