Exclusive report | US sanctions help “prosperity” of Hezbollah trafficking of fuel smuggled to Syria
Iran continues its efforts to impose influence over the entire Syrian geography, despite rivalry by the Russians and cold war between the two sides in light of the symbolic regime domination. Being the ultimate Iranian-backed influential power in Syria, the Lebanese Hezbollah comes the top of events at a time when the Iranians have entrenched their presence at all levels, including the military and economic sectors, via their affiliates and proxy Syrian and non-Syrian militias.
For years, Hezbollah has made too much money through narcotics trafficking as well as its domination on oil fields with the Iranians and their proxies, exploiting the situation on the ground and the Syrian people’s dire living conditions.
In this report, the Syrian Observatory would like to shed light on another source generating massive profits for the Lebanese Hezbollah, the trafficking of fuel smuggled from Lebanon.
Reliable SOHR sources have confirmed that smuggling fuel from Lebanon and promoting in Syria has been alarmingly escalated. Such operations run by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the forces of the 4th Division, headed by Maher al-Assad who is the brother of the Syrian regime’s president, exploiting the economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime. Under such sanctions, the Syrian regime is unable to meet the people’s need of fuel, which spur the Syrians to turn to the black markets. With the Lebanese Hezbollah taking advantage of the current situation, it has brought in massive amounts of fuel, mostly petrol and oil, from Lebanon to Syria via unofficial crossings it controls in Homs countryside, turning the region into a major source for black markets throughout Syria.
According to SOHR sources, the prices of fuel that Hezbollah trade in are set as follows:
- Oil: 2,000 SYL per litre
- Petrol “octane 95”: 2,500 SYL per litre
While the regime’s official prices are as follows:
- Oil: 185 SYL per litre
- Petrol “octane 95”: 750 SYL per litre
It is worth noting that Hezbollah sells fuel in Syria at prices that are five times higher than in Lebanon. For example, a can of petrol is sold in Lebanon at three USD, while it is sold in Syria at 16 USD.
SOHR sources have confirmed that there are stalls for selling fuel smuggled by Hezbollah along a three-kilo-metre-long area from Homs refinery to Jisr al-Tinah. Furthermore, thsi smuggled fuel is transported to all Syrian provinces.
It seems that the US and economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime have helped the Lebanese Hezbollah to make great fortune, exploiting the crises plaguing the Syrian people.