Nationwide Blackout Hits Lebanon After Protesters Sabotage Power Station

A nationwide blackout hit Lebanon on Saturday night. The national power cut came after protesters stormed a substation of the Électricité du Liban (EDL) company near Beirut and sabotaged the equipment. The protesters are demonstrating against daily power cuts, including some that last some 20 hours, AFP reported. The regular cuts are due to Lebanon’s financial crisis, which has made it difficult for companies to afford imported goods, including the fuel needed to run the power stations. Private homes that can afford it rely on generators to supply electricity for several hours a day.

A nationwide blackout last hit Lebanon in October, after the electric company’s supply of diesel fuel to run the power stations ran out. Hizbullah last year began bringing oil from Iran into the country. It said it would donate fuel oil to institutions in need, such as government hospitals and other facilities, and sell it at an “appropriate price” to other essential institutions. Meanwhile, Lebanon also reached an agreement to bring Jordanian electricity and Egyptian gas into the country.