Lebanese gas stations set to strike on Thursday

A joint statement issued by the President of the Gas Station Owners Syndicate in Lebanon, Sami Brax, and Head of the Association of Petroleum Importing Companies, Maroun Chammas, called for an oil-sector-wide strike to be held on Thursday. The statement urged storage tank owners and drivers to stage a peaceful demonstration before the Ministry of Energy on the highway from Karantina all the way to al-Sayyad roundabout from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.

The statement urged gas station owners across Lebanese to abide by the decision to halt all operations, even those related to car washing, from 12 a.m. Wednesday night until 12 a.m. Thursday. The statement stressed that petroleum importing organizations will refrain from delivering products.   

The participants in the meeting that led to the release of the statement said that they will hold further open meetings to follow up on developments, adding that if needed they will escalate their actions.