Fire in a disused oil pipeline in the village of Abdeh in North Lebanon on Feb. 12, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
A new fire broke out on Sunday morning in an oil pipeline that has been disused for several years in the village of Abdeh, in Akkar (North Lebanon), our correspondent in the region reported.
Civil Defense teams have deployed to the scene to extinguish the fire, while local residents fear it is gaining ground due to oil leaking into water channels and damaging the surrounding agricultural land.
Oil spills on agricultural land in Akkar, North Lebanon, on Feb. 12, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
The pipeline, built nearly 90 years ago to transport oil from Iraq to Tripoli via Syria, was closed at the start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975.
Leaks have occurred regularly in recent years and there have been several calls to resolve the problem. Last November, unidentified individuals punctured a section of the pipeline.
Additional reporting by Michel Hallak