Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Iranian fuel shipments imported by Hezbollah constitute a breach of Lebanon’s sovereignty, according to comments published by his office.
“The violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty makes me sad,” Mikati told CNN in an interview, his office said in a posting on Twitter.
He added: “But I’m not concerned that sanctions can be imposed” on Lebanon “because the operation was carried out without the involvement of the Lebanese government.”
The Tehran-aligned group on Thursday began bringing tanker trucks carrying fuel from Iran, a move it says should ease a crippling energy crisis in Lebanon. A tanker ship carried the fuel to Syria and from there it crossed into Lebanon. Both Syria and Iran are under US sanctions.
Late on Friday, the Lebanese broadcaster LBCI said that a new group of tankers carrying Iranian fuel entered Lebanon through the Hermel area.
The United States said on Friday it was imposing sanctions on Lebanon and Kuwait-based financial conduits that fund Hezbollah as well as financial facilitators and front companies that support the group and Iran.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.