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Libya Says Attempts to Suspend Operations at Sharara Oil Field are 'Political Blackmail'

A picture taken on June 3, 2020 shows an oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)
A picture taken on June 3, 2020 shows an oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)
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Libya Says Attempts to Suspend Operations at Sharara Oil Field are 'Political Blackmail'

A picture taken on June 3, 2020 shows an oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)
A picture taken on June 3, 2020 shows an oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)

Libya's internationally recognized government condemned on Sunday attempts to shut operations at the Sharara oil field, describing them as "political blackmail".
In a statement, the government said it would not spare efforts to defend the interests of the Libyan people after local protesters partially shut down the field on Saturday, reported Reuters.
The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest production areas with a capacity of about 300,000 barrels per day, has been a frequent target of local protesters for various political reasons.

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Hamas Seeks to Name Haniyeh’s Successor as Soon as Possible

A Palestinian girl cries after an Israeli airstrike hit a school complex in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, on Saturday. (AFP)
A Palestinian girl cries after an Israeli airstrike hit a school complex in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, on Saturday. (AFP)
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Hamas Seeks to Name Haniyeh’s Successor as Soon as Possible

A Palestinian girl cries after an Israeli airstrike hit a school complex in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, on Saturday. (AFP)
A Palestinian girl cries after an Israeli airstrike hit a school complex in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, north of Gaza City, on Saturday. (AFP)

Informed Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that until Sunday, no person had been chosen to head the movement’s political bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

The sources confirmed that there are ongoing consultations in an attempt to implement the movement’s by-laws, amid a vacuum in many senior positions in the Shura Council and its executive body.

On Saturday, Hamas said in a statement that it had “begun a broad consultation process in its leadership and Shura institutions to choose a new head of the movement” following Haniyeh’s assassination, which was blamed on Israel.

Several potential candidates can be chosen to assume the position, including Khaled Meshaal, Musa Abu Marzouk, Yehya Al-Sanwar, Khalil Al-Hayya, and Zaher Jabareen.

Asharq Al-Awsat sources suggest that Meshaal is likely to be selected as head of the movement to replace Haniyeh until the end of the war, perhaps before holding early elections at the end of the current stage.

According to the sources, the presence of prominent leaders from within the movement abroad, specifically in Qatar, will help in overcoming the current crises and trying to expedite the steps to choose the prospective personality.

Meshaal is the former head of Hamas, and has lived in exile since 1967, moving between Jordan, Qatar, Syria, and other countries.

He was chosen as head of the movement’s political bureau after Israel assassinated the founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and after him, his successor in the Palestinian territories, Abdulaziz Al-Rantisi.