Hizbullah Says Second Iranian Fuel Ship Has Arrived in Syria

A second Hizbullah-imported ship carrying Iranian diesel has arrived in Syria, the Iran-backed Lebanese party announced on Friday.

In a statement, Hizbullah’s Media Relations Unit said the ship docked at Syria’s Baniyas port at 10:00 pm Thursday.

Dozens of tanker trucks carrying Hizbullah-sourced Iranian fuel had entered shortage-hit Lebanon last week. The quantity was from a first Iranian diesel ship that also docked in Baniyas.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had promised in August he would bring fuel from Iran to alleviate the rationing that is sowing chaos across Lebanon.

The country defaulted on its debt last year and can no longer afford to import key goods, including petrol for vehicles and diesel to power generators during almost round-the-clock power cuts.

The amount of Iranian petrol being delivered can only meet a small part of the demand in Lebanon and Hizbullah’s critics have derided the move as a propaganda stunt.

According to Nasrallah, a third ship began loading gasoline on September 13 and a fourth ship carrying diesel is expected to arrive in October.

The Hizbullah leader said in his most recent speech that the diesel would be distributed to all Lebanese components and to those who want it without “sectarian or regional discrimination.”