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Crowds at a gas station in Beirut: Lebanon is experiencing the worst supply crisis in years
Photo: Bilal Jawich / imago images / Xinhua
Lebanon has been struggling with acute fuel shortages for weeks.
In view of the worsening supply crisis in the country, Beirut is now approaching the government in Syria.
For the first time in ten years, Lebanon has sent a high-ranking delegation to the neighboring country.
The aim of the visit are possible gas and electricity supplies from regional neighbors, as reported by the Lebanese state news agency NNA.
Among other things, Egypt is supposed to deliver gas to the small Mediterranean country via Jordan and Syria.
In August it was announced that Jordan would also use this gas to produce electricity for Lebanon.
It was the first visit by a high-ranking delegation from Lebanon since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The Lebanese Hezbollah, which is allied with Iran, supports the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria with fighters and weapons.
Other parties in Lebanon, on the other hand, support the Syrian rebels.
In addition, according to UN estimates, there are more Syrian refugees in Lebanon than in any other country.
All of this has caused Lebanon to be divided in its dealings with the government in Damascus.
The Syrian government approved the Lebanese request for electricity and gas supplies, as the Syrian state agency Sana reported.
Severest supply crisis for decades
Lebanon is currently experiencing its worst supply crisis in decades.
Due to the lack of fuel, the normal operation of hospitals, among other things, is no longer ensured, and drinking water and wastewater treatment plants can no longer work properly.
The state energy network only supplies electricity for one to two hours a day.
Most Lebanese therefore have to go for hours every day without electricity.
In view of the acute emergency, the United Nations want to support the small country on the Mediterranean with an additional ten million dollars (8.4 million euros).
This is to keep hospitals and waterworks that generate their electricity with the help of generators running, said the UN emergency aid office Ocha.
More than 60 hospitals would be helped in this way.
According to Ocha, Lebanon needs aid totaling 378 million dollars (319 million euros) in the current year to provide humanitarian aid to around 1.9 million people.
The other 10 million dollars could supply the country with fuel for a week or two at the most, said energy expert Marc Ayoub from the American University of Beirut (AUB).
According to Hezbollah, Iran also wants to deliver oil to Lebanon - despite international sanctions.
asc / dpa
