An Iranian tanker has been spotted emptying fuel in Syria's Baniyas port, destined for neighbouring Lebanon, oil shipment tracking service TankerTrackers.com said on Tuesday.
"Unable to deliver directly by sea to Lebanon because of sanctions, the vessel went instead to Baniyas, Syria, for land transfer," the firm said on Twitter, referring to US economic sanctions on the government in Tehran.
Syria is also under US sanctions, so has nothing to lose from receiving the fuel.
The Iranian ship, the Faxon, is carrying an estimated cargo of 33,000 metric tonnes of gasoil, a light fuel oil used specifically in generators. Lebanon uses gasoil mostly for private generators run by a highly organised decade-old network of owners across the country.
The state-owned power company is generating only minimal electricity, leaving businesses and households almost entirely dependent on small, private generators.
The Faxon’s load is equivalent to about three days of the country’s needs, Lebanese fuel importers and private generator owners told The National last week. TankerTrackers.com believes 1,310 lorries will be needed to transport the cargo, equivalent to 40 million litres of gasoil, from Syria to Lebanon.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese armed militia Hezbollah, said on Monday a first ship carrying Iranian fuel oil to help Lebanon through its financial crisis had docked in Syria on Sunday and the shipment should reach Lebanon by Thursday.
He said a second ship with fuel oil would arrive in the Syrian port of Baniyas in a few days, with a third and fourth, respectively carrying petrol and diesel, also due.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday that Hezbollah, which also operates as a political party nationally, had prepared thousands of banners and music to receive the convoy of vehicles that will transport the gasoil from Baniyas to the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, a party stronghold. The news agency said that 70 to 80 lorries would be driving three million litres of gasoil in a 3 kilometre-long convoy.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, which bypassed the government to organise the fuel imports, has prepared two ceremonies to receive the convoy, the first between the towns of Al Ain and Nabi Othman in the north of the Bekaa region, and the second at the entrance of Baalbek, in a locality known as Douar Al Jalabi. Politicians, legislators, mayors and religious figures are expected to attend the festivities, according to the news agency.
Mr Nasrallah said the fuel would be stocked and distributed by the Al Amana fuel distribution company, which is placed under US sanctions. He said it would be distributed for a month free of charge across Lebanon to hospitals, orphanages, nursing homes, state-run water companies, municipalities, the civil defence and the Lebanese Red Cross.
According to Mr Nasrallah, the fuel will also be sold at a lower price than its cost to private hospitals and health centres, medical laboratories, mills, bakeries and supermarkets, among others.
A financial crisis has wiped 90 per cent off the value of the Lebanese lira since 2019, pushed food prices up by more than 550 per cent and propelled three quarters of the population into poverty. The World Bank has called it one of the deepest depressions of modern history.
Analysts previously told The National that the Iranian fuel imports are a political message from Hezbollah to consolidate its power among its constituency in Lebanon. It remains unclear whether government institutions will run the risk of buying fuel, which is supplied defying US sanctions.
SPECS
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Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicola%20Coughlan%2C%20Luke%20Newton%2C%20Jonathan%20Bailey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The%20Secret%20Kingdom%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Matt%20Drummond%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlyla%20Browne%2C%20Alice%20Parkinson%2C%20Sam%20Everingham%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20flat-six%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E525hp%20(GT3)%2C%20500hp%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E465Nm%20(GT3)%2C%20450Nm%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh944%2C000%20(GT3)%2C%20Dh581%2C700%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
