Drone strike hits Zawiya oil refinery fuel tank as Libya conflict escalates

A drone struck an untreated naphtha storage tank at Libya’s Zawiya oil refinery in the early hours of August 8, hitting tank No. 1-7 at around 3:45 a.m. local time and punching two holes in its shell. The impact caused a limited naphtha leak, but no fire, no explosion, and no injuries. NOC Chairman Masoud Suleman confirmed the incident, noting that refinery emergency teams moved quickly to contain the spill. What happened at Zawiya The Zawiya Oil Refining Company confirmed that operations at the refinery were not significantly disrupted following the strike. A second drone attack had also occurred the Saturday prior, though that incident produced no fire either. Tank No. 1-7 held untreated naphtha, a light, highly flammable hydrocarbon fraction that sits early in the refining process. The Zawiya refinery carries a historical processing capacity of approximately 120,000 barrels per day, making it one of Libya’s more significant domestic fuel production facilities. It supplies refined products to Libya’s western region. A refinery that has seen this before This is not the first time in 2026 that Zawiya has been forced to halt or limit operations. The facility shut down in May followi...