The United States has denounced Hizbullah's deliveries of Iranian fuel in crisis-hit Lebanon as a public relations stunt and warned that Tehran remained under sanctions.
Full StoryIranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Thursday that Iran is ready to rebuild Beirut port and that Iranian firms can build two power plants in Lebanon within 18 months.
He stated in a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Abdullah Bou Habib that “Iranian specialized companies are willing to build two power plants with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts in Beirut and the South within 18 months.”
Full StoryThe Lebanese government has officially tasked one of its members to communicate with Damascus, in the first such move since the eruption of the Syrian revolt in 2011.
Visits by ministers in the previous governments had taken place in personal capacity or following an oral approval from the prime minister.
Full StoryLong queues returned to Lebanon’s gas stations on Thursday amid a delay in the issuance of the weekly prices schedule by the Ministry of Energy.
The delay has been blamed on a rise in the price of oil globally and on a surge in the dollar exchange rate on the black market in Lebanon.
Full StoryIranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived overnight in Lebanon on an official visit to meet with Lebanese leaders.
He was welcomed at the airport by a delegation from Amal movement and Hizbullah, along with the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, the Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a delegation of religious scholars.
Full StoryForeign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib met Wednesday with Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides in Beirut.
The meeting was followed by a joint press conference.
Full StoryThe energy ministers of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria met in Amman on Wednesday and agreed on a timeframe for supplying Lebanon with Jordanian electricity via Syria.
During the meeting, “a work plan and a timeframe were presented to reactivate the electrical connection line between Jordan and Syria, and to carry out all the technical studies and prepare the necessary treaties for the implementation of the supply process,” Jordan’s news agency said.
Full StoryThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will "provide up to $29 million to deliver reliable energy across all regions of Lebanon," the U.S. Embassy said on Wednesday.
The Embassy added in a statement that USAID has awarded a contract to IMC Worldwide, Inc. to implement the Innovation for Affordable and Renewable Energy for All (INARA) Activity under the Initiative to Deliver Essential Assistance and Services (IDEAS) Project that is designed to provide up to $29 million to deliver reliable energy across all regions of Lebanon.
Full StoryThe Association of Banks and the Bank of Beirut in central Beirut closed their doors Wednesday to protect their Chairman Salim Sfeir as depositors arrived at the place in a protest, the Mottahidoun protest movement group said.
One of the depositors tried to go into the bank to claim access to her deposits and was prevented from entering the bank, the Mouttahidoun added.
Full StoryPrime Minister Najib Miqati is working on short- and long-term plans to tackle the energy crisis, al-Liwaa newspaper said.
Political sources told the newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that Miqati is working with the minister of energy to prevent a total collapse in the sector.
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