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Libya Central Bank Governor: Oil Blockade is ‘Bullet in the Head’

FILE PHOTO: Members of forces loyal to Haftar guard near Libya's El Sharara oilfield in Obari,Libya, February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
FILE PHOTO: Members of forces loyal to Haftar guard near Libya's El Sharara oilfield in Obari,Libya, February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
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Libya Central Bank Governor: Oil Blockade is ‘Bullet in the Head’

FILE PHOTO: Members of forces loyal to Haftar guard near Libya's El Sharara oilfield in Obari,Libya, February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
FILE PHOTO: Members of forces loyal to Haftar guard near Libya's El Sharara oilfield in Obari,Libya, February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

A blockade of major Libyan oil ports is damaging the economy and must be quickly resolved, the Tripoli-based central bank governor told Reuters on Friday.

"Now oil represents 93-95 percent of total revenue and covers 70 percent of total spending. This is a bullet in the head, that will hurt Libya and the Libyan people," Sadiq al-Kabir said in an interview in London. "We really hope the crisis is resolved as fast as possible because it hurts everyone."

The head of the Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, has warned of catastrophe if the week-long blockade by the Libyan National Army of Khalifa Haftar, which has cut oil output to almost zero, is not lifted.

Previously, oil production was 1.2 million barrels a day.

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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.