Parts of Lebanon, including districts in the capital city of Beirut, witnessed power cuts on Tuesday (July 31st) as the national electricity company warned of a nationwide blackout following an employee strike, AFP reported.

According to an Electricity of Lebanon (EDL) statement issued late on Monday, day labourers were occupying the company's headquarters and demanding tenure, forcing the company to shut its doors.

"This decision will result in an electricity blackout throughout Lebanon in a matter of hours," EDL said, calling on citizens to take "precautionary measures".

Striking workers rejected EDL claims that their actions impaired operations, insisting that the strike was limited to bill collection. Electricity bills have not been collected for at least three months.

On average, electricity output in Lebanon reaches only 1,700 megawatts in the summer, when the demand stands at 2,500 megawatts.