Fires erupt as IS attacks Libya oil facilities

Oil facilities in northern Libya were set ablaze Thursday as the Islamic State group launched fresh attacks to seize key export terminals, renewing concerns over the jihadists' growing influence.

Fighting broke out at dawn in the Ras Lanouf region, which along with the nearby Al-Sidra facility is one of the country's main oil export hubs, Libya's National Oil Corporation said.

"Storage tanks filled with crude have caught fire," it said in a statement, adding that nearby high-voltage power lines and electrical towers had also been downed.

IS, a growing power in strife-torn Libya, has in recent weeks launched repeated attacks from its base in the city of Sirte on facilities in the "oil crescent" along Libya's northern coast.

Analysts have warned that IS seizures of major oil facilities would be a crippling blow to Libyan authorities and a major boost for the jihadist group.

The jihadist group has carried out a wave of attacks in Libya since making inroad thanks to a political crisis.