Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi during his visit to the Zahrani oil facilities on April 15, 2026. (Photo released by the Energy and Water Ministry)
SOUTH LEBANON — Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi visited Zahrani, near Saida in South Lebanon, at the site of the oil installations and the power plant. The senior official expressed his "support for the administrators, technicians, and workers who continue to carry out their duties despite the risks associated with the war Lebanon is experiencing."
Several Israeli airstrikes have hit the Saida district since the war resumed on March 2, but the site, which is one of only two such energy complexes in the country along with Deir Ammar in North Lebanon, has so far been spared, despite threats from some Israeli officials to target infrastructure.
A significant portion of the small amount of electricity that public supplier Électricité du Liban produces and distributes comes from Zahrani. The minister also thanked "Iraq, its government and its people, for the oil donation granted to Lebanon, which arrived two days ago via a convoy of tanker trucks at the Masnaa border crossing and is being unloaded in Zahrani. He closely monitored the unloading operation."
According to a source at the ministry, the donated fuel is currently being tested after being unloaded on Tuesday. The results are expected to reach the ministry by the end of the week.
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