The "first of several shipments" of Iranian fuel oil sets sail for Lebanon on Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said.
Lebanon is in the midst of a severe fuel shortage that has caused long queues at petrol stations and power cuts for as much as 22 hours a day.
Iran has been under US sanctions for decades. Countries and individuals importing fuel from Tehran could also face sanctions.
“The first ship which will sail from Iran will be loaded with the needed commodities. All arrangements are finalised. It will set sail within hours to Lebanon. It will be followed by others,” Mr Nasrallah said.
Later on Thursday, Iran's semi-official Nournews reported that a group of Lebanese Shiite businessmen bought the fuel.
"The shipments are considered their property from the moment of loading” said the news website, which is close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
Lebanon's economic collapse caused the shortage of fuel and other essential imported goods.
The leader of the Iran-backed group announced the shipment in a speech to mark the occasion of Ashura, the most important religious holiday for Muslim Shiites.
During Ashura Shiites commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century.
The speech was broadcast live to thousands of supporters on giant screens in Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs.
“The first ship to Lebanon will carry fuel oil because it is vital to hospitals... and we tell the Americans and Israelis that the ship will be considered as Lebanese territory from the moment it sets sail,” he told the cheering crowds.
A Hezbollah spokesperson told The National the ship would take at least 10 to 15 days to reach Beirut
Mr Nasrallah announced the departure of the ship "to reassure people", she said. "Any attack on the ship will be considered an attack on Lebanese soil."
Lebanon's three-time prime minister Saad Hariri, who has close ties to Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, accused Hezbollah of treating Lebanon like an Iranian province.
The Shiite group was founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guard in 1982 and has been funded and armed by them since then. Hezbollah is the only Lebanese militia that was allowed to keep its weapons arsenal after Lebanon's civil war ended in 1990 and holds great sway over politics.
Mr Hariri also accused Iran of interfering in Lebanon's government formation, a process that has dragged on for more than a year as political leaders bicker over their share of ministerial portfolios.
"These decisions will double people's economic misery and pave a highway to hell," Mr Hariri said.
He added that Iranian ships will bring sanctions to the country, similar to the US sanctions on Venezuela, which has also received shipments of Iranian fuel.
Lebanon’s economy has been collapsing for the past two years as political leaders fail to implement the reforms needed to access billions of dollars in debt relief and loans from international lenders.
The central bank's dwindling foreign currency reserves have impeded imports of essential goods such as fuel and medicine, which are subsidised.
The fuel crisis has hit hospitals, bakeries and other essential services which say they could be forced to close.
A spokesperson for Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Tehran had yet to inform Beirut of the arrival of a fuel oil tanker.
“We have not taken any practical steps, Lebanon has not received any formal information from Iranian authorities about any fuel ship,” he told The National.
Mr Nasrallah said the logistics for fuel shipments from Iran were finalised. He mentioned last week that Hezbollah could bring in the fuel while bypassing the central bank to avoid breaching US sanctions.
He said Iran assured him it would stand by Lebanon and blamed the Lebanese government and American influence for the lack of response to the Iranian offer.
Mr Aoun's office said on Thursday that the US had granted Lebanon a waiver from possible sanctions to allow it to get electricity from Jordan via Syria.
Doing business with the Syrian regime, or individuals linked to it, is punishable under the Caesar Act.
“It took time but the Americans told us electricity can be supplied to Lebanon through Syria and this will not be considered a violation of the siege on Syria,” the president’s spokesperson said.
Washington will help provide Egyptian gas to Jordan to produce electricity, which will be channeled to Lebanon via regime-held Syria, the president’s statement said.
The US will also “facilitate the transfer of Egyptian gas through Jordan and Syria to northern Lebanon”.
The US embassy in Lebanon declined to comment.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
