Tel Aviv and the "forgotten" oil of Lebanon

32

Request from Tel Aviv


The sharply increased activity of the Israeli Air Force in Lebanon testifies to the preparation by Tel Aviv of a large-scale military operation, at least in the Lebanese South. Special operations against the Lebanese bases of Hezbollah and its allied groups in this regard are only seasoning for the main dish.

The thing is that the south-eastern border of Lebanon is located only 30 km from Damascus - the capital of the long-suffering Syria. After that, the very real "coverage" of the Syrian capital in terms of military-political geography will become threatening not only for the Syrian regime. Radical Arab-Palestinian groups supporting Hezbollah and Hamas will also be under attack.



They are known to be the flagships of the undeclared war of the Arab-Palestinian radicals against Israel, based mainly in the border “triangle” of Syria-Lebanon-Israel. However, one must remember that the Lebanese South adjacent to Israel is also an important oil transit region of the entire Middle East. "Attractive", of course, for Israel.

In the context of the mentioned political and economic trends that have formed at the moment in and around Lebanon, it can be assumed that the ground is being created for the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. This is especially true given the synchronously growing military activity of Tel Aviv in the Lebanese direction.


Trans-Arab oil transit is an idea born more than 100 years ago.

Israel needs all this not only to increase pressure on the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad and the Arab-Palestinian militants. Israel needs Lebanese oil and gas, and oil to a much greater extent. One should not forget about Israel’s permanent desire to establish control over trans-regional oil pipelines from Saudi Arabia and Iraq to Lebanese ports, respectively, Saida and Tripoli.

Now the planned operation in Lebanon is transparently “hinting” and the demand put forward the other day by the Israeli government to the United States regarding the cessation of financial assistance to Lebanon, we note, is specifically for defense needs. From Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Washington is gently reminded that in Lebanon there are still too favorable conditions for anti-Israeli militants and their bases, including missile launchers.

Answer from Washington


In the USA, they promptly heeded this request: the administration of D. Trump on November 1 decided to suspend, according to Reuters and UPI, the allocation of Beirut 105 million dollars for security needs of the Lebanese government. Moreover, the State Department notified Congress of this decision without indicating the reasons for its adoption.

One of the Washington officials on this occasion noted directly from the television screen that "this step could have been caused by protests in the country." It is also characteristic that US assistance to Lebanon includes the purchase by the Lebanese authorities in the USA of “night vision devices and weaponsused by the Lebanese Border Guard. ”


That is, American aid has been suspended amid, firstly, the ongoing socio-political protests in the country in connection with the economic crisis in Lebanon. And secondly, the escalation of military tension between Beirut and Tel Aviv, including the increasingly frequent incursions of the Israeli Air Force into Lebanese airspace. And in addition, this is also the allegedly unintentional Israeli missile attack on the Lebanese embassy in Damascus the other day.

According to Leader of the Lebanese Democratic Movement, Jacques Tamer, "it is not yet clear where and what the increasingly active socio-political protests in the country are aimed at. They are most likely controlled by foreign forces." Moreover, J. Tamer (it seems that he is not alone) has "data that representatives of the United States operate in Lebanon, which finance the unrest."

Moreover, Mr. Tamer is absolutely sure that today it is necessary to significantly weaken the influence of the United States and Israel, who have deeply penetrated Lebanese politics. And this can only be done with the help of Russia:
"It will not be possible to simply drive them out - just squeeze them out. With the help of equal force - Russia. We want the Russian advisers and military to help us in the same way as they did for Syria."


It is hardly worth explaining that now it is not advisable for Russia to intervene in the Lebanese situation, especially according to the Syrian “version”. But the very fact of the appeal to Moscow is also characteristic because in 1943-1944 the USSR prevented the re-occupation of the ex-French Levant, that is, the French protectorates of Syria and Lebanon by the French troops. What is remembered both in Damascus and in Beirut (see Moscow - Damascus: December of the 1943 ...).

Recall in this regard that oil refineries are located in the Saide and Tripoli mentioned above, the products of which, of course, are also not superfluous for Israel. This country is a net importer of oil, and up to 70% of the annual volume of oil products it consumes comes through just through Saida and Tripoli.

Tel Aviv and the "forgotten" oil of Lebanon

One of the main arteries in which Israel teaches oil products is the Trans-Arabian Pipeline in 1220 km, built by American companies in 1947-1950. It connects a large Al Qaisuma oil field off the Saudi coast of the Persian Gulf (not far from Bahrain) with a port and an oil refinery in southern Lebanon Side. Successively passing through the north of Saudi Arabia, eastern Jordan, southern Syria, then to Saida. The Saudi Saudi Aramco, a subsidiary of the Chevron and ExxonMobil conglomerates (USA), has remained the owner of the artery and refinery in Side since the beginning of the 60's.

And here is the Russian trace


It is characteristic that the numerous Arab-Israeli wars, as well as the Israeli invasions of Lebanon, did not damage this artery in any way, which is very characteristic. The volume of oil pumping here after the 1967 war of the year barely reaches one third of the pre-war; accordingly, almost half the loading of refineries in Saida decreased. Although, according to reports, Israel receives this pipeline oil and oil products from Saida. So why not "strain" to control the most important section of this artery for Tel Aviv?

It is also a matter of two related factors of the significance of the trans-Arabian oil pipeline for Israel. First, the western route of this artery ended in north-Israeli Haifa, where a large transit port remains and a powerful refinery operates. But in connection with the first Arab-Israeli war (1948-1949 gg.) Already by the 1951-th branch was built off from the part of the highway, which is on the Syrian-Israeli border, to the South Lebanese side.


But if we write about the same artery in more detail, neither in 1958, when the United States occupied Lebanon almost all this year, nor during and after 1967, when Israel occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights, the pipeline was not interrupted. He worked both during the Israeli occupation of most of Lebanon in the 1981-1982 years, and during the "peacekeeping" NATO operation in Lebanon in the 1982-1983 years. (more: Notes from the Minefield: United States Intervention in lebanon and the Middle East, 1945 — 1958, Columbia University Press, New York 1997; TAP: Port Information and Rules, Beirut, 1997).

The second artery, potentially attractive to Tel Aviv, is a branch (approximately 600 km) from the Iraqi-Syrian oil pipeline, operating from the end of the 1930's from the southern Syrian Homs to the North Lebanese port and the Tripoli refinery located near the northern sector Lebanese-Syrian border.

However, here the Israeli "prospects" are less feasible, since on January 24 of 2019, Rosneft signed an agreement with Lebanese Ministry of Energy on its operational management. The agreement is designed for 20 years and applies to the port terminal for the storage of petroleum products in Tripoli. The document provides, inter alia, for Rosneft to carry out comprehensive work to increase the throughput capacity of this oil terminal in the same period.

It is possible that the presence of Russia through Rosneft in this region of Lebanon is holding back and seems to be holding back the aspirations of Tel Aviv in Lebanon. At least in most of Lebanese territory. But its southern "oil transit" part, we repeat, is more vulnerable to those aspirations.
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32 comments
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  1. +2
    20 November 2019 15: 12
    God's chosen people? !!!
    Israel is one of Stalin’s few mistakes.
    1. 0
      20 November 2019 15: 51
      one of the few

      And do not say, we would live together, happily in the beautiful city of Birobidzhan, far from all Arabs, we would develop the Far East ...
    2. -9
      20 November 2019 16: 18
      Quote: Valery Valery
      Israel is one of Stalin’s few mistakes.

      I agree with you. Yos Dzhugashvili bet on the wrong horse. He did not need to support the Arabs, but Israel. Not to promote "Doctors' business", but to encourage the Zionists. ... and there would be the 16th republic of the USSR in the BV. He has lost this opportunity. As always.

      And the little article is left. There is nothing to comment. negative
    3. +1
      20 November 2019 18: 02
      Quote: Valery Valery
      Israel is one of Stalin’s few mistakes.

      On the contrary! About 9 million people now live in Israel, if it weren’t for Stalin, they would live next to you. Well, in general, what are they doing wrong to you now, or rather Russia?
    4. 0
      22 November 2019 16: 31
      It's you abortion victim
  2. +3
    20 November 2019 15: 15
    The appetites of the Jews are growing, but no matter how much you don’t shove in the womb, everything will not fit, they will burst. Yes and no hi.
    1. -1
      20 November 2019 16: 45
      Quote: jonht
      The appetites of the Jews are growing, but no matter how much you don’t shove in the womb, everything will not fit, they will burst. Yes and no hi.


      And if they don’t burst?
      1. +1
        21 November 2019 01: 11
        Do not burst, so serve ....
        God is not a fraer; he sees everything. hi
        1. +1
          21 November 2019 16: 41
          Quote: jonht
          Do not burst, so serve ....
          God is not a fraer; he sees everything. hi


          For some reason, they have not yet choked. And it is very likely that this situation will continue for a long time.
  3. +4
    20 November 2019 15: 40
    There are no "oil fields" in Lebanon, Israel does not need them. They only need to expel the bearded "Nasrallins" from there, so that they do not interfere with their lives. Together with their "General Secretary" digging "rat holes and tunnels", somewhere and once we have already heard this ...
    1. +3
      24 November 2019 23: 01
      Quote: Nycomed
      There are no "oil fields" in Lebanon, Israel does not need them

      Israel does not need oil, which is not there? laughing
      And anyway - when did a Jew need money?
    2. 0
      25 November 2019 16: 04
      Quote: Nycomed
      They only need to etch the bearded from there

      Well, some more water ...
  4. +1
    20 November 2019 15: 53
    Oil can stabilize the Lebanese economy, which is not satisfactory for either Israel or the United States, which needs chaos, including in the Middle East.
  5. -1
    20 November 2019 15: 55
    There is no oil here. laughing The gas is here! And we have both Lebanon and Cyprus. Gas!!! And we would have to develop our own, and not arrange some kind of war for a stranger. You don’t even know how to comment on such articles. request
    1. 0
      20 November 2019 16: 45
      The gas is here!

      And Maz is also here, or rather there)))
    2. -1
      23 November 2019 10: 09
      and the article was written by an ignoramus. and a propagandist in one bottle, having mixed up both geography and local realities, in general a liar and a short-sighted person, it is not customary for VO to call a spade a spade, but the article is enchanting garbage, where did the sane and interesting authors go?
      1. +1
        24 November 2019 23: 03
        Quote: zlinn
        where sane and interesting authors have gone

        All hope for you
  6. +2
    20 November 2019 16: 37
    Wow how mixed wassat
    First, Israel did not strike at the Lebanese embassy in Damascus. The house of one of the leaders of the "Islamic Jihad" near the Lebanese embassy was attacked.
    Second, the only international pipeline running through Israel runs through Damascus from Iraqi Mosul to Haifa. It belongs to the British Petroleum company and does not pump oil through it. From the word at all.
    Thirdly. No one found any oil in the territorial waters of Lebanon. But they found gas, and even in the case of the Lebanese version of the map (which was taken absolutely from the ceiling, unlike the Israeli one, based on the division of territorial waters between the British and French mandates) the field begins on Israeli territory.
    1. 0
      25 November 2019 16: 11
      Quote: Zeev Zeev
      Wow how mixed

      Wait you laugh stop They did not explain the main idea of ​​the author - is Israel in need of control over southern Lebanon or not? Want or not want? Going or not going? Is this the right moment or not? Will be better? Sure?
      1. 0
        25 November 2019 18: 10
        Israel controlled southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000. What for? So that from there they would not shoot at Israel. Does Israel need control there at the moment? If they shoot from there, yes. They will not - no.
        1. 0
          25 November 2019 18: 24
          Quote: Zeev Zeev
          If they shoot from there, yes

          And what, there are doubts that they will shoot from there, and always? I think you do not, if you are not a stupid person (and I see no reason to suspect). So your answer is yes. Then your laughter is obtained, it turns out.
          1. 0
            25 November 2019 18: 30
            There are several options in which they will not shoot from Lebanon:
            1. The Hezbollah terrorist organization will be disarmed by the Lebanese army with the support of the world community, and control over the border will actually belong to the UN forces.
            2. Lebanon will sign a peace treaty with Israel and again disarm Hezbollah.
            3. Israel will march across southern Lebanon with fire and sword, demolishing Hezbollah's fortified areas to the ground, regardless of the casualties among the terrorists' human shields.
            1. 0
              27 November 2019 10: 50
              Quote: Zeev Zeev
              1.

              Quote: Zeev Zeev
              2.

              This in theory would be nice, but politically impossible. Like world peace. Unfortunately. Although God forbid!
              1. 0
                27 November 2019 11: 47
                Therefore, it remains only to endure hedbolov.
  7. -1
    20 November 2019 16: 50
    Israel now has serious US support. This is a fact that cannot be ignored.
    However, it is not clear what the overall balance of forces in the BV will be.
    So, how it will be later is not at all clear.
    Again, it’s clear. It’s pointless for us to climb into this swara. There are too many religious-economic interests.
    We have our own business, at home, above the roof!
    1. +1
      24 November 2019 23: 05
      Quote: rocket757
      Israel has serious US support. This is a fact that cannot be ignored.

      Isil also had her
      1. xax
        +1
        25 November 2019 00: 15
        Quote: Geo⁣
        Isil also had her

        and Kurds
    2. +1
      24 November 2019 23: 09
      Quote: rocket757
      We have our own business, at home, above the roof!

      So what are you then soaped in Lebanon? Sit in your Israel while there is where to sit
      1. -1
        25 November 2019 00: 29
        Wrong address.
        To me on all BV matters exactly from the word forever.
  8. The comment was deleted.
  9. 0
    22 November 2019 16: 32
    Full degenerate article
    1. -1
      23 November 2019 10: 13
      it’s better not to say it, and it doesn’t matter what the author has mixed up and uttered, such articles have a place in the trash and complaints. that VO is rapidly turning into it
      1. 0
        24 November 2019 23: 06
        Quote: zlinn
        it doesn’t matter what the author confused and deceived

        Of course. And whether at all mixed up - it doesn’t matter either laughing

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