Nasrallah warns Israel, US to allow Iranian oil tanker to sail to Lebanon
A ship carrying much needed oil from Iran to Lebanon will set off soon from Iran – and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel and the United States to let it through.
The tanker is setting sail in defiance of U.S. sanctions. But Lebanon is suffering from a severe fuel shortage that has forced hospitals and other businesses to close.
“The vessel, from the moment it sails in the coming hours until it enters (Mediterranean) waters, will be considered Lebanese territory,” he said in a televised speech. “To the Americans and Israelis, I say: it’s Lebanese territory.”
“Despite the siege and sanctions on Iran and the pressures on it, it has never abandoned its allies and has not let down its friends,” Nasrallah continued. “The severed hand of the martyr Qassem Soleimani on the grounds of the Iraqi airport is a witness that Iran does not abandon its friends.”
Hezbollah, based in southern Lebanon, is backed by Iran and has a foothold in the Lebanese government as well. The terror group has positioned itself as a charitable organization helping desperate Lebanese citizens with food and money. And now, an oil tanker.
Nasrallah said the ship would bring fuel for “hospitals, manufacturers of medicine and food, as well as bakeries and private generators,” but it was unclear where the ship would dock or how the fuel would be offloaded.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
