Safe passage for Lebanon fuel aid

There are long queues at many petrol stations that remain open

Israel has told the UN World Food Programme (WFP) that emergency fuel supplies will be given safe passage into Lebanon, agency officials say.

Two tankers, carrying a total of 87,000 metric tons of fuel, are to be allowed to dock in the ports of Beirut and Tripoli, according to the WFP.

The WFP says Israeli military strikes in Lebanon have closed petrol stations and affected commerce and farming.

A Lebanese official said there was no crisis, but fuel was being rationed.

Ali Berro, an adviser to Lebanon's energy minister, told the AFP news agency that he did not believe UN suggestions that the country had just two or three days of fuel supplies remaining.

Reports from functioning petrol stations in Lebanon indicate that customers are being limited to between 10 and 20 litres of fuel per visit.

Power boost

According to WFP spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume, fuel stocks across Lebanon are running dangerously low.

"Almost all the petrol stations are shut. Fuel supplies for power stations and water pumping stations are all but exhausted," she told the Associated Press news agency.

The organisation said it had used its channels of communication with the Israeli military to secure safe passage for the two tankers, which it said were chartered by the Lebanese government.

The ships are due to dock within the next 24 hours.

The petrol and diesel fuel carried by the two tankers is thought to be destined for Lebanese power stations.

Some may be diverted to keep agricultural production running and ensure food can be distributed through the country.