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Lebanon Loses $400 Million Yearly from Fuel Smuggling to Syria

Lebanese bread seen at a bakery in Lebanon. NNA
Lebanese bread seen at a bakery in Lebanon. NNA
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Lebanon Loses $400 Million Yearly from Fuel Smuggling to Syria

Lebanese bread seen at a bakery in Lebanon. NNA
Lebanese bread seen at a bakery in Lebanon. NNA

Lebanon is losing millions of dollars yearly due to the smuggling of goods to Syria through illegal border crossings.

A report broadcast by a local television channel revealed this week that the amount of smuggled fuel to Syria is estimated at $400 million per year.

It said traffickers have recently added wheat on their list of smuggled goods, depleting the capacity of the state to provide basic commodities to the local market.

The Lebanese Central Bank (BDL) subsidizes these two commodities.

BDL supplies dollars for the import of wheat, medicine, gasoline, diesel, and butane at the pegged exchange rate of LL1507.5, while the black market rate is above LL4,000.

The television said because wheat in Lebanon is subsidized, the cost of one metric ton is $150 while in Syria it is $320.

The wheat is milled in Lebanon and sold as flour at low prices in order for the bakeries to maintain the fixed price of the bread pack at LL1,500.

“This report shows again the very negative impact of illegal smuggling on the state’s finances,” said Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

In January, Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni revealed that $4 billion to $5 billion would be requested from international donor countries to finance purchases of wheat, fuel and medicines.

Democratic Gathering MP Hadi Abou Al-Hosn said the Progressive Socialist Party would go to the judiciary and question the government on this issue.

“While the Central Bank has put limits on the withdrawal of dollars from bank deposits to buy basic needs, such as wheat, fuel and medicine, depriving people of their money, we see mobs draining the economy by smuggling flour and diesel across the illegal border crossings in both directions. The situation is no longer bearable," he said.

Lebanon’s economic crisis continues to worsen, while the value of the Lebanese lira dipping and the prices of goods tremendously increasing.

In October, Lebanese banks began reducing dollar withdrawals before they stopped them entirely last month.

Last week, the government formally requested the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to save Lebanon from the deep financial crisis.

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Arab World

Israeli Strike Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
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Israeli Strike Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)

An ‌Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least two Palestinians in a vehicle and wounded 13 others in the Gaza Strip, medical staff said.

The strike in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in western Gaza City, left the vehicle mangled, according to footage circulated on social media. Local medical staff told ‌Reuters that ‌they urged people to provide ‌information ⁠that could help identify ⁠the two people who were killed and whose bodies were dismembered by the explosion.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted two Hamas fighters, without giving further information.

An October 2025, ⁠US-backed, ceasefire halted large-scale fighting in ‌Gaza, but ‌it has not ended Israeli strikes and ‌there has been little progress on ‌steps towards permanent peace.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's broader plan ‌to end the Gaza conflict, which includes the Israeli withdrawal ⁠from ⁠the strip and the disarmament of Hamas.

Israel says Hamas has been violating the deal.

More than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory's health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.

Hamas does not usually disclose information about fatalities among its fighters.

Arab World

Syria Rejects Sovereignty Violations, Netanyahu’s Entry into Its Territory

An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
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Syria Rejects Sovereignty Violations, Netanyahu’s Entry into Its Territory

An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 

Syria on Saturday renewed its rejection of violations of its sovereignty and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s entry into its territory, as Israeli forces continued a weeklong escalation of artillery fire and incursions around Beit Jinn, on the slopes of Mount Hermon in western rural Damascus.

Residents fear an Israeli incursion into the town could lead to a repeat of events in late 2025, when dozens were killed or wounded in clashes between residents and an Israeli patrol that entered Beit Jinn.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria had clearly reaffirmed before the UN Security Council, with the support of more than 40 countries, its rejection of violations of its sovereignty and Netanyahu’s entry into Syrian territory.

In a post on X, al-Shaibani stressed that Damascus remained committed to the country’s unity, independent decision-making and territorial integrity. He welcomed the international response supporting Syria in the face of continuing Israeli violations and said Damascus would continue to defend its national rights through legitimate political and diplomatic means under international law and the UN Charter.

Representatives of several UN member states, joined by Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi, gathered outside the Security Council in New York on Friday to denounce Netanyahu’s entry into Syrian territory and reaffirm Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Netanyahu, accompanied by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, entered the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on Sept. 9, where Israeli forces are deployed.

Damascus strongly condemned what it called Netanyahu’s “illegal entry” into Syrian territory and his tour of Mount Hermon, describing it as a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law.

Syria held Israel fully responsible for the consequences of the violations and called on the UN, international organizations and influential countries to act to halt the attacks and ensure a return to the Disengagement Agreement.

Meanwhile, local sources in Beit Jinn told Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 10 Israeli military vehicles and two tanks had entered farmland belonging to the village of Mazraat Beit Jinn, east of the town.

The incursion came hours after Israeli artillery fire struck the Ain al-Shaara area north of Beit Jinn, with the shell landing on agricultural land.

Israeli forces had repeatedly shelled areas around Mazraat Beit Jinn and Bat al-Warda hill since Sept. 3, without reported casualties or material damage. An Israeli drone had also struck a civilian vehicle on the road to the town, wounding several civilians.

Local sources voiced fears of a repeat of Nov. 28, 2025, when an Israeli military patrol entered Beit Jinn, triggering fierce clashes with residents that killed 13 people from the town and wounded 24 others.

The escalation in western rural Damascus comes as Israeli forces continue incursions and attacks on towns and villages in rural Daraa and Quneitra near the ceasefire line. The operations have continued since the first day following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government on Dec. 8, 2024.

Arab World

Fatah Demands Apology for Oct. 7 ‘Catastrophe’ as Hamas Hits Back

A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 
A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 
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Fatah Demands Apology for Oct. 7 ‘Catastrophe’ as Hamas Hits Back

A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 
A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 

A heated Palestinian debate erupted after Fatah Central Committee member Majed Faraj called on Hamas to apologize to the Palestinian people for what he described as the “catastrophe” that followed Oct. 7, 2023.

Speaking to Fatah activists at a public gathering ahead of legislative elections, Faraj said Hamas should apologize before returning to political life as a Palestinian faction like any other.

“This is a personal opinion and not an official position,” he added.

Fatah supporters and several of its leaders applauded, including Zakaria Zubeidi, who was recently released from an Israeli prison under a Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange deal. His reaction drew criticism from Hamas activists and freed prisoners.

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, hit back at Faraj, Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, arguing that the Oct. 7 attack had strategic consequences not only for Palestine but for the region and the world.

In a Telegram post, Naim said that if Hamas were required to apologize, Faraj should also demand apologies from Fatah and the late Yasser Arafat for what, by Faraj’s own standard, were “catastrophes” inflicted on Palestinians over decades. He cited the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which was followed by Israel’s Operation Defensive Shield and the reoccupation of the West Bank, as well as earlier events in Jordan, Lebanon and the first Gulf War.

Naim said Palestinians had the right to assess every stage of their national struggle and demand accountability, but argued that such scrutiny should not be selective or serve foreign agendas. He described the Oslo process as a “major mistake” that had proved a catastrophic failure.

He added that Hamas had repeatedly called for comprehensive national dialogue to review all paths, including the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” but accused Fatah of rejecting such efforts, most recently at meetings in Ankara and El Alamein.

Fatah Revolutionary Council member Monzer al-Hayek defended his movement, saying the only thing Fatah could apologize for was failing so far to achieve an independent Palestinian state.

He noted that Fatah had built a national authority, given Palestinians an entity, identity and passport, and advanced the statehood project until Palestine achieved UN non-member observer state status.

Al-Hayek accused Hamas of obstructing the national liberation process, weakening the political track and helping create conditions that brought Israel’s far right to power.

The dispute comes amid mutual accusations that each movement is seeking to obstruct or postpone the elections. Hamas has sought to form a broad electoral coalition of several factions, while Fatah has worked to block the effort and persuaded PLO factions, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, not to join.

Fatah’s Revolutionary Council said the movement would contest legislative elections scheduled for Nov. 28 on an official national list in consultation with PLO factions. It called for comprehensive national dialogue, Palestinian unity within the PLO framework and a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders.

President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to holding legislative elections on Nov. 28, 2026, and urged the international community to pressure Israel not to obstruct voting in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.