Page 7 - MEOG Week 34 2021

MEOG PIPELINES & TRANSPORT MEOG

Hezbollah dares foes to attack

tanker en route from Iran

LEBANON/IRAN HEZBOLLAH chief Hasan Nasrallah said on to 22 hours a day. Businesses, government offices
August 19 that a tanker would depart from Iran and even hospitals have been forced shut.
“within hours” to ship desperately needed fuel Nasrallah has also spoken of the possibility of
supplies to Lebanon. The delivery, if completed, inviting Iranian firms to help Lebanon develop
would be in defiance of US sanctions. resources in the country’s offshore. Despite the
Nasrallah had previously said that he would involvement of major IOCs, Lebanon has strug-
turn to his movement’s ally Tehran if authorities gled to make much progress owing to a lingering
in Lebanon failed to solve critical and expanding dispute with Israel over their maritime border.™
fuel shortages caused by an economic crisis in
the country. The World Bank has described the
crisis as one of the world’s worst since the mid-
19th century, AFP noted.
The move to make the delivery could pull
Lebanon into a shadow shipping war that has
broken out between Iran and Israel, with the
foes thought to have attacked a few of each oth-
er’s tankers. Iran was lately accused of attacking
a tanker with three drones, with one crashing
into the vessel and killing two onboard. Tehran
denied having any role in the incident.
Nasrallah dared Iran’s enemies to attempt to
stop the shipment. “The vessel, from the moment
it sails in the coming hours until it enters [Med-
iterranean] waters, will be considered Lebanese
territory,” Nasrallah said during a televised
speech to mark the Shi’ite Muslim commemora-
tion of Ashura. “To the Americans and Israelis, I
say: it’s Lebanese territory,” he said.
More vessels would follow the first ship to
address fuel shortages that have paralysed parts
of Lebanon, he said.
The bankrupt Lebanese state can no longer
afford key imports nor subsidise essential goods.
That has led to crippling and sometimes deadly
shortages of electricity, petrol and medicines
among other things, AFP said.
Without the diesel needed to power genera-
tors, Lebanese have faced power cuts lasting up

Week 34 25•August•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P7