Lebanon in darkness as electricity grid shuts down

Lebanon has been left without electricity, plunging the country into darkness amid a severe economic crisis.
A government official told Reuters news agency the country's two largest power stations, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, had shut down because of a fuel shortage.
The power grid "completely stopped working at noon today" and was unlikely to restart for several days, he said.
For the past 18 months Lebanon has endured a severe economic crisis which has got worse amid fuel shortages.
That crisis has left half its population in poverty, crippled its currency and sparked major demonstrations against politicians.
A lack of foreign currency meanwhile has made it hard to pay overseas energy suppliers.

Many Lebanese people already depend on private diesel-powered generators for power. These however have become increasingly expensive to run amid fuel shortages, and cannot cover the lack of a nationwide power grid.
People were often receiving just two hours of electricity a day in the country before this latest shutdown.
The country is also grappling with the aftermath of the Beirut blast in August 2020, which killed 219 people and injured 7,000 others.
After the explosion its government resigned, leaving political paralysis. Najib Mikati became prime minister in September, more than a year after the previous administration quit.
Last month the militant group Hezbollah brought Iranian fuel into the country to ease shortages. Its opponents say the group is using the fuel delivery to expand its influence.