Geagea wants govt. to accept Iranian fuel, spare Lebanese from 'false rumors'

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea called the Lebanese government on Wednesday to accept an Iranian fuel offer after Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said he is willing to secure free fuel from Iran for Lebanon’s power plants.

Geagea said that the reason of his demand is not that he believes that "this will happen" but rather to avoid "leaving the Lebanese exposed to false rumors."

"We all remember what happened with the Iranian fuel," Geagea said. "We ended up with two or three ships," he added.

Geagea said that the fuel was paid except for "very few donations" that were given to some social institutions, "like any charitable organization would have donated."

Dozens of trucks carrying Iranian diesel had arrived in Lebanon last year to help ease severe fuel shortages that had resulted in crippling power cuts and long queues in front of gasoline stations. Nasrallah said back then a month’s worth of diesel would be donated to public hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, water stations and the Lebanese Red Cross. He said fuel would also be sold at discount prices to private hospitals, pharmaceutical factories, bakeries and cooperatives that sell food products.