The Parliamentary Environment Committee held a session chaired by the committee's rapporteur, MP Qassem Hashim, with the attendance of Minister of Environment in the caretaker government, Damiános Qattar, and the following MPs: Inaya Ezzeddine, Simon Abi Ramia, Adnan Traboulsi, Joseph Issaq, Wahbi Khatisha, Ihab Hamada, and Ghazi Zaiter.
Also present were the Director General of the Ministry of Environment, Serge Hatjian, the Director General of Transport, Ahmad Tamer, and the Secretary General of the National Council for Scientific Research, Ma’in Hamza. They discussed the source and risks of environmental pollution resulting from the leakage of oil residues along the Lebanese coastline in the Tyre area. MP Traboulsi said, "Based on our invitation for an urgent session due to the Israeli environmental aggression, the Zionist enemy is always attacking Lebanon in all fields, and this time it is environmentally, with the oil spill affecting the Lebanese beach. We listened to the opinions of many consultants and relevant state administrations regarding this file, and it became clear that there is significant negligence from the concerned parties in this file due to the lack of coordination between the administrations, which could have helped prevent the situation. Lebanon previously suffered from environmental pollution due to oil during the July War. In light of this, coordination and serious follow-up are necessary to overcome this disaster."
For his part, MP Hashim stated, "The Environment Committee held its meeting today regarding the crime of polluting the Lebanese beach due to the oil spill, which is considered an aggression against our environment. The committee reviewed the scientific reports from the National Council for Scientific Research, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and issued the following recommendations:
- An urgent request to file a complaint with the United Nations against the Israeli enemy under the Barcelona Convention and the Rio Agreement.
- Establishment of a crisis cell to unify efforts from all relevant ministries and administrations to remove the pollution in a very short time.
- Securing financial requirements to support municipalities and environmental associations involved.
- Requesting the concerned parties to ask the United Nations Environment Program to assess the environmental impact and the economic losses that this crime will leave.
The Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, during his follow-up on the environmental disaster affecting the Lebanese coast from Naqoura to Beirut due to the Israeli oil spill, reiterated the "necessity for Lebanon to file a complaint before the United Nations and relevant international organizations against the Israeli entity, holding it accountable for the responsibilities and repercussions resulting from this environmental crime that threatens the Lebanese coast and the Mediterranean shores."
