Fires at Libya's Zawiya Refinery Brought Under Control, NOC Says

General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo
General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo
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Fires at Libya's Zawiya Refinery Brought Under Control, NOC Says

General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo
General view of the Libyan state National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, Libya July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed/File Photo

Fires that broke out in a number of reservoirs in Libya's Zawiya refinery have been brought under control, Khaled Abulgasem Gulam, spokesperson for the country's National Oil Corporation (NOC), said in a statement on Sunday.

Zawiya, 40 km (25 miles) west of the capital Tripoli, is home to Libya's biggest functioning refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. The refinery is connected to the country's 300,000 bpd Sharara oilfield.

Teams at the refinery are transferring the remaining contents to other reservoirs, Gulam said, Reuters reported.

Earlier on Sunday, NOC declared force majeure after reservoirs at the Zawiya refinery were severely damaged due to ongoing clashes between armed groups in its vicinity.

There was no immediate indications of who was involved in the violence or the reason for it.

NOC posted pictures on Facebook showing firefighting teams extinguishing the fires.

Libya's oil sector, a major source of income for the country, has been a target for local and broader political protests as well as security unrest since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.



Israel Vows to 'Respond Forcefully' After Missile Intercepted from Yemen

Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 May 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 May 2025. (EPA)
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Israel Vows to 'Respond Forcefully' After Missile Intercepted from Yemen

Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 May 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters gather around a large Palestinian flag during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 May 2025. (EPA)

Israel's defense minister vowed a forceful response after a missile fired from Yemen was intercepted on Friday, in an attack claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi militias.  

"The Houthis continue to launch Iranian missiles at Israel. As we promised, we will respond forcefully in Yemen and wherever necessary," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X.

A ceasefire deal between Yemen's Houthis and the US does not include sparing Israel, the militias had said on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the US would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, saying that the group had agreed to stop attacking US ships.

The Houthis have attacked numerous vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade, in a campaign that they say is aimed at showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has been fighting a war in Gaza since a deadly raid by Palestinian group Hamas into southern Israel in October 2023.