Oil climbs amid fears of escalation in Mideast tensions, countdown to US rate cuts
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices extended gains on Monday on fears a major spillover in fighting from the Gaza conflict into the Middle East could disrupt regional oil supplies, while approaching U.S. interest rate cuts lifted the global economic and fuel demand outlook. Brent crude futures climbed 56 cents, or 0.7%, to $79.58 a barrel by 0615 GMT, while U.S. crude futures were at $75.40 a barrel, up 57 cents, or 0.75%. In one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare, Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel on Sunday, as Israel's military said it struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to thwart a larger attack.