Brent climbs to near $56 on Libyan oilfield closure, Syria

Crude futures rose to near $56 a barrel on Monday on reports of a shutdown at Libya's largest oilfield and heightened geopolitical tension following the US missile strike on Syria last week.

Global benchmark Brent gained over 1 percent on Monday and was last trading at $55.92, just shy of the one-month high of $56.08 reached on Friday.

US crude also made gains in anticipation of robust demand for the summer driving season.  WTI was last up 63 cents at $52.86.

According to a Reuters report citing an oil industry source, Libya's Sharara oilfield was shut on Sunday after a group blocked a pipeline linking it to an oil terminal. The field had only just returned to production, after a week-long stoppage ending in early April.

Oil prices have also been supported by an OPEC-led deal to cut output by 1.8 million barrels per day for the first six months of 2017.