The Deputies Bloc of Baalbek and Hermel, along with the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc and Hezbollah, expressed their support for the army and security forces in their efforts to combat smuggling, which negatively impacts the economy.
The National News Agency reported a statement from the deputies of the Baalbek-Hermel bloc affirming their position in support of the army and security forces in combating smuggling that affects the economy and citizens in Hermel and North Bekaa. The bloc's statement highlighted discussions on the availability of fuel in the Hermel and North Bekaa regions, as well as ways to secure fuel amid shortages and rising prices compared to official rates.
The statement emphasized the need to enhance coordination between the Deputies Bloc of Baalbek and Hermel, the Union of Municipalities of Hermel, the municipalities, and the Association of Mukhtars of Hermel on one side, and the army, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Economy, State Security, and General Security on the other. It noted the necessity to revise the list prepared by the army of accredited gas stations in the Hermel area, which includes 69 stations, and to send this list to the Ministry of Energy, as well as to address this matter with the Higher Defense Council.
The statement stressed that the Ministry of Energy should supply fuel to the stations according to the verified and calculated list exclusively for the Hermel area, also ensuring that transactions are monitored by the army in coordination with the municipalities. Monitoring is conducted by both the army and the municipalities during delivery, unloading, and distribution. The statement called for the preparation of a weekly report on the distribution and delivery process by army intelligence and municipalities, as well as to follow up on licensing unlicensed stations with the Ministry of Energy.
The meeting was attended by the head of the Baalbek-Hermel Bloc, Dr. Hussein Al-Hajj Hasan, Deputy Dr. Ihab Hamadeh, the head of the Union of Municipalities of Hermel, mayors of the region, the head of the Mukhtars Association, and the municipal work official in Hermel from Hezbollah. Yesterday, a meeting was held at the Union of Municipalities of Hermel, attended by deputies Hussein Al-Hajj Hasan and Ihab Hamadeh representing the Baalbek-Hermel Bloc, along with officers from the Lebanese Army, the head of the Union of Municipalities of Hermel, mayors of the district, and the Union of Mukhtars of Hermel, discussing the ongoing crisis of subsidized fuel and food materials that has persisted for six months, with an agreement that the solution to the crisis lies in the hands of the army.
