UN Reiterates Calls on ‘Israel’ to Compensate Lebanon 2006 Oil Spill
Local Editor
The United Nation's General Assembly reiterated a request from ‘Israel' to compensate Lebanon for the oil spills it caused along its shores during the 2006 war.
The assembly said in a statement that the resolution titled "Oil slick on Lebanese shores" should include the costs of repairing the environmental damage caused by the destruction, including the restoration of the marine environment.
The General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding. ‘Israel' rejected on several occasions in 2014 and 2015 to comply with the resolution.
The assembly said that the "oil slick had heavily polluted the shores of Lebanon and partially polluted Syrian shores and consequently had serious implications for the Lebanese economy."
Environment Minister Tarek Khatib hailed the decision, saying it had been reached following the fruitful cooperation between his ministry and the Foreign Ministry.
A statement issued by his office said that the compensation reaches $856 M.
On July 13 and 15, 2006, at the height of the devastating "Israeli" war on Lebanon, Zionist war planes bombed two oil tanks next to the Jiyyeh power station, about 23 km south of the Beirut airport.
The oil tanks contained 10,000 and 15,000 cubic meters of heavy fuel oil respectively, causing massive fires to spread to other nearby tanks.
When the "Israeli" air and sea blockade prevented emergency and rescue units from maneuvering, the overall damage resulted in about 60,000 cubic meters of the fuel oil being burned, while 15,000 cubic meters leaked into the sea.
Due to the blockade, the leak could not be contained, causing the oil to spread 150 km along the Lebanese coast. The environmental impact even reached parts of the Syrian coast, north of Lebanon.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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