Mohammed Ertima and Ikram Kouachi
03 September 2026•Update: 03 September 2026
Libya's Brega Petroleum Marketing Company said Thursday that the Tripoli oil depot was targeted by a "flying object suspected to be a drone" that fell next to one of the fuel tanks, with no injuries reported.
In a statement, the state-owned company strongly condemned the attack, saying it “occurred early Thursday after the flying object, suspected to be a drone, entered the depot's airspace and fell next to one of the tanks.”
No casualties were reported in the incident, it said.
Specialized teams and relevant authorities immediately began taking necessary measures and securing the site, according to the statement.
The company reassured citizens that fuel operations, including distribution and supply, were continuing normally and that the incident had not affected operations or the fulfillment of scheduled orders for fuel stations.
It called for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the incident, identification of those responsible and the necessary legal action against them.
The targeting comes as cities and areas across Libya have been facing a severe fuel shortage for about a week, resulting in long queues at distribution stations, some stretching more than 5 kilometers, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
In the second week of August, vital facilities, including oil storage tanks, water desalination plants and power generation facilities in the city of Zawiya, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Tripoli, came under near-daily attacks by explosive-laden drones.
On Tuesday, the interior minister and head of the National Unity Government's committee tasked with addressing the fuel and gas crisis, Imad Trabelsi, announced the closure of 490 fuel stations, saying investigations had shown that they were being exploited in smuggling operations.
He said about 365 stations had been authorized to operate based on actual needs.
Trabelsi added that the committee would continue efforts to combat fuel manipulation and its sale on the black market, saying those benefiting from such operations make profits at the expense of Libyan citizens and the national economy.
Libya has been facing a political crisis amid the presence of two rival governments.
The first is the Government of National Unity, headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and based in Tripoli, which administers western Libya. The second is headed by Osama Hamad, appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022 and based in Benghazi, which administers eastern Libya and most of the country's south.
