Electricity crisis in the Middle East: Power shortages hit Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria

A neighbor in Syria, fuel shortages are affecting most of the country. Some Syrians note that power outages appear to be less frequent in and around the capital Damascus, as well as in coastal areas that are heavily populated by supporters of President Bashar al-Assad, while the rest of the country suffers. In areas north of Damascus, residents have been complaining online for months that cuts have reached 20 hours a day. In Aleppo, the pro-government newspaper al-Watan reports, the cuts sometimes last up to eight hours, with 1.5 hours of electricity in between.