High-level Lebanese delegation arrives in Syria to talk fuel

A high-level Lebanese government delegation is in Syria, the first official state visit since Syria's civil war broke out more than a decade ago

DAMASCUS, Syria -- A senior Lebanese government delegation arrived in Syria on Saturday for talks expected to focus on the crippling fuel crisis that has paralyzed Lebanon. It marked the highest official visit since Syria’s civil war began more than a decade ago. Lebanon is expecting a shipment of fuel from Iran, which local media said is to be delivered at a major Syrian port and transported by land. The leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah group has arranged with allies in Tehran to ship the fuel to Lebanon to help ease the small country’s fuel shortages. The delivery would violate U.S. sanctions on Iran imposed by former President Donald Trump, who pulled Washington out of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2018. There is no date yet for the fuel arrival but the shipment to Lebanon is seen as a test of U.S. sanctions and many in Lebanon fear it could trigger penalties.