Drone strike in western Libya torches a power substation, triggering outages

CAIRO -- A drone strike ignited a fire at a electrical facility in a western Libyan city on Wednesday, knocking the facility out of service in the latest of a wave of attacks on energy and oil facilities that threaten to plunge the country into further chaos.The state-run General Electricity Company said in a statement that a power substation in the city of Zawiya, which links power plants to homes and businesses, was completely burned down.The city of about 250,000 people has been rattled by a series of drone strikes that hit oil and power infrastructures. Zawiya is home to critical energy infrastructure, including Libya’s largest oil refinery, an export terminal and a power plant.No group has so far claimed responsibility for the drone strikes.The power company said the attack resulted in outages across the southern parts of the city, which is located about 47 kilometers (about 30 miles) west of the capital Tripoli. Footage shared by the company showed massive flames and fireballs erupting from the facility.Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of one of Libya’s two rival governments, denounced the attacks on energy and power installations as “a serious crime and an escalation ...