Another blackout: How did Lebanon get here?

In July 2022, the power blackout was due to a delay in loading fuel. In July 2024, it was because of a legislative and legal problem. In August 2024, it was due to malfunctions in the payment mechanism.While the Lebanese officials provided varied reasons for the blackout, the record has not changed. Since the Lebanon-Iraq fuel agreement came into force in 2021, the country has been witnessing a blackout almost every month.Once again, a fuel supply problem was attributed on Saturday to the total shutdown of the two power plants that the state-owned Électricité du Liban (EDL) operate. While the power plant in Deir Ammar (North Lebanon) has been out of service since Aug. 7, the one in Zahrani (South Lebanon) resumed minimal activity, after a total interruption of a few hours on Aug. 17 and 18 to supply vital installations, thanks to five...