The situation in Libya has sharply escalated in recent hours after two serious attacks targeting the country's military command and its critical energy infrastructure.
The director of military intelligence for the eastern forces, subordinate to the Libyan National Army (LNA), was killed in an explosion, while in the western part of the country, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) is struggling with the consequences of a series of drone strikes (UAVs) on the country's largest operating refinery.
Assassination in Benghazi: Director of Military Intelligence Killed
According to information disseminated by the Libyan media Al Marsad and confirmed by world agencies, Brigadier General Fawzi al-Mansouri, who headed military intelligence for Marshal Khalifa Haftar's forces in eastern Libya, was killed in a targeted attack. The incident occurred in the residential area of "Al-Hawari" in Benghazi, when an improvised explosive device placed under his personal car detonated as he was getting into the vehicle. No organization has yet officially claimed responsibility for the attack, which local authorities have described as a "terrorist act." (Source: Reuters - www.reuters.com/world/africa/car-bomb-kills-eastern-libyan-military-intelligence-chief-sources-say-2026-08-10/).
Critical situation in Zawiya: Oil facility under constant fire
Almost simultaneously with the assassination attempt, a severe crisis broke out in western Libya, threatening the country's fuel exports. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared a state of emergency of the highest degree after another oil facility in the city of Zawiya (about 40 km west of the capital Tripoli) was hit by a drone.
This is the third such attack in the past two days. The strike directly affected the distribution infrastructure of the Brega company, owned by NOC. The attack caused a massive fire in a tank containing around 4.5 million litres of petrol. Libya's Ministry of Oil confirmed that the facility had collapsed under the pressure of the flames, and firefighters were doing everything they could to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring installations and pipelines (Source: Anadolu Agency - aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/drone-strike-targets-oil-facility-in-libya-s-zawiya-amid-refinery-shutdown-warning/4023703).
Risk of complete refinery shutdown
The NOC issued a stark warning that if drone attacks on the Zawiya energy complex continue, the state will be forced to declare a force majeure situation and completely shut down the refinery. At this point, engineers on the ground report that production has not yet been halted, but the safety of hundreds of workers is at serious risk. Just days earlier, another drone crashed into a crude oil tank at the same site, causing a major spill that staff were barely able to contain (Source: The Jerusalem Post - www.jpost.com/international/article-905117).
The new wave of violence highlights the deep divisions in Libya, which remains fragmented between two rival governments - the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and the Benghazi administration supported by Khalifa Haftar. Analysts fear that the attacks on the oil sector, which provides the main revenue for the state budget, could push the country into a new spiral of civil war.