Lebanon is laying the logistical and administrative groundwork for a project to transport Iraqi fuel oil by road through Syria to oil facilities in the northern city of Tripoli, though discussions have not yet reached the implementation stage.
The move follows after Iraq expressed readiness to export fuel oil through Lebanon during Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's recent visit to Baghdad.
Local media reported that Salam will chair a meeting on Monday to follow up on the issue and draw up a roadmap for requirements that must be met before any implementation steps are taken.
Discussions remain at a preparatory stage, with the meeting aimed mainly at identifying gaps and measures needed to prepare the logistical and administrative framework.
Lebanon’s Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny are expected to be present, along with representatives from customs and the General Security directorate.
Talks are expected to focus on the condition of Lebanon's northern border crossings with Syria and the work needed to speed up their rehabilitation. The readiness of the crossings will be a key factor in determining whether the project can be implemented.
Under the proposed route, tanker trucks would travel from Iraq through Syria before entering Lebanon and heading to Tripoli, requiring suitable border crossings and roads, as well as customs and security procedures capable of handling the traffic.
Saddi is expected to tour the oil facilities in Tripoli on Monday to inspect storage tanks and infrastructure and identify rehabilitation work that would be needed if Lebanon later moves ahead with receiving, storing and re-exporting Iraqi fuel oil, reported local media.
The tour is also expected to include roads leading to the facilities and an assessment of their capacity to handle the expected tanker traffic.
If implemented, the project would add another dimension to oil cooperation between Beirut and Baghdad.
Since 2021, Lebanon has received Iraqi fuel oil under an agreement between the two countries to help secure fuel for Electricité du Liban, Lebanon's state-owned power utility. Because the Iraqi fuel oil is not directly suitable for Lebanon's power plants, it is exchanged for other types of fuel under the mechanism in place.
The new proposal would use Lebanon as a transit route and storage hub for Iraqi fuel oil before re-export, rather than limiting oil cooperation to supplying Lebanon with fuel.
Lebanon is studying the route alongside an existing operation transporting Iraqi fuel oil by road to Syria's Mediterranean port of Baniyas, where tanker trucks carry the fuel from Iraq through Syria before it is shipped by sea.
The Baniyas route offers a similar logistical model, though using Tripoli would require tanker trucks to continue across Syria to Lebanon's northern border and then travel by road to the oil facilities.
