The fighting began at dawn in Zawiya, roughly 40 kilometres west of Tripoli, before spreading to Surman, according to Reuters. Residents described gun battles lasting several hours, with medium and heavy weapons used inside residential neighbourhoods.
The clashes in western Libya involved the Anti Security Threats Apparatus, led by Mohammed Bahroun, and fighters from the 103rd Infantry Battalion, commanded by Othman Al Lahab. A militia led by Mohannad Suwaisi also joined the fighting, Asharq Al Awsat reported.
Zawiya’s Ambulance and Emergency Service warned residents to avoid the coastal road, citing concerns for civilian safety and the security of nearby oil facilities. The Zawiya Municipality suspended work across all its departments to protect staff during the unrest.
Surman’s municipal council took similar measures. It urged residents to remain indoors, avoid going out except in emergencies, and stay away from combat zones. The council declared Tuesday a public holiday for its workers.
A fire broke out in a shop in Zawiya’s Harsha district as the fighting intensified. Unverified footage circulating online showed thick smoke rising over both towns, alongside heavy gunfire near residential streets tied to the clashes in western Libya.
Salem Bahr, a local leader in Zawiya, told the Turkey based Libya Al Ahrar TV channel that the clashes had killed three civilians and wounded several others. He appealed for an end to the fighting, warning that whoever wins in this situation ultimately loses.
Amid the chaos, the Judicial Police Authority confirmed a mass escape of inmates from the Surman Reform and Rehabilitation Institution. The authority said it had opened an investigation and formed a committee to identify the escapees and pursue legal action, though it did not disclose how many prisoners fled.
The Libyan Red Crescent raised its preparedness level and called for safe humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians caught up in the clashes in western Libya.
Zawiya hosts one of Libya’s largest refineries, the Azzawiya facility, with a production capacity of 120,000 barrels a day. Azzawiya Oil Company urged employees, in a statement on Facebook, to avoid clash areas and the roads leading to them, and it declared a day off for staff based in unsafe zones.
Calm gradually returned to Surman after forces from the 52nd Brigade, commanded by Mahmoud Bin Rajab, deployed in front of the city’s prison and across contested neighbourhoods. The brigade also seized an armoured vehicle belonging to Salem Latif, an ally of the Al Silaa Battalion.
Surman’s mayor, Mohamed Abu Snina, described the humanitarian situation as very bad and said the fighting had caused serious damage before relative calm returned to the city.
Libya’s interim Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, faces renewed pressure to rein in rival armed factions after the latest clashes in western Libya exposed how quickly local disputes can spread across towns near the capital.
Zawiya has witnessed repeated rounds of armed clashes in recent months, disrupting refinery operations and prompting port evacuations on previous occasions. Tuesday’s clashes in western Libya mark one of the most serious escalations in the area in months, according to Global Arab Network.
The identities of all the parties involved, and the underlying cause of the fighting, remain unclear. No official casualty figures have been released by Libyan authorities.
For now, the coastal highway to Tunisia remains a flashpoint. Analysts warn that any fresh outbreak of clashes in western Libya threatens to disrupt trade, oil output, and civilian movement across the country’s fragile western corridor.
