Black tar has been discovered on the coast of Tyre, covering around 200 meters of the area that make up a great part of the Tyre Nature Reserve, as documented by local journalists.
The tar deposits on Lebanon‘s coast were detected after great quantities were spilled similarly on Israel’s coast while being unloaded from a ship, as Israel is dealing with its “worst environmental disaster in a decade,” according to the international mainstream media.
Director of Tyre Nature Reserve Hasan Hamze revealed to The Daily Star that the extent of the effect of the oil spill on the Lebanese shore is still unknown but, so far, several turtles have been identified as contaminated.
“This oil spill poses a very, very big threat to sea life and biodiversity,” Hamze said.
The team currently searching the area was able to confirm the presence of another tar deposit in the Ras al-Bayada district.
Lebanon’s authorities, headed by caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, will be filing charges. Caretaker ministers of defense and environment, along with the National Council for Scientific Research, were instructed to request an official report including damage assessment, from UNIFIL.
During a war with Hezbollah in 2006, Israel launched a fierce aggression against Lebanon, causing massive destruction, including a Lebanese power plant. It resulted in thick oil and tar covering a great part of Lebanon’s coast, which led to an ecological disaster.
The incident forced the UN to request Israel to pay $850 million in compensation, which Israeli authorities have yet to do.